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ARRANGEMENTS FOR ISSUE OF BN (0) PASSPORTS
20. BN(0) PASSPORTS WILL BE ISSUED IN HONG KONG IN THE NAME OF
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH SECRETARY. THIS WILL ENABLE THE PASSPORTS
TO CONTINUE IN THE SAME FORM AFTER 1 JULY 1997 AS BEFORE.
21. IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO APPLY ALSO FOR EN(0) PASSPORTS FROM
PASSPORT OFFICES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND FROM CONSULAR POSTS
OVERSEAS.
22. THE GOVERNOR WILL CONTINUE TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ISSUE OF
HONG KONG BDTC PASSPORTS.
23. THE FORMAT OF THE BN(0) PASSPORT WILL BE THE SAME AS THAT ISSUED BY UK PASSPORT ISSUING POSTS TO OTHER BRITISH NATIONALS. SUCH POSTS AT PRESENT ISSUE THE TRADITIONAL BLUE HARD COVER PASSPORT AND THE
FIRST BN(0) PASSPORTS ARE LIKELY TO BE ISSUED IN THAT FORMAT.
24. THERE WILL HOWEVER BE A CHANGE IN THE FORMAT OF ALL BRITISH
PASSPORTS AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE DECISION TO GIVE A COMMON FORMAT
TO THE NATIONAL PASSPORTS OF EUROPEAN COMMUNITY (EC) MEMBER STATES.
ONCE THAT CHANGE HAS BEEN MADE, AND THE EXACT TIMING HAS YET TO BE SETTLED, THE BN (0) PASSPORT WILL BE THE SAME AS THAT ISSUED BY UK PASSPORT ISSUING POSTS TO THOSE BRITISH NATIONALS WHO ARE NOT UK
NATIONALS FOR EC PURPOSES.
25. THIS PASSPORT, LIKE THE PROPOSED COMMON EUROPEAN COMMUNITY PASSPORT, WILL BE BURGUNDY RED, SOFT COVERED AND OF SMALLER SIZE THAN THE PRESENT DOCUMENT. ON THE COVER IS LIKELY TO BE THE WORDING 'UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND', THE POYAL EMBLEM AND 'PASSPORT' AND THE WORDING ON THE INSIDE COVER WILL
REFER TO HER BRITTANIC MAJESTY'S SECRETARY OF STATE'.
26. IN ALL THESE RESPECTS THE PASSPORT IS LIKELY TO BE VERY SIMILAR
TO THE DOCUMENT ISSUED TO THOSE BRITISH NATIONALS WHO ARE UK
NATIONALS FOR EUROPEAN COMMUNITY PURPOSES BUT THE LATTER WILL IN
ADDITION CONTAIN THE WORDS 'EUROPEAN COMMUNITY' ON THE COVER.
27. THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WILL CHANGE TO THE NEW FORMAT FOR BDTC
PASSPORTS BUT WITH HONG KONG ON THE COVER AND THE GOVERNOR'S RUBRIC
ONCE THE UK GOVERNMENT INTRODUCE THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY COMMON
FORMAT PASSPORT.
28. A FEE WILL BE CHARGED FOR THE BN (0) PASSPORT UNDER THE CONSULAR
FEES ACT 1980 AND WILL BE STANDARD FOR ALL UK PASSPORT ISSUING POSTS AROUND THE WORLD, SAVE FOR VARIATIONS ARISING FROM RATES OF CURRENCY EXCHANGE. THE LEVEL OF THE FEE HAS NOT YET BEEN DECIDED.
29. THE FEE FOR THE HONG KONG BDTC PASSPORT WILL BE LEVIED UNDER THE
HONG KONG IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS AND WILL BE SET BY THE GOVERNOR IN COUNCIL. ELSEWHERE IT WILL BE SET UNDER THE CONSULAR FEES ACT
1980.
CONFIDENTIAL
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