Paddington Bear was granted an official British passport by the UK Home Office.
Movie producers had appealed for permission to create a replica of the official document for use in the new Paddington in Peru film.
However the Government department instead responded by issuing the marmalade-loving bear, official name “Paddington Brown”, with a legal travel permit.
Rob Silva, co-producer of Paddington in Peru, told Radio Times: “We wrote to the Home Office asking if we could get a replica and they actually issued Paddington with an official passport – there’s only one of these.
“You wouldn’t think the Home Office would have a sense of humour, but under official observations, they’ve just listed him as ‘Bear’.”
Ben Whishaw, who voices the iconic character in the third installment of the film franchise, unfortunately did not get to use the passport to travel to Peru himself.
He as he spent production inside a London recording studio and dis not even get to meet his co-stars Antonio Banderas or Olivia Colman.
“I hope I will at some point, because I watched their performances and enjoyed them so enormously. On Paddington 2, I never saw Hugh Grant, not once.”
He added: “I would have loved to have gone to Peru and Colombia, but I didn’t get to go. I was just in a basement in Soho the entire time.”
Paddington in Peru is released on November 8. To celebrate 23 statues of the character sitting on a bench and munching on marmalade sandwiches have been peppered across the UK.
They show the Peruvian bear wearing his iconic red hat and blue duffel coat.
In London the sculptures have been placed in Connaught Village and a second is at London Westfield in White City.
A permanent bronze statue of Paddington based on Peggy Fortnum's illustrations from the original books can be found by Platform 1 at Paddington station.
Another of author Michael Bond with his creation is at Church of St Mary Paddington Green.
