CONFIDENTIAL
(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 the
terms of the United Kingdom Memorandum associated with the Joint
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), together with a British passport recording that
status.
Order also makes provisions to guard against
It provides for 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 date will
also be British Overseas citizens automatically at birth if
otherwise stateless.
The draft
statelessness.
The
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 preliminer y
way once the people of Hong Kong and other interested parties have h ad an opportunity to comment on it. Her Majesty's Government wil1 take careful note of points raised in these debates and will
consider if these call for
in be made any changes
the terms of
the draft Order before it
for approval under
affirmative resolution procedure.
is
to
re-presented
11.
At the
time same
Majesty's
Government
as the
announced the
White Paper was published Her
arrangements for the issue of
a
British National (Overseas) passports from 1 July 1987. This wil1 enable the present practice of issuing passports with 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
has been made.
- 4 ·
-
CONFIDEN TIAL
draft
Order
Page 150Page 151