British passports pursuant to applications received in, from or through the Isle of Man are printed centrally by HM Passport Office of the Home Office in the United Kingdom, and are dispatched by post directly from one of their printing centres to applicants.
Appearance
British passports issued for the Isle of Man are slightly different from regular United Kingdom passports. Passports printed from 5 April 2019 do not include the words 'European Union' on the front cover.[4]
Because the Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom, its passports do not carry the words United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the front cover, nor on the biodata page. In their place, they have the words Isle of Man on the front cover and British Islands: Isle of Man on the biodata page. The request inside the passport's front cover "to allow the bearer to pass freely" and to give "such assistance and protection as may be necessary" is made by the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man. In United Kingdom passports, this request is issued in the name of "His Britannic Majesty's Secretary of State".
Unusually, the words European Union and Isle of Man previously appeared together on Isle of Man British citizen passports, even though the territory of the Isle of Man was not part of the European Union. This is because the bearer was perhaps a full British and European Union citizen, although an endorsement may have applied in the case of some citizens.
The Isle of Man transitioned to issuing the new blue-covered passports in 2020.[4]
Eligibility
HM Passport Office of the British Home Office allows the Isle of Man Government to accept and process applications for the Isle of Man variant of the British passport from:
British citizens or British subjects with the right of abode in the United Kingdom living in the Isle of Man
British citizens born in the Isle of Man but resident in the UK
Naturalised / Registered in the Isle of Man but resident in the UK
Naturalised / Registered in the UK and living in the Isle of Man
Endorsements
Prior to the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, some passports issued by the Isle of Man Government had an endorsement included to the following effect:
holder is not entitled to benefit from European Community Provisions relating to employment or establishment
This appeared when a British citizen passport holder was born or naturalised in either the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands and had no connection through residency (defined as five consecutive years) or descent (a UK-born parent or grandparent) to the United Kingdom. This endorsement results from Protocol 3 to the UK's Act of Accession to the European Community, which defined the relationship between the Isle of Man and what became the European Union.[5] The Protocol defined the term "Manxman" specifically to mean a person connected by birth or naturalisation with the Isle of Man who has no connection to the UK, which is different from the term's usual, wider meaning. The Protocol meant that those defined as Manxmen did not have a direct right to live and work freely in EU member states other than the UK, where they have a right to live and work freely under UK domestic law in common with other British citizens.
Previous designs
Prior to 2020, the passports, in common with other British passports, were red and adorned with the words European Union.
References
^Chief Seceretary's Office (October 2013). Passport, Immigration and Nationality Services Annual Report: April 2012/March 2013(PDF) (Report). The power to issue Isle of Man variant British passports is derived from the Royal Prerogative ... The powers of the Lieutenant Governor allow the issuance of an Isle of Man variant British Passport to a person resident in the Isle of Man at the time the application is made ... For the Island to continue to issue Isle of Man variant British passports, Council of Ministers approved the implementation of central personalisation of the Island variant passport at a secure facility in the UK
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