Canadian Bank Note Company Limited and De La Rue Form Strategic Partnership to Bring British Passport Manufacturing Back to the UK
In January 2026, CBN announced a Joint Venture with De La Rue, to bid for the upcoming contract to manufacture the British Passport, following a decade of production overseas.
De La Rue is a British security printing specialist which is the world’s largest commercial printer of banknotes, with a 200-year history of designing and producing high security products. The Joint Venture will combine De La Rue’s UK manufacturing capabilities and security document heritage with CBN’s experience and expertise as one of the world’s leading passport manufacturers, and the largest supplier of passports to the Commonwealth.
The tender to manufacture the next series of British passports, from 2029 for a period of 10 to 12 years, will be issued later this year, and will be led by His Majesty’s Passport Office and the Home Office.
The onshoring of passport manufacturing will also represent a significant investment in the UK’s manufacturing sector, creating skilled jobs and delivering meaningful economic benefits. The joint venture will also explore the possibility of bidding for passport and other government identity contracts for further jurisdictions in the future, thereby creating a global manufacturing hub within the UK.
Delivering a state-of-the art passport book: Combining the world-class capabilities of both companies, the joint venture will harness cutting-edge technology to deliver a passport book with advanced security features and modern authentication capabilities.
Investing in the UK’s manufacturing sector: Bringing manufacturing of the British passport book back to the UK would generate significant capital investments into the country’s advanced industrial capabilities.
Strengthening the UK’s National Security: Supporting the British government’s border security objectives by onshoring the entire critical supply chain for passport manufacturing, and leveraging world-leading security features within the passport book design.
Boosting the British Economy: The onshoring of passport manufacturing will create skilled jobs, deliver meaningful economic benefits to local communities, and generate tax revenues for the Treasury.
“CBN has a long history of delivering highly secure passports for trusted governments around the world. Our identity products have won multiple awards for technological advancement, security, design and durability,” said Marilou Robinson, CEO of Canadian Bank Note. “Partnering with De La Rue allows us to offer the UK a passport that the British people deserve, strengthening the country’s national security and leveraging the use of Canadian technology innovation to deliver a passport solution that represents the best value to the British taxpayer.”
For more information, please contact:
Mark Houlton, CEO,
CBN DLR Identity Group
Phone: +1 (613) 722-6607
Email: mhoulton@cbnco.com