The Home Office has informed the MOD that from 19 March 2026, UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) will no longer issue physical exempt vignettes in passports as evidence of their exempt status.
Instead, all new recruits and Service personnel in the UK and serving overseas who are renewing or replacing their passports will be able to apply for a digital record of exemption (DroE). The document below summarises the application processes for applying in the UK and from overseas.
Non-UK Nationals: New digital record of exemption for those in the Armed Forces