Provision of Passport Manufacturing and Personalisation Services

The Home Office is seeking to engage with suppliers interested in delivering a secure, end-to-end passport manufacturing and personalisation service. This includes the secure design artwork, manufacturing, and personalisation of UK passports and related travel documents under a new contract to replace the current agreement. This is a third round of market engagement following up on the first round which concluded in August 2025 and the second round which concluded in February 2026. The procurement is anticipated to start later in 2026.
HM Passport Office (HMPO) issues approximately 8 million passports annually and is the sole provider of passports to British nationals globally. The current contract, held by Thales, covers:
• UK e-passports and variants for Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories
• Official, Diplomatic, Emergency, and Temporary e-passports
• Biometric Travel Documents (BTDs) for UK Visas and Immigration, including those issued to stateless persons and refugees
• Secure laminate for Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs)
The new contract will be procured through a competitive tender process and must ensure continuity of service, compliance with international passport
standards, and support for future innovations.
Please note that the listed Total Value (Estimated) and Contract Dates (Estimated) are provisional and subject to revision. The Total Value (Estimated) range is currently £400m - £575m, excluding VAT. For location, the United Kingdom is the primary delivery location, however, certain elements of the service may be delivered from offshore facilities, subject to compliance with security and regulatory standards.
Potential Requirements:
The future contract may include:
• Secure design and manufacture of UK e-passports and variants
• Personalisation of travel documents, including biometric and visual data
• Production of Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs) and potential future products (e.g., Digital Travel Credentials)
• Integration with...