Guidance - Reproduction of the Front Cover of the British Passport
Number: 20
First issued: 5 December 2002
(Revised January 2007)
This guidance describes circumstances in which the front cover of the British Passport may be reproduced.
Background
1. British Passports are official documents issued by the Identity and Passport Service and British diplomatic missions overseas to British citizens and other categories of British nationals defined in the British Nationality Act 1981 and amending legislation. British Passports are also issued by Passport Offices in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
2. The purpose of this guidance is to describe the circumstances in which the front cover of the British Passport (the Passport) may be copied. This Guidance Note has been produced in consultation with the Identity and Passport Service and the Lord Chamberlain’s Office.
3.The Passport is subject to Crown copyright protection under section 163 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This means that it may not lawfully be reproduced without the prior permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (HMSO), an official who as Queen’s Printer and Queen’s Printer for Scotland manages Crown copyright on behalf of Her Majesty under the terms of Letters Patent. HMSO’s Information Policy Division administers Crown copyright on behalf of the Controller. For policy information regarding other ways you can copy the Passport please see section 8
How may the front cover of the Passport be reproduced?
4. The front cover of the Passport including the Royal Arms may be reproduced as part of a work, including promotional and advertising works, provided that:
- it is not reproduced as the main focus of the cover of a work or as the main focus of an advertisement. Reproduction on a front cover or in an advertisement may only be of an incidental nature, for example: part of a montage of images;
- it is reproduced without alteration (ie: no company names or other information printed on the cover of the Passport);
5. It should be noted that permission is not normally given to requests to produce facsimile passport holders bearing the Royal Arms as these can be mistaken for actual Passports.
How to apply for a Licence
6.You should apply for a Value Added Licence using the Click-Use licensing system on the OPSI website.
How much will it cost?
7. See the Charging for Value Added Material document (Word - 117 kb) for details.
Reproduction of the personal details page in the Passport
8. Page 31 (the "bio page") of the British Passport contains the personal details of the passport holder. The Identity and Passport Service suggests that passport holders record the information on this page and keep it in a safe place separate to the passport. This will help the Identity and Passport Service process an application for a replacement passport if the current passport is lost or is stolen.
Passport holders’ identity and personal information are valuable. Criminals can find out an individual’s personal details and use them to open bank accounts and get credit cards, loans, state benefits and documents such as passports and driving licences. If an identity is stolen, the individual may have difficulty getting loans, credit cards or a mortgage until the matter is sorted out. The Identity and Passport Service advises passport holders to only agree to the reproduction of the personal details page in the passport if they are satisfied that the person or organisation they are giving this to will protect it from unauthorised disclosure.
The Identity and Passport Service advises organisations who wish to retain a reproduction of the personal details in the passport that they should obtain the consent of the individual to do so. They also advise organisations to retain a record of the consent and to store the passport details securely.
Further Information
9. For all other enquiries connected with the Passport you will need to contact the Identity and Passport Service.
Identity and Passport Service
Globe House
89 Eccleston Square
London SW1V 1PN
Tel: 0870 521 0410 (24 hour Advice Line)
e-mail: hqenquiries@ips.gsi.gov.uk
CAROL TULLO
Controller HMSO
Queen’s Printer