The UK Home Office has revealed a redesigned British passport in an attempt to cut international fraud.

To be issued from October this year, the pages of the new passport will depict well-known UK scenes, including the White Cliffs of Dover, the Gower Peninsula, and Ben Nevis.

Security has also been significantly upgraded, according to the chief executive of the Identity and Passport Service, Sarah Rapson, who said the new design would allow the UK to “stay ahead” of fraudsters.

She added: “Through its combination of physical and electronic security features, the UK passport remains one of the most secure and trusted documents in the world, meeting rigorous international standards.”

Enhanced Security

New design features will see the chip which stores the passport holder’s details removed from view, making it harder to replace the chip without damage to the passport cover being spotted.

A secondary image of the passport holder will also be printed onto the observations page, while a new transparent covering - which includes several holograms to protect the holder’s personal details - will also be included.

To bring the UK in line with much of the rest of the world, the personal details section will be moved from the back of the passport to the second page.

The new passport will replace the current UK ePassport, which came out in 2006.

In a telephone interview a Home Office spokesperson confirmed there were “no plans” to increase the cost of a British passport following the launch of the new design.

An adult ten-year 32-page passport presently costs £77.50.

UK Passports

The first passport was a one-page document folded into eight, with a cardboard cover.

Since then, there have been 15 different passports issued.