AN Isle of Man variant of the new UK passport announced in August will only be introduced in the Island towards the end of 2012.
The fact that the new generation passport will be introduced in the UK well before the Isle of Man will have no immediate impact on Manx travellers, the UK's Identity and Passport service confirmed.
In the meantime the Isle of Man will continue to issue the current British Islands passport which is recognised throughout the world and meets exacting security standards.
Passports issued in the Isle of Man will remain valid travel documents until their date of expiry.
A statement from the Isle of Man Government states the Island is also maintaining a close working relationship with the Identity and Passport Service and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK on all aspects relating to the Isle of Man variant of the UK passport.
One of the key differences of the updated passport is a new position for the security chip – which holds the owner’s personal details – to make it more difficult to replace the chip without damaging the passport.
There will also be changes to the location of the owner’s photograph and other personal details and, for the first time, a secondary image of the owner will be printed on the observations page.
Senior external relations manager Richard Carter said: "The Isle of Man will continue to issue the current generation of passport until the end of 2012.
"Current generation passports issued in the Isle of Man will be valid until the expiry date. They continue to be a secure document for travel throughout the world and continue to comply with the requirements of the US visa waiver programme."
