UK Passport Types

If you plan to travel outside the United Kingdom, you will need a valid passport and you may need a visa to enter the country you are travelling to.

Thanks to its overseas colonies and protectorates, the United Kingdom has a a variety of different citizenship types, each with a different class of passport.

If you are a British Dependent Territories Citizen, British Overseas Citizen, British Subject, British National Overseas, or a British Protected Person, you may need a visa, even when regular British passport holders do not.

How to tell what kind of UK passport you have

On the Biodata page of your passport, you should find a 3-letter code:

GBR - British Citizen (normal UK Passport)
GBD - British Overseas Territories Citizens *
GBO - British Overseas Citizens *
GBS - British Subjects *
GBP - British Protected Persons *
GBN - British National Overseas

To find out if you need a visa, contact the Consulate or Embassy of the country you plan to travel to.

* These passport classes have different regulations that apply to their eligibility to travel to countries in the European. For more information, visit our page on Non-EU British Passports.