In October 1998 the UKPS issued a new passport designed to be almost impossible to alter or forge. Key new security features included:
Increased security also affected the printing process. Since 1998, all non-urgent passports have been printed centrally and posted out direct to applicants. Urgent passports are printed at the passport offices.
Until October 1998, children under 16 could be included on an adult UK passport. But from 5 October 1998, any child who was not already included on an adult passport needed their own child passport in order to travel abroad.
Children who were included on an adult passport were not affected, unless the adult passport they were on ran out or had to be replaced. In this case, they too had to apply for their own child passport.
This policy change was intended to make child abduction more difficult. Click here for more about preventing child abduction.
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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