Isle of Man variant British passports will be printed at a central facility in the United Kingdom from 2015 in a move aimed at increasing security and driving forward new efficiencies.
 
The new arrangements will see the Isle of Man maintain its status as an issuing authority and will enable the passport service in Douglas to continue to accept and process applications.
 
Centralised printing in the UK will also ensure the Isle of Man is aligned to the New Generation British passport and all future British passport designs. In addition, the Isle of Man passport service will retain the ability to issue an emergency passport for local residents who need to travel urgently.
 
The UK started using a central printing facility in 2010, with the focus on enhancing the security and integrity of the British passport. Centralised printing has also been rolled out to British Embassies around the world.
 
The British passport remains one of the most secure documents in the world, allowing holders to travel visa free to many international destinations. From next year, Isle of Man applicants will receive a New Generation British passport, which incorporates improved security features.
 
The move to centralised printing in the UK will enable the Isle of Man to remain in step with the very latest developments in passport production.
 
Annie Taylor, the Isle of Man’s Senior Passport, Immigration and Nationality Officer, said: ‘This is all about ensuring people in the Isle of Man have access to the latest generation of British passport and the benefits that go with it in terms of ease of international travel. Security and integrity have been paramount when making this decision. Also, the Isle of Man has opted for centralised printing on the condition that we still have the ability to issue an emergency passport for Isle of Man residents who need to travel urgently.’
 
She added: ‘Printing an Isle of Man variant of the New Generation British passport locally would have incurred significant additional costs. There was also no guarantee our equipment would have been compatible with future designs, so we would run the risk of the system being obsolete after five years. Centralised printing in the UK will not only allow us to continue to issue Isle of Man variant British passports, it will also be more cost efficient in the years ahead.’
 
A specific implementation date in 2015 has yet to be confirmed for centralised printing and customers will be informed as soon as further information is available.
 
Passport fees in the Isle of Man will remain in line with UK charges –
 
•         Standard passport service for adults ?72.50, 5-day express service ?103
•         Standard passport service for children ?46, 5-day express service ?87
•         The same-day service will no longer be available, but an emergency passport can be issued with a restricted validity of 12 months for a fee of ?128 (in line with the previous same-day service fee).

Applications will still be accepted and processed by the passport service at Government Office in Bucks Road, Douglas, with passports returned from the UK via special postal delivery, which is included in the fee. The standard processing time is expected to be about 20 working days (four weeks).
 
Current Isle of Man variant British passports will continue to be valid until they expire.