English passport

British passport
The front cover of a British citizen biometric passport issued since 2006
The data page of the latest version of the British biometric passport
Date first issued	1915 (first 'modern' passport) 6 February 2006 (biometric passport) 7 October 2015 (current version)
Issued by	United Kingdom —HM Passport Office —CSRO (Gibraltar) —Crown dependencies —Overseas Territories
Type of document	Passport
Purpose	Identification
Eligibility requirements	British citizenship or any of the various other forms of British nationality
Expiration	10 years (16 or older) 5 years (under 16)
Cost	Adult Standard (32 pages): £72.50 Jumbo (48 pages): £85.50 Free if born before 2 September 1929 Child (under 16) £46.00

British passports are passports issued by the United Kingdom to those holding any form of British nationality. There are different types of British nationality, and different types of British passports as a result. A British passport enables the bearer to travel worldwide and serves as proof of citizenship. It also facilitates access to consular assistance from British embassies around the world, or if also a citizen of the European Union, any embassy of another European Union member state. Passports are issued using royal prerogative, which are exercised by Her Majesty's Government.

British citizen passports have been issued by Her Majesty's Passport Office in the UK since 2006. British citizens can use their passport as evidence of right of abode in the United Kingdom and EU citizenship. All passports issued in the UK since 2006 have been biometric.

In 2017, British citizens had visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 173 countries and territories, ranking the British citizen passport fourth in the world according to the Visa Restrictions Index.

Owing to the many different categories in British nationality law, there are different types of passports for each class of British nationality. All categories of British passports are issued by Her Majesty's Government under royal prerogative. Since all British passports are issued in the name of the Crown, the reigning monarch does not require a passport. The following table shows the number of valid British passports on the last day of 2016 and shows the different categories eligible to hold a British passport: