Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Passport definition

What does Passport mean? A passport is a state‑issued travel and identity document used in legal practice as reliable evidence of a person’s identity and nationality. In England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, British passports are issued by HM Passport Office under the Royal Prerogative; the term appears in legislation (for example, the Identity Documents Act 2010) but is not comprehensively defined. In Ireland, passports are regulated by the Passports Act 2008 and issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs. A passport evidences nationality; it does not itself confer nationality or immigration status. A British citizen’s passport is strong evidence of the...

Legacy UK immigration passport stamps and vignettes: interpreting examples, codes, conditions, refusals and common errors (pre-2015, pre-BRP/SSP rollout)

Published by a LexisNexis Immigration expert

Practice notes

This Practice Note is no longer updated

This guidance concerns the position that applied before simplified Immigration Rules and procedures were brought in, culminating at the end of the Brexit transition period. It sets out and illustrates the various immigration stamps and vignettes (stickers) placed in non-EEA nationals' Passports, and highlights frequent issues associated with them. It also provides practical examples to help with identification and understanding of these endorsements.

Since the completion of the rollout of Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) and Short Stay Permits (SSPs) across all categories of entry clearance and leave to remain (see Practice Note: Biometric Immigration Documents), the only passport endorsements given to non-EEA nationals by UK immigration authorities that actually confer leave to enter or remain are the leave to enter stamps an Immigration Officer may issue at a port of entry. No other passport endorsement confers leave in its own right. By contrast, rectangular landing stamps applied on arrival merely record entry during the validity of a person's existing leave. A common illustration is leave to enter as a visitor granted to a non-visa national. It remains important to recognise both the stamps and vignettes issued before the BRP/SSP rollout and those that are...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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