CONFIDEN TIAL
e) Nationality and Passports
10.
Paragraph 2 of the Schedule to the Hong Kong Act 1985 provides
for a nationality Order in Council to be made to give effect to
to the
terms of the United Kingdom Memorandum associated with the Join t
Declaration. A White Paper containing a draft of this Order in
Council was published on 17 October 1985 in London and Hong Kong
(Cmnd. 9637). The draft Order provides for persons who are British
Dependent Territories citzens by virtue of a connection with Hong
Kong to lose that status on 1 July 1997 but to be entitled to apply
before that date for a new
status, to be known as that of British
National (Overseas)
status.
>
The draft Order also
It provides for
statelessness.
also
be
The
will
if
together with a British passport recording that
makes provisions to guard against
any British Dependent Territories
citizens who lose that status and have not acquired British National
(Overseas) status on 1 July 1997 automatically to become British
Overseas citizens if they would otherwise be stateless.
children of former Hong Kong BD TCs born on or after that da te
British Overseas citizens automatically at birth
otherwise stateless. The grandchildren of former Hong Kong BD TC s
will be entitled to be registered as British Overseas citizens if
Parliament born stateless. The draft Order will be debated in a preliminar y
way once the people of Hong Kong and other interested parties have
had an opportunity to comment on it. Her Majesty's Government will
take careful note of points raised in these debates and will
consider if these call for any changes to be made in the terms of
the draft Order before it is
affirmative resolution procedure.
11.
re-presented
for approval under
At the same time as the White Paper was published Her
Majesty's Government announced the
arrangements for the is sue of
British National (Overseas) passports from 1 July 1987. This will
enable the present practice of issuing passports with a ten-year
validity period to continue without in terruption, and will give the
maximum amount of time for third countries to grow accustomed to the new passports. Her Majesty's Government will be approaching other
countries to explain the new passport to them once the draft Order
has been made.
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CONFIDEN TIAL