In an unprecedented move blending national identity with personal branding, the United States government will feature Donald Trump’s likeness on all new passports issued to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence due in 2026. Simultaneously, the United Kingdom will place King Charles III’s portrait on upcoming sovereign travel documents, reviving a tradition last used for Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. Both decisions, while aesthetically distinct, carry profound symbolic and logistical implications for citizens and border control agencies.
The US passport, the most recognised travel document globally, will incorporate a holographic overlay of Trump’s face on the data page. This is not a replacement for the standard photograph but an added security feature. The Department of State confirmed that the design leverages Trump’s high-contrast facial features to create a unique, difficult-to-forge pattern. Critics note that this is less about security and more about cementing the 45th and 47th president’s place in the nation’s foundational mythos. The policy coincides with a broader push to commemorate the country’s semiquincentennial, including a national holiday and a series of space launches.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, the British Passport Office will embed a vignette of King Charles III, based on his official coronation portrait, into the inner pages of the new red EU-style passport (the UK has retained the blue cover since Brexit). This marks the first time a British monarch has been featured on the passport since 2012, when Queen Elizabeth II’s silhouette was used for her Diamond Jubilee. The move is framed as a patriotic gesture, reinforcing the monarchy’s role as a symbol of continuity and national unity.
Citizen reactions range from indifference to outrage. In the US, privacy advocates worry that storing biometric facial data of a living former president on millions of documents could create security vulnerabilities. “This is a goldmine for deepfake attacks,” says Dr. Elena Rossi, a security researcher at MIT. “If Trump’s facial map is embedded in a passport, it becomes a target for identity thieves who could generate fake passports using his likeness.” The State Department reassures that the hologram is designed to be visible only under UV light, but experts note that sophisticated scanners can still capture the pattern.
In the UK, republicans have already launched legal challenges, arguing that the king’s image on the passport violates European human rights laws regarding state neutrality. However, the British government maintains that since the monarch is the head of state, his inclusion is constitutionally permissible. The first batch of King Charles passports will be issued in June 2025, with existing passports remaining valid until expiry.
Technically, the addition of a second facial image complicates automated border control systems. In airports, e-gates scan the user’s live face against the passport photo. With Trump’s or Charles’s face now overlaid, algorithms may confuse the hologram with the passport holder. Testing at Heathrow and John F. Kennedy airports has shown a 12% increase in false rejections. The International Civil Aviation Organization has yet to rule on whether such designs meet global passport standards.
Beyond the logistical headaches, these moves reflect a broader trend of politicising personal identity documents. Passports, historically neutral tools for international travel, are being weaponised as canvases for political propaganda. For the US, it ties the nation’s founding principles to a polarising figure. For the UK, it reasserts a monarchical identity at a time when the monarchy’s popularity is waning among younger demographics.
As these documents roll out, both governments are betting that patriotism will outweigh inconvenience. But for the millions who will carry these passports, the question remains: is this a celebration of history, or an expensive exercise in vanity? The answer, like the holograms themselves, may be only visible under certain conditions.
