Can the Royal Family be exempt from passports and UK visas?

As the first batch of British passports bearing the words "His Majesty" began to be issued, the King himself did not need to obtain one. Home Office announced this adjustment on July 18, 2023: newly issued passports now bear the King's title, and a phrase in the travel document has been changed accordingly.

Returning this matter to the sequence of document preparation makes the royal exception readily apparent.

The Queen and the Crown Prince still need passports.

The first step is to determine who needs a passport. According to the official Royal Family "Passports" guide, British passports are issued in the name of the monarch, meaning the monarch does not need to hold one; however, other members of the Royal Family, including the Queen and the heir apparent, do hold passports. The "Queen" here refers to the King's spouse, which is distinct from a Queen regnant who is the reigning monarch. Whether this royal exception applies depends on whether one is the reigning monarch, not merely on whether the Chinese title contains the character for "monarch". Shifting the focus from the King to his accompanying family members brings the passport issue back into view; although the heir apparent is next in line to the throne, this does not entitle him to the same exception in advance.

The UK government's guidance on residence rights also clarifies that British citizens returning to the UK do not require a UK visa, a provision that also applies to ordinary citizens; however, the required travel documents must still be verified separately.

Step two: confirm the basis for acquiring nationality. A royal wedding, the conferral of a title, and the acquisition of British citizenship must not be treated as a single procedure. The UK government's guidance on "Dual Nationality" clearly states that marrying a British citizen does not automatically confer British citizenship. Therefore, whether a royal family member's spouse has been naturalized must be supported by corresponding public evidence; it cannot be confirmed solely on the basis of wedding photographs, changes in title, or news reports of residence in the UK. Determining which country's passport a family member may use must also be verified on an individual basis.

For families in the UK, this step can be put in writing: list each person's nationality and the supporting evidence, and file marriage-related documents separately.

It also matters which column you enter your title in.

Step three: verify the name and title. The HM Passport Office's "Titles" guidance handles the personal details page and the observations page separately: when an eligible noble title differs from the family surname, the rules allow a choice of which to display on the details page, with a corresponding observation added. Titles such as Duke and Duchess seen in royal news must be mapped to specific fields and supporting documents during the application process. While a title can influence how a name is recorded, it cannot, on its own, determine the holder's nationality.

Just because a title is printed on a birth certificate does not mean it has already been recognized by the passport department.

This step is easy to overlook. The section "Titles of nobility on birth certificates" in the June 1, 2026 edition of Titles explains that when adding a title to a birth record, the UK birth registration authority does not require proof of the title; however, passport examining officers must still verify that the title is genuine and held by the applicant. Therefore, the presence of a title in a birth registration record cannot be taken as direct evidence that it has passed passport verification.

For ordinary families, a more common situation is changing their surname after marriage. The UK government's guidance on updating passport details requires that the name used to book travel must match the name on the passport.

Step four, after retrieving or locating your passport, check if it is valid for your trip. Home Office clarified in UK Parliament Written Answer No. 142850 in 2023 that British passports issued in the name of the Queen remain valid until their expiry date. In my opinion, it is not worth it for an average family to renew their passports early just to change "Her Majesty" to "His Majesty". As long as the document remains valid, there are no other mandatory reasons for renewal, and it meets the destination's requirements, it can continue to be used. The focus of the check should be on the date of issue, expiry date, and personal information; there is no need to pay an additional renewal fee just for the monarch's title on the inside cover.

This article is for informational purposes only. For specific matters, please consult a licensed attorney.

[Data Source] Official British Royal Family "Passports"; HM Passport Office "Titles", June 1, 2026 edition; UK Parliament Written Question No. 142850, Home Office reply.

Before departure, complete these three checks:

1. List the nationalities and existing documents of accompanying family members, and separately verify the requirements for the destination and for returning to the UK.
2. Verify the name on the ticket against the passport to be used, and resolve any name changes due to marriage or other name discrepancies in advance.
3. Check the issue date, expiration date, and travel requirements of the old passport; if the only difference is the title of the monarch, continue to use the valid document that meets the requirements.

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