Brexit: Why your next UK passport will be blue
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A new blue British passport alongside the current burgundy design
From March, the government will be sending out new passports in a different colour to the one you may have, and the one you've been used to seeing.
Following Brexit, UK passports are changing from a burgundy booklet to a blue one.
But it's not totally new - in fact, blue British passports were originally introduced nearly 100 years ago - in 1921!
They were then changed to match passports from the rest of the European Union (EU), although not all countries in the EU have burgundy passports.
Confused? Read on for an explanation and tell us if you're looking forward to getting a blue passport.
Why blue passports?
Talk about blue passports was a big part of the Brexit conversation. For many people they were a symbol of the UK taking back control of its own rules by going back to the traditional style of UK passport.
Although they didn't have to, in 1998, the UK chose to change the passport colour to match the EU passports, following EU recommendations.
- They were first introduced during the reign of Henry V in the form of a "safe conduct", but passports were granted from at least 1540
- One of the earliest still in existence was issued on 18 June 1641, signed by King Charles I
- From 1914 having a photograph on your passport became a requirement, upon the outbreak of World War One
- The blue British passport first came into use in 1921, with the last one expiring in 2003
- The first burgundy, machine-readable, UK passports were issued in Glasgow, in September 1988
Many other countries have blue passports including Canada, the USA, Jamaica and Brazil
In fact, other EU countries don't have maroon passports - including Iceland and Bosnia and Herzegovina - who also actually have blue passports!
Now the UK passport will be blue with gold writing and won't have "European Union" written on it as the UK has now officially left the EU.
Will my burgundy EU passport still work?
Blue or burgundy - you'll still be able to go on your holidays - just don't leave it at home!
Yes, your passport is still valid until the date it expires.
The new passports will be phased in over a period of time.
Child passports normally last five years, rather than the 10 years for adults. That's because the way you look in your photo can change a lot during that time!
So you will be able to carry on using your current passport until it expires.
I want a blue British passport - how can I get one?
When you next apply for a new British passport after March 2020, the version you get will be blue!
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