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8.
ARTICLE 1 SETS OUT THE TITLE AND COMMENCEMENT DATE OF THE
ORDER AND ENSURES THAT IT FORMS PART OF THE LAW OF NORTHERN IRELAND, THE CHANNEL ISLANDS, THE ISLE OF MAN AND THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES. COMMENCEMENT SHOULD BE NO LATER THAN 1 JULY 1987 IN ORDER TO CONTINUE THE PRESENT PRACTICE OF ISSUING PASSPORTS WHICH HAVE A TEN-YEAR VALIDITY PERIOD. THIS ARRANGEMENT WILL ALSO GIVE
MAXIMUM TIME FOR THE ISSUING AUTHORITIES TO COPE WITH APPLICATIONS FOR BN(0) PASSPORTS, AND FOR THIRD COUNTRIES TO GROW
ACCUSTOMED TO THE NEW NATIONALITY STATUS.
CONNECTIONS WITH HONG KONG
9.
ARTICLES 2 AND 3 SHOULD BE READ WITH THE PROVISIONS OF
PARAGRAPH 2(1)(A) OF THE SCHEDULE TO THE HONG KONG ACT.
10.
ARTICLE 2(1) DEFINES BDTCS WHO ARE SUCH BY VIRTUE OF A CONNECTION WITH HONG KONG AND WHO, UNLESS THEY ARE ALSO BDTCS BY VIRTUE OF A SEPARATE CONNECTION WITH ANOTHER DEPENDENT TERRITORY, (SEE PARAGRAPH 19 BELOW) WILL THEREFORE LOSE THEIR BDTC STATUS ON 1 JULY 1997, AND BE ENTITLED TO ACQUIRE BN(0) STATUS. IT ENCOMPASSES ALL THE HONG KONG BDTCS LISTED IN ANNEX 2, ALTHOUGH IN FACT THE GREAT MAJORITY (ABOUT 3.19 MILLION) OF THE ROUGHLY THREE AND A QUARTER MILLION BDTCS IN HONG KONG ARE BDTCS BY BIRTH, AND ABOUT 53,000 ARE BDTCS BY REGISTRATION OR NATURALISATION. THE VARIOUS CATEGORIES COVERED BY ARTICLE
2(1)(A) TO ARTICLE 2(1)(F) ARE DEALT WITH IN PARAGRAPHS 11 TO 16
BELOW.
11.
ARTICLE 2(1)(A) CONCERNS BDTCS BORN, NATURALISED OR
REGISTERED IN HONG KONG, OR FOUND ABANDONED THERE AS A NEWBORN
INFANTS, OR THEIR CHILDREN. THESE PERSONS ARE CONSIDERED TO HAVE
A SUFFICIENT CONNECTION WITH HONG KONG FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE
ORDER. THIS IS SUBJECT TO A QUALIFICATION ONLY IN RELATION TO PERSONS BORN IN HONG KONG ON OR AFTER 1 JANUARY 1983, BECAUSE OF
THE PROVISIONS FOR THE ACQUISITION OF BDTC STATUS BY BIRTH UNDER
THE BRITISH NATIONALITY ACT 1981. UNDER THAT ACT PERSONS BORN IN
HONG KONG ON OR AFTER 1 JANUARY 1983 ARE NOT BDTCS UNLESS AT THE
TIME OF THEIR BIRTH EITHER OF THEIR PARENTS IS SETTLED IN A
DEPENDENT TERRITORY OR IS A BDTC. CONSEQUENTLY ARTICLE 2(3) OF
THE ORDER PROVIDES THAT A PERSON BORN IN HONG KONG ON OR AFTER 1
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