Landmark changes as UK passport is redesigned for better security
A new British passport was unveiled today in a bid to improve security and speed up immigration checks overseas.
The redesigned document will be issued to new applicants from October. It contains a microchip hidden within the cover and holograms covered by a transparent "foil" varnish to cut the risk of fraud and cloning.
Pictures of landmarks including the White Cliffs of Dover, Ben Nevis, the Gower Peninsula and the Giant's Causeway have been have been added using special printing techniques to make the passport harder to copy.
The personal details page has been moved from the back to the front of the passport in line with many other European countries, the US, Australia and New Zealand.
Officials say that this should help Britons by reducing the time that immigration officials abroad spend trying to find the personal details page.
Existing passports are valid until their expiry date.
