Mr Partridge, NTD
CONFIDENTIAL
FILE
HKK 040/1080828
| 1 APR 1985
36
FROM:
A C GALSWORTHY, HKD
DATE:
10 APRIL 1985
cc:
Mr Cambridge, MVD
Mr Atkinson, Consular Dept
Mr Burrows, Legal Advisers
Mrs Denza, Legal Advisers
ABOLITION OF FRONTIER CONTROLS WITHIN THE EEC: COMMON FORMAT
STYLE PASSPORTS FOR BRITISH NATIONALS WITHOUT EC RIGHTS
[A]
32
1.
Please refer to your minute of 26 March to Mr Fairweather.
2. You suggest in your para 7 that the common format look-alike passports (CPFs) which will be issued in Hong Kong prior to 1997 to British Nationals (Overseas) will bear the name of the territory
on their cover. Although Ministers have yet to take a final decision on this and related matters, I think I should let you
know that this is not what we envisage.
Tel 400 to Hong Kong.
[B]
3. We have tentatively agreed with Home Office officials that all BN(O) passports, wherever and whenever issued, should be the same as those issued in this country or by our overseas missions to other British nationals without EC rights. Thus, such passports issued in Hong Kong before 1997 would not bear the name "Hong Kong" on their cover. This is to ensure their continuing validity after 1997. The inclusion of the name of the Territory would defeat this objective, since it would render the passports unacceptable to the Chinese. This was discussed at a meeting in February with the Home Office, at which I thought you were present (though my recollection may be wrong).
CONFIDENTIAL