British passport

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

UK biometric passport, issued since 2006. Passports issued since 1988 have a similar format, but until 1997 had the words "European Community" written in place of "European Union".

British passports may be issued to people holding any of the various forms of British nationality, and are used as evidence of the bearer's nationality and immigration status within the United Kingdom or the issuing state/territory.

[edit] Issuing

The inside front cover and first page of a non-biometric British passport (1988-1999 version)

In the United Kingdom, British passports (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) are issued by the Identity and Passport Service. In the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, British passports are issued by the Lieutenant-Governor.

In British Overseas Territories, British passports are issued by the Governor. In Commonwealth or foreign countries, British passports are issued by the Passport Section of a British Consulate, Embassy, or High Commission.

At present holders of the following forms of British nationality can apply for a British passport:

• British citizens (GBR)
• British Overseas Territories citizens (formerly British Dependent Territories citizens) (GBD)
• British Overseas citizens (GBO)
• British Subjects (GBS)
• British Protected Persons (GBP)
• British Nationals (Overseas) (GBN)

The three-character codes appearing after each type of nationality above are the ISO/IEC 7501-1 machine readable passport alpha-3 country codes of such British passports.

All British passports are issued in the exercise of discretion by Her Majesty's Government under the Royal Prerogative. In any event, discretion must be exercised reasonably and not on a whim, and even though there is no statute governing the issue of passports, such prerogative powers are susceptible to the normal processes of judicial review (Council of Civil Service Unions v Minister for the Civil Service [1985] AC 374).

British citizens, British subjects with the right of abode and British Overseas Territories citizens from Gibraltar as European citizens are entitled to move freely within the EU with no more than a check on their identity and nationality upon entering the territory of another Member State. However, in the absence of UK identity cards the only document that can be used for travel is a British passport.

The right of abode, i.e., the right to enter and live in the UK freely, is held by all British citizens. It is also held by some British subjects and those other Commonwealth citizens who were patrials under the Immigration Act 1971.

[edit] History

Safe Conduct documents, usually notes signed by the monarch, were issued to foreigners as well as English subjects in medieval times. They were first mentioned in an Act of Parliament in 1414. Between 1540 and 1685, the Privy Council issued passports although they were still signed by the monarch until the reign of Charles II when the Secretary of State could sign them instead. The Secretary of State signed all passports in place of the monarch from 1794 onwards, at which time formal records started to be kept[1].

Passports were written in Latin or English until 1772 when French was used instead. From about 1855, English was used, with some sections translated into French until 1921.

About 1855, passports became a standard document issued solely to British nationals. They were a simple single-sheet paper document and by 1914 included a photograph of the holder.

The British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act 1914 was passed on the outbreak of the First World War. This introduced, in 1915, a new format, a single sheet folded into eight and containing a cardboard cover. It included a description of the holder as well as a photograph, and had to be renewed after two years.

[edit] The old blue passport

UK passport 1924

A 32-page passport, known colloquially as the Old Blue, came into use in 1920 with the formation of the Passport Service following international agreement on a standard format for passports, and remained in use until replaced by the European Union style machine readable passports in late 1988. An interesting aspect of the old blue passport was that the data entered into the passport was handwritten rather than typed or printed.

Two versions were available: one for individuals (but which could also include the person's spouse), and another for families which included children as well.

Various changes to the design were made over the years[2]:

• In 1927, the country name changed from "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" to "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" (alternatively the name of the colony appeared here)
• In 1954, the name of the Secretary of State was removed[3].
• In 1968, the validity was extended from two to ten years.
• At the end of 1972, several modifications were made. A special blue watermarked paper was introduced to make alteration and forgery harder. The number of pages was reduced from 32 to 30, and descriptions of the holder's eye colour and (for a married woman) maiden name were removed.
• In May 1973, an optional 94-page passport was made available which provided many more pages for immigration stamps and visas for frequent travellers.
• In 1975, lamination over the bearer's photograph was introduced to make alteration harder. Overprinting of the laminate was added in 1981 to make removal easier to spot.
• The holder's occupation and country of residence were removed in 1982.
• In July 1988, changes were made to ease the introduction of the machine readable passports later in the year. Joint and Family passports were no longer issued and the descriptions of distinguishing features and height were removed.

[edit] Multiple passports

The Passport Office will permit up to six passports to be held at any time, to circumvent difficulties caused by territories objecting to visas or immigration stamps from somewhere that they may be in conflict with.^{[citation needed]} Historically this has included Israel/Arab states or US/various Middle East states. It is also useful for frequent business travellers to have more than one passport so they can still travel whilst one passport is away getting a visa or something similar.

[edit] The British visitor's passport

Cardboard identity card issued under arrangements regarding collective passports by the UK Passport Agency (2001)

A new type, the British Visitor's Passport, was introduced in 1961, and was a single page cardboard document valid for a year and obtainable from a Post Office. It was recognised by most West European countries, but was dropped in 1995 since it did not identify the holder's nationality nor did it meet new security standards.

[edit] The burgundy passport

On 15 August 1988, the Glasgow passport office became the first to issue burgundy-coloured machine-readable passports. They followed a common format agreed amongst member states of the European Community, and had the words 'European Community' on the cover. This was changed to 'European Union' in 1997. The passport is burgundy coloured, machine-readable, and has 32 or 48 pages. The machine-readable portion is two lines of printed text in a format agreed amongst members of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

The current biometric version captures a digital image of the photograph, signature and reproduces these onto the personal details page of the passport. The whole page is protected from modification by a laminate, which incorporates a colour holographic image comprising a native British bird, the Kingfisher; visa pages include images of a Merlin, Curlew, Avocet, and Red Kite. The hologram is affixed directly over the holder's photograph (tilting the passport page in direct light reveals the image). An RFID chip and antenna are located on the obverse of the data page and hold the same visual information as is printed, including a digital copy of the photograph with biometric information for use with facial recognition systems. In addition, both the Welsh and Scottish Gaelic languages have been included in the British Passport for the first time. These now appear on the titles page and within the multilingual notes section, the latter also provides translations into the official EU languages as required.

[edit] Physical appearance

British passports are burgundy, with the coat of arms of the United Kingdom emblazoned in the centre of the front cover. The word PASSPORT is inscribed below the coat of arms, with EUROPEAN UNION (EU passports only) and UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND above. As with other countries, the biometric symbol appears at the bottom of the front cover under the word passport.

[edit] Identity information page

Biographical data page of a current biometric British passport.

The British Passport includes the following data:

• Photo of passport Holder
• Type (P)
• Code of Issuing State (GBR)
• Passport No.
• Surname
• Given Names
• Nationality (states the class of British nationality, i.e. "BRITISH CITIZEN" or "BRITISH OVERSEAS TERRITORY CITIZEN")
• Date of birth
• Sex
• Place of birth (Only the city is listed, even if born outside the UK)
• Date of issue
• Authority (8)
• Date of expiry
• Holder's Signature (10)

The information page ends with the Machine Readable Zone and the "place of birth" only lists the city (unlike other countries which also list the country and may require individuals to petition for it to be removed, as in Canada).

[edit] Passport note

Each British passport contains on its inside cover the words in the English language only:

Her Britannic Majesty's Secretary of State Requests and requires in the Name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance, and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.

In older passports, more specific reference was made to "Her Britannic Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs," originally including the name of the incumbent.

Passports issued in overseas territories are issued in the name of the Governor, rather than the Secretary of State, in the name of Her Majesty.

[edit] Passports from the Crown Dependencies & Gibraltar

The front cover of a biometric Gibraltar-issued passport

British passports issued to residents of the Crown Dependencies as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar are slightly different from those issued to residents of the United Kingdom. These territories are located in Europe and are under British jurisdiction, though they do not form an integral part of the United Kingdom itself.

Gibraltar passports are virtually identical, except that they feature the word GIBRALTAR directly above the coat of arms and below the words "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland." Also, the "request" in the passport note is made by the Governor of Gibraltar instead of "Her Britannic Majesty's Secretary of State".

For British passports from the Crown Dependencies of Jersey and Guernsey (in the Channel Islands) and the Isle of Man (located in the Irish Sea), the words "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" do not appear on the passport's front cover. In their place, these passports feature the words BRITISH ISLANDS — BAILIWICK OF JERSEY or BAILIWICK OF GUERNSEY or ISLE OF MAN, as appropriate. As with Gibraltar passports, the passport note request is slightly different, coming from the Lieutenant Governor of the respective island.

The words EUROPEAN UNION still appear across the top of passport covers, signifying the special status of these territories within the jurisdiction of the EU.

[edit] Non-European "Lookalike" passports

British "lookalike" biometric passport, issued to British nationals who are not European citizens

Several categories of British nationality exist owing to the United Kingdom's history as a colonial power. Not all British nationals are also citizens of the European Union and so the words EUROPEAN UNION do not appear on all British passports. For the purposes of the European Communities treaties, European citizenship is possessed by all full British citizens as well as by British Overseas Territories citizens bearing a connection with Gibraltar and British subjects with right of abode in the United Kingdom and Islands (mainly, but not exclusively, those connected with what is today the Republic of Ireland as it existed before 1949).

British nationals who are not European citizens are issued what are know as "lookalike passports." These passports are similar to normal British passports, except that they do not have the words "European Union" on the cover, and do not contain EU-specific text inside.

For example, people using lookalike passports would include citizens of British Overseas Territories outside Europe who have not acquired full British citizenship, people from the former British territory of Hong Kong who registered for the status of British National (Overseas) prior to its return to China in 1997, or certain people from former British colonies who did not qualify to receive a new nationality when those countries became independent and automatically became British Overseas citizens.

[edit] Endorsements

Certain British passports are issued with printed endorsements on the Official Observations page. These form part of the passport when it is issued, and should be distinguished from immigration stamps subsequently entered in the visa pages:

• Holder is not entitled to benefit from European Community provisions relating to employment or establishment

British citizens from the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man without a qualifying connection to the United Kingdom by descent or residency have this endorsement in their passports, as the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are only part of the European Community for the purposes of the free movement of goods.

• Holder of this passport has Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card No: A123456(7) which states that holder has right of abode in Hong Kong *

British National (Overseas) passports usually have this endorsement in their passport, as a valid Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card or Hong Kong Identity card (which guarantees right of abode/right to land in Hong Kong) is normally required to possess a BN(O) passport.

• Holder is entitled to right of abode in the United Kingdom

British subjects with the right of abode (usually from the Republic of Ireland) will have this endorsement in their passports. (Commonwealth citizens who have the right of abode and who do not hold a United Kingdom passport are eligible to have a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode placed in the visa pages of whichever country's passport they do hold, upon request.)

• Holder is entitled to readmission in the United Kingdom

British Overseas citizens, British subjects and British protected persons without the right of abode who have been granted indefinite leave to enter or remain retain this entitlement for life, and their passports are accordingly issued with this endorsement.

• Holder is subject to control under the Immigration Act 1971

British nationals without the right of abode will have this endorsements in their passports unless they have been granted indefinite leave to enter or remain. However, even though a British National (Overseas) passport does not entitle the holder the right of abode in the UK, this endorsement is not found in BN(O) passports (1999-2006 and biometric versions).

• In accordance with UK immigration rules the holder of this passport does not require an entry certificate or visa to visit the UK

This endorsement is found in British National (Overseas) passports, and accordingly holders of the BN(O) passport have six-month visa free access to the UK as a visitor.

• The holder is or Holder is also known as ...

This endorsement is found in passports where the holder uses or retains another professional name or has an academic, feudal or legal title. The styling 'Dr ...', 'Professor ...' or similar is recorded here, or the alternative professional name. For example, Cliff Richard's birth name was Harry Webb. Ergo, his passport would read:

"Holder is also known as Cliff Richard."

• The holder's name in Chinese Commercial Code: XXXX XXXX XXXX

This endorsement was found in British passports held by people with Chinese names issued by the Hong Kong Immigration Department before the handover of Hong Kong. After the handover, British passport issued in Hong Kong can only be issued at the British Consulate-General, and this endorsement is no longer in use. (See also: Chinese commercial code)

• Holder is a dependant of a member of her Britannic Majesty's Diplomatic Service

This endorsement is found in British Passports held by people who are dependants/spouses of British Diplomats.

[edit] National identity registration

Under the Identity Cards Act 2006, probably from 2010, anyone applying for a passport will be required to have their details entered into a centralised computer database, the National Identity Register, part of the National Identity Scheme. Once registered, they will be obliged to update any change to their address and other personal details.

The identity card is expected to cost up to £60 (with £30 going to the Government, and the remainder charged as processing fees by the companies that will be collecting the fingerprints and photographs).^[1] In May 2005, the Government claimed that the cost for a combined identity card and passport package would be £93, not including processing fees.^[2]

Everyone applying for a passport from 2010/11 will have to submit to a digital fingerprint scan, with the prints to be stored on a database.^[3]

In May 2006 a "Renew for Freedom" campaign [4] was launched by the NO2ID opposition group, urging passport holders to renew their passports in the summer of 2006 in order to delay being entered on the National Identity Register. This followed the comment made by Charles Clarke in the House of Commons that "anyone who feels strongly enough about the linkage [between passports and the ID scheme] not to want to be issued with an ID card in the initial phase will be free to surrender their existing passport and apply for a new passport before the designation order takes effect" [5].

In response, the Home Office said that it was "hard to see what would be achieved, other than incurring unnecessary expense" by renewing passports early [6].

[edit] Fees

The cost of obtaining a standard passport over the years has increased strongly. While consumer prices in the UK have increased by 24% from early 1998 to 2009, the price of a passport renewal increased by 431%.^[4] It is expected that fees will rise by a further 20% to at least £93 to help fund the National Identity Register and ID cards, as discussed above.

• £77.50 - 3 September 2009 - a planned increase, which the Government claims is necessary due to a falling number of passport applicants, and also to pay for enhanced passport security measures. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats said that people were paying for the price of introducing ID cards.^[5][6]
• £72 - 4 October 2007 - due to an increase in the consular premium added by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office ^[7]
• £66 - 5 October 2006 - for the introduction of the latest generation passport, anti-fraud measures and interviews for first-time applicants ^[8]
• £51 - 1 December 2005 - to reflect the cost of implementing key anti-fraud measures ^[9]
• £42 - 2 October 2003 - to pay for new anti-fraud measures ^[10]
• £33 - 21 November 2002 ^[11]
• £30 - 14 January 2002 ^[12]
• £28 - 16 December 1999 - to fund a major overhaul of the Passport Agency following the summer crisis ^[13]
• £21 - 26 March 1998 ^[14]
• £18 - November 1992

The above fees apply for passports issued in the United Kingdom by the Identity and Passport Service. Passports issued outside the UK by the Passport Section of a British Consulate, Embassy, or High Commission currently cost £124.^[15]

[edit] Passport stamps and extra pages

Some countries require that a passport contains one, two or three blank pages when you enter the country in order to allow enough space for stamps. Pages cannot be added into British passports. If a passport is full, the bearer must apply for a new passport. A standard British Passport has 32 pages, a 48 page "jumbo passport" is also available for people who need extra space in their passports.^[16]

Some countries also require a specified validity period remaining on a passport.^[17]

Neither of these restrictions apply for travel within the EU or Schengen Area. An EU Citizen has the right to free movement within the EU. So long as a British Passport is not out of date or canceled it is still valid proof of Citizenship, and therefore can be used as such in the UK and for travel in the EU.

An expired British Passport is proof of British citizenship in the UK. Since the requirement of a British Citizen to enter the UK is to have proof of British Citizenship, an expired British Passport can be used to enter the UK. However, most airline carriers will not allow the individual permission to board due to the risk that they will be fined for transporting an inadequately documented passenger.^[18]

[edit] Vulnerabilities

According to The Guardian, the information contained on a biometric passport can be viewed using readily available hardware and software. Information is stored in encrypted form on an RFID tag, with the password as a combination of information written on the passport, so that anyone with access to the passport will be able to read the chip. The passport is also vulnerable to brute force attacks. And because it is possible to read the RFID tags remotely at a distance of several centimetres, it is not necessary to be in possession of the passport to extract the data.^[19]

As a result, the cloning of the passport is a possibility. Because the biometric passport is supposedly highly secure and therefore trusted, it is thought that the holder of a cloned passport might be more likely to escape detection than the holder of a traditional passport.

[edit] Visa-free entry

Holders of a UK Citizen Passport can visit 152 countries visa-free or with visa on arrival.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Africa

Country	British Citizen Passport	British National (Overseas) Passport
Botswana	90 days per year [7]	90 days per year [8]
Cape Verde	visa issued upon arrival [9]	a visa can be applied at Hong Kong
Comoros	visa issued upon arrival [10] [11]	visa issued upon arrival
Djibouti	visa issued upon arrival for DJF3,000 (10 days), DJF5,000(1 month) [12]	visa issued upon arrival for DJF3,000 (10 days), DJF5,000(1 month) [13]
Egypt	30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$15[14]	30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$15
Ethiopia	3-month visa issued upon arrival for US$40 [15]	visa prior to arrival required [16]
Gambia	90 days [17]	90 days [18]
Kenya	3-month visa issued upon arrival for £35[19]	3-month visa issued upon arrival for £35 [20]
Lesotho	14 days [21]	14 days [22]
Madagascar	90-day visa issued upon arrival for MGA28,000 [23]	90-day visa issued upon arrival for MGA28,000 [24]
Malawi	90 days [25]	90 days [26] [27]
Mauritius	6 months (tourist), 90 days (business) in a year [28]	6 months (tourist), 90 days (business)in a year [29] [30]
Mayotte	90 days [31]	90 days [32]
Morocco	3 months [33]	3 months [34]
Mozambique	30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$25 [35][36]	30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$25 [37]
Namibia	3 months [38]	3 months [39]
Réunion	unlimited access [40]	3 months in a half year [41]
Rwanda	90 days [42]	visa prior to arrival required, but an entry facility can be applied online [43]
Saint Helena	visa-free access	visa-free access[44]
Senegal	3 months [45]	visa prior to arrival required [46]
Seychelles	1 month [47]	1 month [48][49]
South Africa	90 days [50]	30 days [51]
Swaziland	2 months [52]	2 months [53]
Tanzania	visa issued upon arrival for US$50 [54], [55]	visa issued upon arrival for US$50 [56]
Togo	7-day visa issued upon arrival [57]	7-day visa issued upon arrival
Tunisia	3 months [58]	3 months [59][60]
Uganda	visa issued upon arrival for US$30 (single entry), US$80 (6 months multiple entry), US$160 (one year multiple entry) [61], [62], [63]	visa issued upon arrival for US$30 (single entry), US$80 (6 months multiple entry), US$160 (one year multiple entry)
Zambia	visa issued upon arrival for £35 (single entry), £45(multiple entry) [64]	visa issued upon arrival for £35 (single entry), £45(multiple entry) [65][66]
Zimbabwe	3-month (tourist) or 30-day (business) visa issued upon arrival for US$30 ~ 55 [67][68]	3-month (tourist) or 30-day (business) visa issued upon arrival for US$30 ~ 55 [69]

[edit] Americas

Country	British Citizen Passport	British National (Overseas) Passport
Anguilla	3 months [70]	3 months [71]
Antigua and Barbuda	6 months [72]	6 months [73] [74]
Argentina	90 days [75]	30 days [76] [77]
Aruba	180 days [78]	30 days [79] [80]
Bahamas	8 months [81]	8 months [82]
Barbados	6 months [83]	6 months [84] [85]
Belize	30 days [86]	30 days [87]
Bermuda	6 months [88]	6 months [89]
Bolivia	90 days [90]	90 days [91]
Brazil	90 days [92]	90 days [93] [94]
British Virgin Islands	30 days [95]	30 days [96][97]
Canada	6 months [98]	6 months [99]
Cayman Islands	30 days [100]	30 days [101] [102]
Chile	90 days [103]	30 days [104]
Colombia	90 days [105]	90 days [106]
Costa Rica	90 days [107]	90 days [108]
Cuba	30 days visa or tourist card prior to arrival[109][110]	30 days visa or tourist card prior to arrival
Dominica	6 months	6 months [111]
Dominican Republic	30-day Tourist Card issued upon arrival for US$10 [112] [113]	visa required; however, BN(O)s can apply for a landing tourist card if holding a valid visa to enter the United States, Canada or any European Union country [114]
Ecuador	90 days [115]	90 days [116]
El Salvador	3 months [117]	visa required [118]
Falkland Islands	visa-free access	visa-free access [119]
French Guiana	unlimited access [120]	3 months [121]
Greenland	3 months	3 months [122]
Grenada	6 months [123]	6 months [124][125]
Guadeloupe	unlimited access [126]	3 months [127]
Guatemala	90 days [128]	visa required [129]
Guyana	3 months [130]	visa required [131]
Haiti	3 months [132]	3 months [133]
Honduras	3 months [134]	visa prior to arrival required [135]
Jamaica	visa-free access [136]	visa-free access [137]
Martinique	unlimited access [138]	3 months [139]
Mexico	180 days [140][141]	180 days [142][143]
Montserrat	3 months [144]	3 months [145]
Netherlands Antilles	3 months [146]	3 months [147]
Nicaragua	90 days [148]	90 days [149]
Panama	90 days [150]	visa required [151] [152]
Paraguay	183 days [153]	90 days [154]
Peru	90 days [155]	90 days [156]
Puerto Rico	90 days	visa prior to arrival required [157]
Saint Barthélemy	3 months [158]	3 months [159]
Saint Kitts and Nevis	6 months [160]	3 months [161][162]
Saint Lucia	6 weeks [163]	6 weeks [164]
Saint Martin	3 months [165]	3 months [166]
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	3 months [167]	3 months [168]
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	1 month [169]	1 month [170]
Trinidad and Tobago	90days [171]	90days [172]
Turks and Caicos Islands	30 days [173]	30 days [174]
United States	90 days, see Visa Waiver Program; waiver fee is $6 if entering by land [175][176]	visa prior to arrival required [177]
United States Virgin Islands	90 days [178]	visa prior to arrival required
Uruguay	3 months [179]	3 months [180]
Venezuela	90 days [181]	90 days [182]

[edit] Asia

Country	British Citizen Passport	British National (Overseas) Passport
Bahrain	3-month visa issued upon arrival for BHD5 [183]	visa prior to arrival required
Bangladesh	90-day visa issued upon arrival for US$50 (available at Dhaka ZIA airport) [184]	90-day visa issued upon arrival for US$50 (available at Dhaka ZIA airport) [185] [186]
Brunei	30 days [187]	visa prior to arrival required [188]
Cambodia	30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$20 (tourist), US$25 (business) [189][190]	30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$20 (tourist), US$25 (business) [191]
People's Republic of China	visa prior to arrival required [192]	visa prior to arrival required
Hong Kong	180 days	who have the right of abode/right to land in Hong Kong [193][194]
Republic of China (Taiwan)	90 days [195]	30-days entry permit issued upon arrival for those were born in Hong Kong for NT$200. See here. In other cases, visa/entry permit prior to arrival required.
Indonesia	visa issued upon arrival for US$10 (7 days), US$25 (30 days) [196]	visa issued upon arrival for US$10 (7 days), US$25 (30 days) [197] [198]
Iran	visa prior to arrival required [199]	visa prior to arrival required [200]
Iraq	visa issued upon arrival at Erbil airport (free of charge) [201]	visa issued upon arrival at Erbil airport (free of charge) [202]
Israel	3 months [203]	3 months [204]
Japan	90 days [20] [205]	90 days [206]
Jordan	visa issued upon arrival for JOD10 [207]	visa issued upon arrival for JOD10 [208]
Kyrgyzstan	1-month visa issued upon arrival: US$36 ~ 70 (business),US$35 (single tourist),US$55 (multiple tourist) [209]	visa prior to arrival required [210]
South Korea	3 months [211]	3 months [212]
Kuwait	3-month visa issued upon arrival for KWD5 [213]	3-month visa issued upon arrival for KWD5 [214]
Laos	30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$30 [215]	30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$30 [216]
Lebanon	1-month visa issued upon arrival (free of charge) [217]	visa prior to arrival required [218]
Macau	6 months [219]	6 months [220]
Malaysia	3 months [221]	1 month [222]
Maldives	30 days [223]	30 days [224]
Nepal	visa issued upon arrival for US$30 (60 days), US$80 (150 days, multiple entry) [225] Note: New rates as follows (multiple entries) US$25 (15 days), US$40 (30 days), US$100 (90 days)	visa issued upon arrival for US$30 (60 days), US$80 (150 days, multiple entry) Note: New rates as follows (multiple entries) US$25 (15 days), US$40 (30 days), US$100 (90 days)
Oman	visa issued upon arrival : 1 month (OMR6), 1 year multiple entries stay up to 3-week per visit (OMR10) [226]	visa issued upon arrival : 1 month (OMR6), 1 year multiple entries stay up to 3-week per visit (OMR10) [227]
Philippines	21 days [228]	7 days [229]
Qatar	21-day visa issued upon arrival for QAR55 [230]	14-day visa issued upon arrival for QAR55 with confirmed hotel bookings [231]
Singapore	14 days if entering over land or sea 90 days if entering by air [232]	14 days if entering over land or sea 30 days if entering by air [233]
Sri Lanka	30 days [234]	30 days [235]
Thailand	30 days 15days if entering by land [236]	30 days 15 days if entering by land [237]
Timor-Leste	30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$30 [238]	30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$30 [239]
United Arab Emirates	30 days (90 days extendible on request) [240]	visa prior to arrival required [241] (landing visa arrangement cancelled in 2002.)
Yemen	3-month visa issued upon arrival for YER10,500 [242]	3-month visa issued upon arrival for YER10,500 [243]
Vietnam	Various visas with consular application and visa on arrival with prior approval.	Various visas with consular application and visa on arrival with prior approval.

[edit] Europe

Country	British Citizen Passport	British National (Overseas) Passport
[edit] European Union
Austria	unlimited access [244]	3 months in a half year [245]
Belgium	unlimited access [246]	3 months in a half year [247]
Bulgaria	unlimited access [248]	3 months in a half year [249]
Cyprus	unlimited access [250]	3 months in a half year [251]
Czech Republic	unlimited access [252]	3 months in a half year [253]
Denmark	unlimited access [254]	3 months in a half year [255]
Estonia	unlimited access [256]	3 months in a half year [257]
Finland	unlimited access [258]	3 months in a half year [259]
France	unlimited access [260]	3 months in a half year [261]
Germany	unlimited access [262]	3 months in a half year [263]
Gibraltar	who have the right of abode in the UK [264]	6 months [265]
Greece	unlimited access [266]	3 months in a half year [267]
Hungary	unlimited access [268]	3 months in a half year [269]
Ireland	common travel area	3 months [270]
Italy	unlimited access [271]	3 months in a half year [272]
Latvia	unlimited access [273]	3 months in a half year [274]
Lithuania	unlimited access [275]	3 months in a half year [276]
Luxembourg	unlimited access [277]	3 months in a half year [278]
Malta	unlimited access [279]	3 months in a half year [280]
Netherlands	unlimited access [281]	3 months in a half year [282]
Poland	unlimited access [283]	3 months in a half year [284]
Portugal	unlimited access [285]	3 months in a half year [286]
Romania	unlimited access [287]	3 months in a half year [288]
Slovakia	unlimited access [289]	3 months in a half year [290]
Slovenia	unlimited access [291]	3 months in a half year [292]
Spain	unlimited access [293]	3 months in a half year [294]
Sweden	unlimited access [295]	3 months in a half year [296]
United Kingdom	who have the right of abode in the UK	6 months [297]
[edit] Non-EU
Albania	1 month with entry tax : €10 [298]	1 month with entry tax : €10 [299]
Andorra	3 months	3 months (same as France and Spain) [300]
Armenia	21-day visa issued upon arrival for £5 or 120-day for £30 [301]	21-day visa issued upon arrival for £5 or 120-day for £30 [302]
Azerbaijan	90 day visa issued upon arrival for £55 [303]	30-day visa issued upon arrival for US$100 [304]
Bosnia and Herzegovina	90 days [305] [306]	90 days [307]
Croatia	90 days [308]	90 days [309]
Faroe Islands	3 months [310]	3 months (same as Denmark) [311] [312]
Georgia	90 days [313]	visa issued upon arrival for US$10 ~ 200 [314]
Guernsey	visa-free access [315]	visa-free access [316]
Iceland	unlimited access [317]	3 months in a half year [318]
Isle of Man	live:unlimited access, work:permit required [319]	6 months [320]
Jersey	unlimited access[321]	6 months [322]
Kosovo	90 days[323]	90 days [324]
Liechtenstein	90 days [325]	90 days (same as Switzerland) [326]
Republic of Macedonia	90 days [327]	visa required [328]
Moldova	90 days [329]	90 days [330]
Montenegro	90 days [331]	90 days [332][333]
Monaco	3 months [334]	3 months (same as France)
Norway	unlimited access [335]	3 months [336]
Russian Federation	visa required [337]	visa required [338]
San Marino	90 days	90 days (same as Italy) [339]
Serbia	90 days [340]	90 days [341] [342]
Switzerland	unlimited access [343]	3 months [344]
Turkey	3-month with multiple entry visa issued upon arrival for US$20, £10 or €15 [345],[346]	3-month with multiple entry visa issued upon arrival for US$20 or €15 (for Hong Kong permanent residents only.) [347] [348][349]
Ukraine	90 days [350] [351]	visa required [352]
Vatican City	90 days [353]	90 days (same as Italy) [354]

[edit] Oceania

Country	British Citizen Passport	British National (Overseas) Passport
American Samoa	30 days [355]	visa prior to arrival required [356]
Cook Islands	31 days [357]	31 days [358]
Fiji	4 months [359]	4 months [360]
Guam	45 or 90 days [361]	45 days [362][363]
Kiribati	visa-free access [364]	visa-free access [365] [366]
Micronesia	30 days [367]	30 days[368]
Marshall Islands	30-day visa issued upon arrival [369]	visa required [370]
Nauru	30 days [371]	3 days [372]
New Caledonia	3 months [373]	3 months [374]
New Zealand	6 months [375]	3 months [376]
Niue	30 days [377]	30 days [378]
Northern Mariana Islands	45 or 90 days [379][380]	45 days [381] [382][383]
Palau	30 days [384]	30 days [385]
Papua New Guinea	60-day visa issued upon arrival for PGK100 (tourist), PGK500 (business) [386]	60-day visa issued upon arrival for PGK100 (tourist), PGK500 (business) [387] [388]
French Polynesia	3 months [389][390]	3 months [391][392]
Samoa	60 days [393]	60 days [394]
Solomon Islands	3 months [395]	3 months [396]
Tonga	31-day visa issued upon arrival (free of charge) [397]	31-day visa issued upon arrival (free of charge) [398]
Tuvalu	1 month [399][400]	1 month [401]
Vanuatu	30 days [402]	30 days [403]
Wallis and Futuna	3 months [404]	3 months [405]
Australia	pre-arrival Electronic Travel Authority (Subclass 976)[406][407] or eVisitor (Subclass 651) [408] required	BN(O)s can also apply for an ETA [409] [410] at a travel agent/airline office but not online. BN(O)s are NOT eligible for an eVisitor.[411]
Norfolk Island	same as Australia	same as Australia [412]

[edit] Visa policy of the United States for UK passport holders

The United States confers the following reciprocity arrangement for British passport holders in issuance of US visas [413]:

• British Citizen: UK reciprocity and Visa Waiver Program (VWP)
• Other British nationals who have indefinite leave to remain or right of abode in the UK: UK reciprocity but not VWP
• Other British nationals who do not have indefinite leave to remain or right of abode in the UK: reciprocity schedule of country of birth
• British National (Overseas): Hong Kong reciprocity

[edit] See also

• Identity document
• European passport
• Gibraltar passport

[edit] External links

• Official site (UK Passport Service)
• History of Passports at The National Archives.

[edit] News stories

• 4 April 2006, The Register, Passport rule change anticipates ID refusenik sabotage efforts
• 24 May 2006, BBC, Lib Dems back the "Renew for Freedom" campaign
• 8 February 2006 UKPA Welsh and Scots Gaelic to be included on UK passports for the first time

[edit] References

• Overview of the history of passports, UK Passport Agency
• Early history of passports, UK Passport Agency
• History of passports (1915 and 1920), UK Passport Agency
• History of Burgundy machine-readable passports, UK Passport Agency
• Visa Free Access for BN(O) Passport Holders, British Consulate General Hong Kong
• IATA Visa Information from Continential Airlines
• Reciprocity Schedule (United Kingdom), United States
• Reciprocity Schedule (Hong Kong), United States

[edit] Online references