HONG KONG NATIONALITY WHITE PAPER
BRIEFING NOTES
3. PASSPORT MATTERS
Operation of Article 4(2) giving entitlement to HOLD a passport alongside Royal Prerogative ISSUING of passports
1. 4(2) is a unique entitlement reflecting the terms of the Memoranda
exchanged with the Chinese. Parliament is aware of circumstances in
which passports may be refused at present; where the movement of minors
contrary to court orders is involved; where a person is to be arrested;
in very rare cases where an individual's past or proposed activities
render enjoyment of passport facilities contrary to the public interest
and where a person has been repatriated at public expense and substantia
debt is outstanding. We believe they can work alongside each other so
that an applicant for a BN (0) passport can be deemed to hold it and so
acquire BN (0) status even if quite exceptionally we decline under the
Royal Prerogative to allow physical possession of the document, which
at all times remains the property of Her Majesty's Government.
Passport Format
2. (i) At 1 July 1987
It will be the same traditional blue hard covered passport as is issued
by UK passport offices and consular posts to all British nationals at
present.
(ii) Timing of change to new format
We shall introduce the new format as soon as possible but the timing
has yet to be settled. It is of course linked with the investment
which we are making in the production of passports which can be printed by computers and which will be machine readable.
[If pressed on the common EC format passport.] It remains our aim to
issue common EC format passports by 1987.
(iii) Proposed new BN (0) format substandard?
We are aware of no feeling in Hong Kong that the passport is in anyway
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