King Charles is set to oversee a “new era” as his coat of arms will now feature on all new passports issued from December 2025, the Home Office has revealed.
The announcement marks the most substantial overhaul to documentation for British travellers since the launch of the dark blue passports issued in 2020 following the UK’s exit from the European Union.
The new design will replace the coat of arms from Queen Elizabeth II, featured on passports for decades, as is it is gradually phased out of use on stamps, coins, banknotes and other documentation.
The transition to the Carolingian era has been reflected on passports since 2023, where they were issued with pages referring to “His Majesty” but with the late Queen’s heraldry.
As of December, the final transition will begin with the King’s coat of arms, featuring a rounded Tudor crown, now fronting all new passports.
As well as the updated coat of arms, other new additions include new celebrations of Britain’s natural heritage through carefully selected imagery.
Four celebrated British landscapes will grace the interior pages of the new passports, representing each home nation.
Scotland’s Ben Nevis, England’s Lake District, Wales’s Three Cliffs Bay and Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway have been selected as the featured natural sites.
King Charles will overseas a ‘new era’ of his reign as passports will now be issued bearing his coat of arms
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As well as a visual overhaul, the revamped documents will incorporate state-of-the-art anti-forgery measures.
Migration Minister Mike Tapp emphasised the historical importance of these changes.
“The introduction of His Majesty’s arms, iconic landscapes, and enhanced security features marks a new era in the history of the British passport,” he said.
Mr Tapp added that the redesign “demonstrates our commitment to outstanding public service celebrating British heritage while ensuring our passports remain among the most secure and trusted in the world for years to come”.
The visual overhaul represents the most substantial overhaul to documentation for British travellers since the introduction of the new post-Brexit blue passports
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PA
The Home Office confirmed that current passports displaying Queen Elizabeth II’s coat of arms will continue to function until their printed expiry dates.
Ironically, one person who does not need to be concerned with the change is King Charles himself.
According to long held convention, the monarch does not require a passport as it is a document issued in their own name.
The modern form of British passports, featuring a photo and signature, was first issued in 1915.
The new passports will also include new security features state-of-the-art anti-forgery measures
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PA
Security watermarks began to appear in 1972, while machine-readable passports were introduced in 1988.
Last year, the first iconic red post box featuring the cypher of King Charles was unveiled in Great Cambourne, Cambridgeshire.
The tradition of royal insignias on post boxes dates back much further, first established 170 years ago during the reign of Queen Victoria.