Non-motoring > Passport design Miscellaneous
Thread Author: movilogo Replies: 18
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New Wed 24 Oct 12 11:10 
 Passport design - movilogo
Is there any standard design for UK passports?

In my passport, my picture page is a normal page towards the beginning of the booklet. In my wife's case, the picture page is a hard page at the end of the booklet.

Also, why there is no window on passport cover to show holder's name? It handling multiple passports at the same time, it is a pain to open each one and figure out whose it is.

PS: I don't know of any country's passport where you can see holder's name without opening it.
Last edited by: movilogo on Wed 24 Oct 12 at 11:11
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New Wed 24 Oct 12 11:21 
 Passport design - Lygonos
All my passports, and my family's, over the past 20-odd years have had a reddish cover, and the inside back cover has the photo and ID information laminated (think my latest one runs out ~2015).

I believe there is a chip inside the most recent ones that can be scanned to confirm validity too.

Is your passport a new one?
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New Wed 24 Oct 12 11:26 
 Passport design - R.P.
My 2004 red passport has the phoot near the back on a "stiff" page, my wife's was obtained in early 2010 and is the biometric one - photo page on the back. Has been re-desinged in Aug 2010 - details here.


www.homeoffice.gov.uk/media-centre/news/new-passport-unveiled

edit:

The personal details page of the passport has been moved to the front of the book, in common with many European countries and New Zealand, USA, Australia, Canada, Russia, Japan, Pakistan, Republic of Korea (south) and Liberia.
Last edited by: R.P. on Wed 24 Oct 12 at 11:27
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New Wed 24 Oct 12 12:06 
 E Passports - sherlock47
Dont get me started on Passport processing efficiency! My nice advanced E-Passport should ensure faster exit from airports. Never, since I have had it, has the appropriate channel been open at Luton Airport. Last time I enquired of a member of staff why it was not used, simple answer, " we do not have enough staff".

Civil Servant thinking at its best! Maybe harsh, perhaps I should make an allowance for Luton:)
Last edited by: pmh on Wed 24 Oct 12 at 12:08
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New Wed 24 Oct 12 12:21 
 E Passports - Meldrew
As you say "Typical non joined up thinking!" Recently when a crowd waiting 40+ minutes to get thru the UK Border at LHR started slow hand clapping what was done? More passport booths opened? Never! Police were sent to control the riotous mob as those on duty feared for their safety.
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New Wed 24 Oct 12 12:42 
 E Passports - Bromptonaut
>> Civil Servant thinking at its best! Maybe harsh, perhaps I should make an allowance for
>> Luton:)

Do you mean the automatic ones?

The backward thinking maybe that that says electronic is quickest. I suspect those things are going to be like the self checkout at the supermarket. Half the customers cannot use it properly so a staff member is required to supervise.

Daughter used one at Manchester on return from Bourgas. She said the instructions including the pictogram of what en 'E-Passport' looked like were absolutely straightforward. Did'nt stop the great british public trying repaetedly to operate it wih older passports and standing there looking baffled when open sesame no workee.

OTOH it doesn't need a fully skilled warranted immigration officer to help people and to send the idiots back to the right queue.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Wed 24 Oct 12 at 12:44
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New Wed 24 Oct 12 13:45 
 E Passports - TeeCee
>> OTOH it doesn't need a fully skilled warranted immigration officer to help people and to
>> send the idiots back to the right queue.
>>

That sort of thing happens everywhere. Many years ago I had the displeasure of landing in Brussels immediately after a 747 from Rio, the day that Brazil were playing Scotland at the World Cup in Paris.
The approach to immigration was a sea of yellow. No problem, drift to the left and head for the "EU passports only" kiosk. That's the one with "EU passports only" written on it in several languages and pictograms of an EU flag with a green tick and the world with a big red "X" to make the point for the illiterate. Cue half an hour of standing in a queue watching a harassed Belgian immigration officer telling idiot Brazilians to naff off and go to the right desk.
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New Wed 24 Oct 12 15:46 
 E Passports - bathtub tom
I've only been to Prague once. There's two terminals, Schengen and non-Schengen.

It wasn't until I went to the wrong one that I finally remembered the Schengen agreement.
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New Wed 24 Oct 12 12:10 
 Passport design - movilogo
Yes, both of ours are new ones. But my wife applied 2 weeks after me and we two got passports of different design.

Personally I'd be happier if mine were laminated instead of normal page.

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New Wed 24 Oct 12 12:34 
 Passport design - WillDeBeest
Watching the biometric lanes at Heathrow T1 last night I began to wonder what value they'll add in the long term. The time the machine takes to check each person and open the gate was as least as much as the human officers at the regular desks took, and about one in three (usually the ones who kept their glasses on) couldn't make it work and had to be checked by hand (or eye) anyway.

So while there may have been some benefit in terms of shorter queues in the early days for those who could work the technology and were in the minority with an e-passport, once everyone has one (and I won't get mine till 2015) it'll be like the self-service checkout at Tesco - but possibly without the comforting option of going straight to an expert to have it done properly.
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New Wed 24 Oct 12 12:40 
 Passport design - Crankcase
Ah, but the advantage of an RFID enabled passport is that it can be read covertly from 30 feet away by anyone with a bit of cheap kit and a soldering iron. Apparently. Lots of examples on the web.
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New Wed 24 Oct 12 12:51 
 Passport design - Meldrew
So can one's RFID enabled credit cards and, maybe, one's keyless car entry card
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New Wed 24 Oct 12 13:21 
 Passport design - Crankcase
True enough. It shouldn't be a surprise to anybody.
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New Wed 24 Oct 12 13:27 
 Passport design - R.P.
Not seen the Manchester ones working.
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New Wed 24 Oct 12 15:11 
 Passport design - rtj70
I've used the ones in Manchester a couple of times. But the last few times they've been turned off/not in use. I couldn't use them before 2010 because I didn't have a biometric passport - so no point in my wife using them.

I think they first got turned off when they had turned down the accuracy of recognition because they were slowing things down. But then they'd let people through with passports that weren't theirs!

The last time though, we got back around 11:30pm so probably a staffing issue.
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New Wed 24 Oct 12 15:18 
 Passport design - No FM2R
Pah, we have 3 different nationality passports in my family. You lot don't even BEGIN to understand passport queues.

And it doesn't matter where we go, we're always in the "Other Passports" line.
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New Wed 24 Oct 12 15:38 
 Passport design - rtj70
My brother uses his UK passport when entering the UK to avoid immigration. He reenters the USA with his US passport to avoid immigration at that end. Saves a lot of time.
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New Wed 24 Oct 12 15:44 
 Passport design - No FM2R
We have found that because of immigration we need to enter and leave a country on the same passport, and because of security we need the same passport number on the ticket for both departure and arrival of the journey.

Maybe we've been unlucky.
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New Wed 24 Oct 12 15:49 
 Passport design - Meldrew
I think you have! SFAIK it is only O'Learys lot that tie up passport numbers with boarding cards. 25 years ago I legally had 2 UK passports, the need has disappeared but I renew them both and keep them current. I deliberately go out of UK on one and back in on the other and either nobody notices or nobody cares!
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