Preparations for Brexit and high demand for passports around Brexit Day

The request was refused by HM Passport Office.

Richard Gadsden

Dear HM Passport Office,

Her Majesty’s Government has announced their intention to switch to issuing passports with a blue cover after the United Kingdom leaves the European Union on 29 March 2019.

My Freedom of Information Act Request is this:

For each of the following items, does the Passport Office have plans, and if so, can you release those plans, redacted if necessary?
a) For dealing with unusually high demand for early renewals shortly before 29 March 2019, that demand being expected from strong supporters of the European Union wanting an EU passport to be valid for as long as possible
b) For dealing with unusually high demand for early renewals shortly after 29 March 2019, that demand being expected from strong opponents of the European Union wanting a blue passport as soon as possible

Yours faithfully,

Richard Gadsden

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Dear Mr Gadsden

Thank you for your email below. Your request is being handled as a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

We will aim to send you a full response by 31 July 2018, which is twenty working days from the date when we received your request.

Yours sincerely

Her Majesty’s Passport Office

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1 Attachment

Dear Mr Gadsden

Further to our email below, please find attached our response to your information request.

Yours sincerely

Her Majesty’s Passport Office

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Steven Robinson left an annotation ()

From 29th March Passports will continue to be printed in their current design albeit with no reference to the EU on the cover or pages. The Blue passport is to be phased in after March prob Summer and will be issued alongside Burgundy with a full rollout of the new design by Gemalto to be issued late October 2019 all passports continue to be valid to the date on the book irrespective of the booklet design format.