document_title: British passport

question_text: when was the first passport issued in uk

question_tokens: when was the first passport issued in uk

text: British passport

text: Types of British passports[edit]

text: Owing to the many different categories in British nationality law, there are different types of passports for each class of British nationality. All categories of British passports are issued by Her Majesty's Government under royal prerogative.[4] Since all British passports are issued in the name of the Crown, the reigning monarch does not require a passport.[5] The following table shows the number of valid British passports on the last day of 2017 and shows the different categories eligible to hold a British passport:[6]

text:
Category

Country code

Valid passports  as at 31 Dec 2017

Issuing authority

Note

British citizens

GBR

49,728,584

In the UK: HM Passport Office (HMPO)In Gibraltar: Civil Status and Registration Office (CSRO)Individual Crown dependencies

British Overseas Territories Citizens of Gibraltar

GBD

2,202

CSRO

formerly British Dependent Territories Citizens

British Overseas Territories Citizens of other British Overseas Territories

30,252

Individual Overseas Territory[7]
HMPO

British Overseas citizens

GBO

13,379

HMPO

British subjects with right of abode in UK

GBS

36,029

HMPO

British subjects without right of abode in UK

869

HMPO

British protected persons

GBP

1,408

HMPO

British Nationals (Overseas)

GBN

158,107

HMPO

text: British citizen, British overseas citizen, British subject, British protected person, British national (overseas)[edit]

text: British citizen, British overseas citizen, British subject, British protected person and British national (overseas) passports are issued by HM Passport Office in the UK. British nationals of these categories applying for passports outside the UK can apply for their passport online from HMPO. British passports were previously issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in British embassies around the world. However, in 2009, this was stopped and British citizen passports can now only be issued by the Passport Office in the UK. The FCO says: "In their 2006 report on consular services, the National Audit Office recommended limiting passport production to fewer locations to increase security and reduce expenditure."[8]

text: Gibraltar[edit]

text: British citizens and British Overseas Territory citizens of Gibraltar can apply for their passport in Gibraltar, where it will be issued by the Gibraltar Civil Status and Registration Office.

text: EU citizenship[edit]

text: British citizens, British Overseas Territory citizens of Gibraltar and British subjects with right of abode are considered to be UK nationals for the purpose of EU law. They are therefore considered to be EU citizens, allowing them to move freely within the European Economic Area and Switzerland.

text: Other types of British nationals are not considered to be EU citizens, but may nevertheless enjoy visa-free travel to the European Union as tourists.

text: Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories[edit]

text: British passports in Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man are issued in the name of the Lieutenant-Governor of the respective Crown Dependencies on behalf of the States of Jersey, States of Guernsey and the Government of the Isle of Man respectively. Meanwhile, in British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territories Citizen passports are issued in the name of the respective territory's governor.

text: Special British passports[edit]

text: Diplomatic passports are issued in the UK by HMPO. They are issued to British diplomats and high-ranking government officials to facilitate travel abroad.

text: Official passports are issued to those travelling abroad on official state business.

text: Queen's Messenger passports are issued to diplomatic couriers who transport documents on behalf of HM Government.

text: Emergency passports are issued by British embassies across the world. Emergency passports may be issued to any person holding British nationality. Commonwealth citizens are also eligible to receive British emergency passports in countries where their country of nationality is unrepresented. Under a reciprocal agreement, British emergency passports may also be issued to EU citizens in countries where their own country does not have a diplomatic mission or is otherwise unable to assist.

text: History[edit]

text: 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, the Safe Conducts Act 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.[9]

text: 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 for many years.

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

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

text: Historical passports[edit]

text:
Some duplicate passports and passport records are available at the British Library; for example IOR: L/P&J/11 contain a few surviving passports of travelling ayahs for the 1930s.[10]
A passport issued on 18 June 1641 and signed by King Charles I still exists.[11]

text: Timeline[edit]

text: Various changes to the design were made over the years:[11]

text:
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.
In 1968 the validity was extended from five years renewable up to ten, to ten years non-renewable.
At the end of 1972, several modifications were made. A special blue watermarked paper was introduced to make alteration and forgery more difficult. The number of pages was reduced from 32 to 30, and the holder's eye colour and the maiden name of a married woman 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.
In 1979, UK exchange controls were abolished, and the foreign exchange page was removed.
In 1982, the holder's occupation and country of residence were removed.
In July 1988, changes were made to ease the introduction of machine-readable passports later in the year. Joint passports were no longer issued and the descriptions of distinguishing features and height were removed.
In August 1988, the old style started to be replaced by the burgundy passport, which included the first-ever printed mention of the European Community on the cover and granted automatic free movement of labour to British citizens in the other 9 EEC countries (at the time), and reciprocally provided access for those nation's workers into the UK economy.[12] Some offices issued the remaining stock of old-style passports until as late as 1993.[13]
1998: Digital facial image rather than a laminated photograph, and intaglio or raised printing on the inside of the covers. Children under 16 are no longer included on new adult passports.[14]
2006: Biometric passports (also called ePassports) comply with the US Visa Waiver Program.
2010: The Identity & Passport Service announced that the British passport was to be redesigned. Pages of the passport will contain well-known UK scenes including the White Cliffs of Dover, the Gower Peninsula, Ben Nevis and the Giant's Causeway. There will also be new security features, namely moving the chip which stores the holder's details to the inside of the passport cover where it will no longer be visible (this gives additional physical protection as well as making it much harder to replace the chip without damage to the passport cover being spotted), a secondary image of the holder printed onto the observations page, new designs now stretching across two pages and a new transparent covering which includes several holograms to protect the holder's personal details.[15]
2015: HM Passport Office unveiled the design and theme of the new passport as 'Creative United Kingdom' at Shakespeare's Globe, London on November. The design features British cultural icons such as William Shakespeare, John Harrison, John Constable, Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, Antony Gormley, Elisabeth Scott and Anish Kapoor; iconic British innovations such as the Penny Black and the London Underground; and UK landmark structures like the Houses of Parliament, London Eye, Edinburgh Castle, the Pierhead Building in Cardiff, Titanic Belfast and the Royal Observatory Greenwich. As part of the Press release the HM Passport Office said the new passport is the most secure in the world. The passport was released in December 2015. De La Rue has got a 10-year contract with HM Passport Office designing and producing the British Passports starting in 2010 as well as the new 'Creative UK' passport in 2015.[16][17]

text: The pre-1988 passport[edit]

text: A 32-page passport with a dark cover, commonly known as the old blue style,[18] came into use in 1920 with the formation of the Passport Service following international agreement [19] on a standard format for passports, and remained in use until replaced by the European Union-style machine-readable passport in late 1988. As with many documents worldwide and all booklet-format documents, details were handwritten into the passport and (as of 1955) included: number, holder's name, "accompanied by his wife" and her maiden name, "and" (number) "children", national status. For both bearer and wife: profession, place and date of birth, country of residence, height, eye and hair colour, special peculiarities, signature and photograph. Names, birth dates, and sexes of children, list of countries for which valid, issue place and date, expiry date, a page for renewals and, at the back, details of the amount of foreign exchange for travel expenses (a limited amount of sterling, typically £50 but increasing with inflation, could be taken out of the country).[20] The bearer's sex was not explicitly stated, although the name was written in with title ("Mr John Smith"). Descriptive text was printed in both English and French (a practice which still[update] continues), e.g., "Accompanied by his wife (Maiden name)/Accompagné de sa femme (Née)". Changed details were struck out and rewritten, with a rubber-stamped note confirming the change.

text: If details and photograph of a man's wife and details of children were entered (this was not compulsory), the passport could be used by the bearer, wife, and children under 16, if together; separate passports were required for the wife or children to travel independently.[21] The passport was valid for five years, renewable for another five, after which it had to be replaced.[22]

text: The passport had a printed list of countries for which it was valid, which was added to manually as validity increased. A passport of 1955 was valid for the British Commonwealth, USA, and all countries in Europe "including the USSR, Turkey, Algeria, Azores, Canary Islands, Iceland, and Madeira";[23] during its period of validity restrictions eased and it was endorsed "and for all other foreign countries".[24]

text: The British visitor's passport[edit]

text: A new simplified type, the British Visitor's Passport, was introduced in 1961. It was a single-page cardboard document valid for one year obtainable for many years from Employment Exchanges, as agents of the Passport Office, and then from a Post Office. It was accepted for travel by most west European countries (excluding surface travel to West Berlin), but was dropped in 1995 since it did not identify the holder's nationality or meet new security standards.

text: European format passports[edit]

text: 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, changed to 'European Union' in 1997. The passport has 32 pages; a 48-page version is available with more space for stamps and visas. There are two lines of machine-readable text printed in a format agreed amongst members of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, and a section in which relevant terms ("surname", "date of issue", etc.) are translated into the official EU languages. Passports issued overseas did not all have a Machine Readable Zone but these was introduced gradually as appropriate equipment was made available overseas.

text: In 1998[25] the first digital image passport was introduced with photographs being replaced with images printed directly on the bio-data page which was moved from the cover to an inside page to reduce the ease of fraud. These documents were all issued with machine readable zones and had a hologram over the photograph, which was the first time that British passports had been protected by an optically variable safeguard. These documents were issued until 2006 when the biometric passport was introduced. The bio-data page is printed with a finely detailed background including a drawing of a red grouse (a native British bird), and the entire page is protected from modification by a laminate which incorporates a holographic image of the kingfisher; visa pages are numbered and printed with detailed backgrounds including drawings of other birds: a merlin, curlew, avocet, and red kite. 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. The Welsh and Scottish Gaelic languages were included in all British passports for the first time in 2005,[26] and appear on the titles page replacing the official languages of the EU, although the EU languages still appear faintly as part of the background design. Welsh and Scottish Gaelic precede the official EU languages in the translations section.

text: Change to blue passport[edit]

text: There was speculation regarding re-introduction of the old-style passport following completion of the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union[27] but the government denied any immediate plans.[28] Such a change was supported by some due to its symbolic value, including Brexit Secretary David Davis,[29] while others thought the undue weight put on such a trivial change raises the question of whether the government is able to prioritise its order of business ahead of Brexit.[30][non-primary source needed] On 2 April 2017, Michael Fabricant MP said that security printing and banknote manufacturer De La Rue, who hold the current £400 million contract with HM Passport Office, had stated that the crest would "contrast better on navy blue than it currently does on the maroon passports"[31] as part of their pre-tender discussions with the government.[32][33] The Sun newspaper launched a campaign in August 2016,[34] and a question was put to Home Secretary Amber Rudd in the House of Commons.[35][not in citation given][28]

text: In December 2017, the Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis announced that the blue passport would "return" after the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union.[3] The announcement led to controversy regarding the actual colour of the pre-1988 passport, with Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson calling the campaign "baffling" as she "always thought [the old passports] were black", and Channel 4 political journalist Michael Crick saying that "any witness would describe [the passport as black] in court".[36] The previous blue passport spotted the words “British Passport” above the crest, with the words “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” below it. The Home Office mock-up does not contain the word “British” at all.

text: Physical appearance[edit]

text: British passports are, until 2019, burgundy, with the coat of arms of the United Kingdom emblazoned in the centre of the front cover.

text: With the sole exception of emergency passports which are printed and issued by the British diplomatic missions, all other types British passports have been printed and issued by Her Majesty's Passport Office (HMPO) in the United Kingdom since May 2015, although some British Overseas Territories, such as Bermuda, did not start forwarding the applications to HMPO until June 2016 when its own passport book stock was depleted.[37]

text: There are three types of covers among British passports. Passports with the generic cover are issued to British citizens not residing in the Crown dependencies and Gibraltar, and persons holding all other types of British nationality. Passports issued to residents of the Crown dependencies and Gibraltar has a slightly variated cover. Passports issued to British Overseas Territories citizens residing in certain territories has a completely different cover, albeit with the same interior design.[38]

text: Generic design[edit]

text: Front cover[edit]

text: The words "UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND" are inscribed above the coat of arms, whilst the word "PASSPORT" is inscribed below. The biometric passport symbol  appears at the bottom of the front cover under the word "PASSPORT".

text: The words "EUROPEAN UNION" are printed at the top of British passports issued to British nationals who are considered "United Kingdom nationals for European Community purposes"[39] (i.e. British Citizens, British Subjects with the right of abode[40] in the UK and British Overseas Territories Citizens connected with Gibraltar).[41] It is not included at the top of other British passports (i.e. passports issued to British Nationals (Overseas), British Overseas Citizens, British Protected Persons, non-Gibraltarian British Overseas Territories Citizens and British Subjects without the right of abode in the UK)

text: Passport note[edit]

text: Generic British passports contain on their inside cover the following words in English only:

text: 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.

text: 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.

text: Information page[edit]

text: British passports issued by HM Passport Office include the following data on the information page:

text:
Photograph of the owner/holder (digital image printed on page)
Type (P)
Code of issuing state (GBR)
Passport number
Surname (see note below regarding titles)
Given names
Nationality (the class of British nationality, such as "British Citizen" or "British Overseas Citizen", or if issued on behalf of a Commonwealth country, "Commonwealth Citizen"[42])
Date of birth
Sex (Gender)
Place of birth (only the city or town is listed, even if born outside the UK; places of birth in Wales are entered in Welsh upon request [43])
Date of issue
Authority
Date of expiry
Holder's signature (digital image printed on page)
Machine Readable Zone starting with P<GBR

text: The items are identified by text in English and French (e.g., "Date of birth/Date de naissance"); there is a section in which all this text is translated into all official EU languages, as well as Welsh and Scottish Gaelic.[44]

text: According to the UK government, the current policy of using titles on passports requires that the applicant provides evidence that the Lord Lyon has recognised a feudal barony, or the title is included in Burke's Peerage. If accepted (and if the applicant wishes to include the title), the correct form is for the applicant to include the territorial designation as part of their surname (Surname of territorial designation e.g. Smith of Inverglen). The Observation would then show the holder's full name, followed by their feudal title e.g. The holder is John Smith, Baron of Inverglen.

text: Function-related passports[edit]

text: Besides the ordinary passports described above, special passports are issued to government officials from which diplomatic status may (diplomatic passport) or may not (official passport) be conferred by the text on the cover. A special passport is available for the Queen's Messenger. The latter passport contains the text QUEEN’S MESSENGER – COURRIER DIPLOMATIQUE below the coat of arms, and the text "BRITISH PASSPORT" above it.[45]

text: Passports issued to residents of the Crown dependencies and Gibraltar[edit]

text: British passports issued directly by the Crown dependencies as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar are slightly different from those issued by HMPO to residents of the United Kingdom and to British nationals abroad. The words EUROPEAN UNION still appear across the front of their passports, signifying their citizenship of the EU.

text: Passports for British citizens connected to the Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man do not carry the words "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" on the 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.

text: Gibraltar passport covers are virtually identical to British passports issued by Her Majesty's Passport Office, 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."

text: In passports issued by the Crown dependencies, the passport note request is slightly different from those issued by the UK, coming from the Lieutenant Governor of the respective island. This difference results from the Crown dependencies owing allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II rather than the Government of the United Kingdom.

text: In Gibraltar passports, the "request" in the passport note is made by the Governor of Gibraltar instead of "Her Britannic Majesty's Secretary of State".

text: The issuing of a British Passport by the authorities in the Crown Dependencies cannot be inferred from the machine readable zone as the issuing country code and citizenship code (both GBR) is identical to passports issued by the United Kingdom for British Citizens.

text: Passports issued to residents of certain British Overseas Territories[edit]

text: Traditionally, British passports issued to BOTCs residing in certain British Overseas Territories (Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, St. Helena, and Turks & Caicos Islands) bear a different design, even when the HMPO assumed the responsibility of the manufacturing process of these passports in 2015.

text: Passports issued to BOTCs of those territories do not bear the words "UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND", but instead have the words "BRITISH PASSPORT" above the royal coat of arms of Queen Elizabeth II and the name of the British Overseas Territory below it (e.g. "TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS"). The only exception is the design of Bermudian passports, which bears the wordings "GOVERNMENT OF BERMUDA" under the royal coat of arms.[46]

text: The nationality reads "British Overseas Territories citizen" regardless of the residence of the bearer. Previously, in the machine-readable zone, the three-letter ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code of the territory is given in the field of the code of issuing state, while GBD (British Overseas Territories citizens, formerly British Dependent Territories citizens) is shown in the nationality field. Either of these features enabled automatic distinction between BOTCs related to different territories. Ever since the HMPO assumed the responsibility of the issuance of BOTC passports in 2015, however, the code of issuing state is changed to GBD for all territories, thus making it impossible to identify the holder's domicile without the aid of other features, such as the passport cover.[47]

text: Similar to passports issued to Crown dependencies and Gibraltar residents, the passport note request is made by the Governor of the British Overseas Territory on behalf of "Her Majesty's Secretary of State".[48]

text: Multiple passports[edit]

text: People who have valid reasons may be allowed to hold more than one passport booklet. This applies usually to people who travel frequently on business, and may need to have a passport booklet to travel on while the other is awaiting a visa for another country. Some Muslim-majority countries including Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen do not issue visas to visitors if their passports bear a stamp or visa issued by Israel, as a result of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. In that case, a person can apply for a second passport[49] to avoid travel issues. Reasons and supporting documentation (such as a letter from an employer) must be provided.[50]

text: In addition, a person who has dual British citizenship and British Overseas Territories citizenship are allowed to hold two British passports under different statuses at the same time. Persons who acquired their BOTC status with a connection to Gibraltar or Falkland Islands, however, are not eligible due to differences in regulations, and their BOTC passports will be cancelled when their British citizen passports are issued even when they possess both citizenships.[51]

text: Endorsements[edit]

text: Certain British passports are issued with printed endorsements on the Official Observations page, usually in upper case (capital letters). They form part of the passport when it is issued, as distinct from immigration stamps subsequently entered in the visa pages. Some examples are:[52][51]

text: The Holder is not entitled to benefit from European Union provisions relating to employment or establishment

text: The Holder of this passport has Hong Kong permanent identity card no XXXXXXXX which states that the holder has the right of abode in Hong Kong

text: The Holder is entitled to right of abode in the United Kingdom

text: The Holder is entitled to readmission in the United Kingdom

text: The Holder is subject to control under the Immigration Act 1971

text: In accordance with the United Kingdom immigration rules the holder of this passport does not require an entry certificate or visa to visit the United Kingdom

text: The Holder is also a British National (Overseas)

text: The Holder is or The Holder is also known as ...

text: "The Holder is also known as Cliff Richard"

text:
Surname: "Sutherland"
Given names: "Kiefer W F D G R"

text: "The Holder is Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland"

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

text: Holder is a dependant of a member of Her Britannic Majesty's Diplomatic Service

text: Abandoned plans for "next generation" biometric passports and national identity registration[edit]

text: There had been plans, under the Identity Cards Act 2006, to link passports to the Identity Cards scheme. However, in the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement that followed the 2010 General Election, the new government announced that they planned to scrap the ID card scheme, the National Identity Register, and the next generation of biometric passports, as part of their measures 'to reverse the substantial erosion of civil liberties under the Labour Government and roll back state intrusion.'[55][56]

text: The Identity Cards Act 2006 would have required any person applying for a passport to have their details entered into a centralised computer database, the National Identity Register, part of the National Identity Scheme associated with identity cards and passports. Once registered, they would also have been obliged to update any change to their address and personal details. The identity card was expected to cost up to £60 (with £30 going to the Government, and the remainder charged as processing fees by the companies that would be collecting the fingerprints and photographs).[57] In May 2005 the Government said that the cost for a combined identity card and passport would be £93 plus processing fees.[58]

text: The next generation of biometric passports, which would have contained chips holding facial images and fingerprints,[59] were to have been issued from 2012. Everyone applying for a passport from 2012 would have had their 10 fingerprints digitally scanned and stored on a database, although only two would have been recorded in the passport.[60]

text: Monarch[edit]

text: The Queen, Elizabeth II, does not have a passport because passports are issued in her name and on her authority, thus making it superfluous for her to hold one.[61] All other members of the royal family, however, including the Queen's husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and their son, heir apparent Charles, Prince of Wales, do have passports.[61]

text: Visa requirements[edit]

text: Visa requirements for British citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of the United Kingdom. As of 2 July 2018, British citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 186 countries and territories, ranking the British passport 4th in the world in terms of travel freedom (tied with Austrian, Dutch, Luxembourgish, Norwegian, Portuguese and United States passports) according to the Henley visa restrictions index.[62] Additionally, the World Tourism Organization also published a report on 15 January 2016 ranking the British passport 1st in the world (tied with Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and Singapore) in terms of travel freedom, with a mobility index of 160 (out of 215 with no visa weighted by 1, visa on arrival weighted by 0.7, eVisa by 0.5, and traditional visa weighted by 0).[63]

text: Visa requirements for other categories of British nationals, namely British Nationals (Overseas), British Overseas Citizens, British Overseas Territories Citizens, British Protected Persons, and British Subjects, are different.

text: Foreign travel statistics[edit]

text: According to the Foreign travel advice provided by the British Government (unless otherwise noted) these are the numbers of British visitors to various countries per annum in 2015 (unless otherwise noted):[64]

text:
showForeign travel statistics

Country
Number of visitors

 Albania[note 1]

80,000

 American Samoa[note 2][65]

133

 Angola[note 3][66]

14,267/12,319 ?

 Andorra[note 2]

150,000

 Angola[67]

12,319

 Anguilla[note 2][68]

5,021

 Antarctica[note 4][69]

3,915

 Antigua and Barbuda[note 4][70]

70,701

 Aruba[note 1][71]

10,447

 Australia[note 4][72]

731,900

 Austria[note 5][note 2][73]

919,500

 Azerbaijan[note 2][74]

29,514

 Bahamas[75]

28,022

 Bangladesh[note 1]

150,000

 Barbados[note 5][note 2][76]

218,638

 Belarus[note 2]

6,000

 Belgium[note 2][77]

868,173

 Belize[note 2][note 5][78]

13,342

 Bermuda[note 4][79]

41,348

 Bhutan[note 4][80]

3,246

 Bolivia[note 2][81]

17,528

 Bosnia and Herzegovina[note 4][82]

12,715

 Botswana[83]

41,011

 Brazil[note 4][84]

185,858

 Brunei[note 6][85]

18,222

 Bulgaria[note 4][86]

352,054

 Burkina Faso[note 2][87]

1,343

 Cambodia[note 2][88]

159,489

 Cameroon[note 1][note 5][89]

16,008

 Canada[note 4][90]

819,530

 Cape Verde[note 5][91]

126,685

 Cayman Islands[note 4][note 7][92]

14,017

 Chile[note 4][93]

54,714

 China[94]

579,600

 Colombia[95]

39,715

 Congo[note 8][96]

6,115

 Cook Islands[97]

2,568

 Costa Rica[note 4][98]

76,173

 Croatia[note 4][99]

750,675

 Cuba[100]

155,802

 Curacao[note 2][101]

2,806

 Cyprus[note 4][102]

1,253,839

 Czech Republic[note 5][note 4][103]

470,576

 Denmark[note 1]

150,000

 Dominica[104]

4,951

 Dominican Republic[note 4][105]

177,534

 Ecuador[note 1][106]

27,126

 Egypt

865,000

 Ethiopia[note 1]

20,000

 Estonia[note 5][note 4][107]

58,402

 Fiji[note 4][108]

16,925

 Finland[note 5][note 4][109]

226,927

 France[110]

12,235,713

 French Polynesia[note 4][111]

2,840

 Gambia[note 8][112]

60,424

 Ghana[note 1]

90,000

 Georgia[note 4][113]

26,852

 Germany[note 2][114]

2,551,061

 Greece[115]

2,397,169

 Greenland[note 2][116]

1,595

 Grenada[note 4][117]

25,351

 Guadeloupe[note 1]

<1,000

 Hong Kong[note 4][118]

555,353

 Hungary[note 5][note 2][119]

376,573

 Iceland[note 4][120]

322,543

 Indonesia[note 2][121]

352,017

 India[note 2][122]

941,883

 Ireland[123]

3,547,000

 Israel[note 2][124]

197,100

 Italy[note 2][125]

4,922,000

 Jamaica[note 4][126]

217,647

 Japan[note 4][127]

310,500

 Jordan[note 2][128]

64,776

 Kazakhstan[note 2][129]

20,166

 Kiribati[note 1][130]

60

 Kuwait[note 2]

7,000

 Kenya[note 3]

100,000

 Kyrgyzstan[note 2][131]

6,600

 Laos[note 2][132]

39,170

 Latvia[note 5][note 4][133]

95,357

 Lebanon[note 2][134]

61,994

 Lesotho[note 9][135]

2,380

 Liechtenstein[note 1]

2,200

 Lithuania[note 2][136]

58,200

 Luxembourg[note 2][note 5][137]

69,350

 Macau[note 4][138]

57,121

 Macedonia[note 2][note 5][139]

8,856

 Madagascar[140]

3,167

 Malaysia[note 4][141]

358,818

 Malawi[note 10][142]

51,145

 Maldives[note 4][143]

103,977

 Malta[note 4][144]

560,893

 Mali[note 1][145]

900

 Mauritius[note 4][146]

149,807

 Mexico[note 4][note 7][147]

563,099

 Moldova[note 4][148]

11,555

 Mongolia[note 4][149]

6,012

 Montenegro[note 5][note 2][150]

37,464

 Montserrat[note 11][151]

1,380

 Morocco[152]

554,000

 Myanmar[note 2][153]

51,051

 Namibia[154]

27,365

   Nepal[155]

29,730

 Nigeria[note 1]

117,000

 Niue[note 10][156]

47

 Norway[note 1]

581,000

 Netherlands[note 4][157]

2,195,000

 New Zealand[note 4][158]

249,264

 Nicaragua[note 2][159]

16,923

 Oman[note 9][160]

133,529

 Pakistan[note 10][161]

275,400

 Palau[note 2][162]

852

 Panama[163]

16,338

 Papua New Guinea[note 2][164]

6,974

 Peru[note 2][165]

69,302

 Philippines[note 4][166]

182,708

 Poland[note 2][167]

796,900

 Portugal

2,600,000

 Qatar[note 2][168]

132,301

 Romania[note 2][169]

179,265

 Russia[note 4][170]

193,522

 Saba[note 1][note 7][171]

200

 Saint Lucia[172]

68,175

 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines[173]

17,045

 Samoa[174]

1,773

 San Marino

5,750

 São Tomé and Príncipe[note 12][175]

83

 Serbia[note 4][note 5][176]

31,658

 Seychelles[note 4][177]

21,906

 Singapore[note 4][178]

518,903

 Sint Eustatius[note 1][note 7][171]

200

 Slovakia[note 2][note 5][179]

77,837

 Slovenia[note 4][note 5][180]

118,508

 Solomon Islands[181]

387

 South Africa[182]

407,486

 South Korea[note 4][183]

126,024

 Spain[note 4][184]

18,779,466

 Sri Lanka[note 4][185]

201,879

 Suriname[note 4][186]

1,077

 Swaziland[note 2][187]

15,503

  Switzerland

709,925

 Sweden[note 1][188]

603,000

 Taiwan[note 4][189]

104,911

 Tanzania[note 2][190]

67,742

 Thailand[note 4][191]

994,468

 Timor-Leste[note 1][note 7][192]

548

 Tonga[193]

787

 Trinidad and Tobago[note 1][194]

37,473

 Turkey[note 4][195]

1,658,715

 Turks and Caicos[196]

6,399

 Tuvalu[note 2][197]

43

 Uganda[note 9][198]

43,009

 Uruguay[note 1]

20,000

 Ukraine[note 4][199]

78,603

 United Arab Emirates[note 4][200]

1,265,000

 United States[note 2][note 13][201]

5,216,692

 Uzbekistan[note 3][202]

1,800

 Venezuela[note 9][203]

20,837

 Vietnam[note 4][204]

283,537

 Zambia[205]

36,997

text:
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Data for 2014

^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq Data for 2016

^ Jump up to: a b c Data for 2015

^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba Data for 2017

^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Counting only guests in tourist accommodation establishments.

Jump up ^ Data for 2011

^ Jump up to: a b c d e Data for arrivals by air only.

^ Jump up to: a b Data for 2012

^ Jump up to: a b c d Data for 2013

^ Jump up to: a b c Data for 2009

Jump up ^ Data for 2010

Jump up ^ Data for 2005

Jump up ^ Total number includes tourists, business travelers, students, exchange visitors, temporary workers and families, diplomats and other representatives and all other classes of nonimmigrant admissions (I-94).

text: Gallery of British passports[edit]

text:
Passport gallery

Anguilla passport

Bermuda passport

British National (Overseas) passport

Guernsey passport

Jersey passport

Manx passport

Saint Helena passport

Queen's Messenger passport

Turks and Caicos Islands passport

Virgin Islands passport

text:
Passport gallery (defunct types and older versions)

1920s United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland passport

1939 Mandatory Palestine passport

1949 Maltese passport

1949 New Zealand passport

1951 Singapore passport

1957 Federation of Malaya passport

1958 British Hong Kong passport

1959 Grenadian passport

Pre-1990 Hong Kong British Dependent Territories Citizen (BDTC) passports

1997 Hong Kong BDTC passport

British Indian passport

Cypriot passport

Mauritian passport

Trinidad and Tobago passport

1942 British consular emergency travel document issued to a refugee in Turkey during WWII

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