At the outbreak of war in 1914, British passports were printed on paper and included a photograph of the passport holder. The price was 6d (six old pennies).
The modern passport system really began at the time of the First World War, when states began to issue passports as a way of distinguishing their own citizens from those they saw as foreign nationals.
The British Nationality and Status Aliens Act 1914 was part of this process.
The British Nationality and Status Aliens Act 1914 came into force in 1915. As a result, the first modern British passport was introduced that year. It was a one-page document folded into eight with a cardboard cover. The new passport was valid for two years and could be renewed for further two-year periods.
The passport contained a photograph of the holder. It also showed their signature and contained a detailed personal description, covering:
The 1915 design did not last long. After the First World War ended, the League of Nations held an international conference on passports in 1920. At the conference they agreed on a new book-format passport for League of Nations member states.
In Britain, the modern Passport Service was launched at the same time as the new passport.
The new British passport took the form of a 32-page blue book (the ‘Old Blue’), which is still familiar to many people. It came in two formats:
Passports changed very little over the next 50 years, but in 1954 the name of the Secretary of State was dropped from the text on the first page.
24-hour Passport Adviceline: 0300 222 0000 (see terms and conditions). Calls made to 0300 numbers from landlines and mobile phones are charged to customers at their network provider's national rate. Live operators are available to assist with your enquiry 24 hours a day.
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