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Date Published: 14/09/2022

UK passports will change after the death of the Queen: when and how?

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Travel documents will have to be altered to reflect the UK’s new monarch

UK passports will change after the death of the Queen: when and how?

Following the death of Britain’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, at the age of 96, countless official documents will have to be altered to reflect the new head of the Royal Family, King Charles III.

One of these changes applies to UK passports, where the word “her” will need to be swapped for “him.”

British passports currently say: “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.”

The good news is that UK citizens don’t actually have to do anything for now, as the change will simply be applied when current passports expire after 10 years and are up for renewal. Of course, Britons are already dealing with a new document, since the colour of the cover was switched from burgundy to blue following Brexit.

The wording on passports will also have to be tweaked for citizens of New Zealand, since they currently read: “The Governor-General in the Realm of New Zealand requests in the Name of Her Majesty the Queen all whom it may concern to allow the holder to pass without delay or hindrance and in case of need to give all lawful assistance and protection.”

New Zealand will deal with the issue much like the UK, and passports will remain valid until they are up for renewal, at which time the changes will likely be made.

Altering UK passports is particularly poignant considering that Queen Elizabeth was by far the most well travelled of all the Royals, visiting no fewer than 117 different countries during her reign. However, in her seven decades on the throne, Her Majesty only actually visited Spain once; she spent a brief 5-day stint travelling to Madrid, Seville, Barcelona and Mallorca in October 1988.

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