CODE 18-77
SS 8/78
нка
CONFIDENTIAL
HKGY and J10.12
امت مشا
Mr Holmes, Chief Passport Officer Mr Howells
• Reference
GNN 340/1(8)-B
- 9 DEC PAL
N
14.
ник
343/2
LAST PAPER
USTRY on Tokon
NO
11/12
PG0 15/12
FORMAT OF PASSPORTS
1. It has been suggested that passports issued in the UK and at overseas posts to persons other than British citizens should not bear the legend 'United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland' in the front cover. Omission of the legend might in the course of time lead to the authorities of other countries ceasing to associate the holder of such a passport with the United Kingdom. But any change in the passport format made solely because of the British Nationality Act 1981 would give rise to criticism in this country and elsewhere. Criticism would be levied on the grounds that Ministers had said in Parliament that passports would continue to look much the same as at present
the change was
a contradiction of Ministers' repeated assurances that the Act does not in any way affect the existing relationship between the UK and the dependencies. Concern might also be caused to governments of Commonwealth countries in which there are communities of British Overseas citizens. I recommend therefore that no change be made in the format of passports until a common format passport or machine-readable passport is
introduced.
2.
Because of the susceptibilities of the dependent territories I also recommend that the Passport Office and our overseas posts continue to issue passports to British Dependent Territories citizens who have need of passport facilities and that we do not seek to make arrangements for such citizens to apply for a passport from their parent dependent territory,
December
7 December 1981
CONFIDENTIAL
Malin
H M Paterson
Nationality & Treaty Department
P.T.O.