Categories: Industry NewsNews

Will I Need a New Passport If We Leave the EU?

Following the result of the referendum to leave the EU, questions are being asked about how leaving the EU will affect our everyday lives – jobs, money and travel. One of the questions we’ve been hearing most frequently is whether UK nationals will need a new passport once we leave the EU.

At the moment, the short answer seems to be ‘no’. Good news for those of you who have only just received a new electronic passport and have upwards of a decade until another replacement is required.

Although UK passports currently have ‘European Union’ stamped in gold right at the top of the front cover – it appears that the Government will allow the passports to expire as normal and then the subsequent replacements will be re-designed accordingly.

Replacing tens of millions of passports would be a hugely costly undertaking for the Government, and that looks to be a pivotal factor in the decision to allow current passports to expire in their own time.

However, the rights afforded by the passports will change when the UK leaves the EU. The European Union title will suddenly become redundant. For UK nationals who can remember the pre-EU passports (the big, blue, hardcover books), it is unlikely this design will return. Although they may be redesigned with a blue cover, global standards dictate that all passports are required to be 125mm x 88mm (the size of our current passports).

And with at least two years until Brexit is actioned, there will be plenty of time for the Government to develop a clear plan regarding passports, ensuring that UK nationals are not forced to repeatedly invest in expensive replacements.