Home Office
CONFIDENTIAL
PASSPORT DEPARTMENT
Clive House 70-78 Petty France London SW1H 9HD
930
See HKU 345/2 d. (23).
Business Hours
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M T Hill Esq
Hong Kong Department
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
LONDON SW1A 2AH
Telephone 01-213 6497
GTN 213
Monday to Friday 9am to 4.30pm
Your reference
Our reference
GP/86 1/6/13 Date
July 1986
345/2
128
Dear Mike,
BN(0) PASSPORTS
Ve
Pre-stamping BN(0) status, using a secure ink, in the passports to be sent to Hong Kong would appear to satisfy the concerns expressed in the various responses to my minute of 17 June. Other measures are either not acceptable or do not add significantly to the security which pre-stamping status brings. On the subject of secure inks, Mr Manchip, whose suggestion it is, appreciates that it would not be possible for all overseas posts which may also issue "C" series passports to BN(0)s to be re-stocked with such inks. He is content simply that the great bulk emanating from Hong Kong should have this feature and reassures that there is no risk that a legitimate BN(0) passport holder will be refused admission to the UK, simply because of the light reactive qualities of the stamp in his passport!
I have spoken with HMSO who confirm that what is proposed is straightforward. (I was surprised to learn that the number which appears on the first page of a passport is in any case a manual stamping operation.) I have written to them now asking that they consider all the practicalities and identify likely costs. Their off-the-cuff suggestion on cost (which Hong Kong would have to meet) was that it might lie between one and two pence per passport.
Can you now send off a telegram to Hong Kong, pegged to their telegram 536 of 19 February which outlined their plans for ordering stock, describing our concerns (volume) "C" series document much more attractive to potential
abusers than is the Hong Kong BDTC passport) reminding them that the passport will be issued under the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary's exercise of the Prerogative and informing them that we intend, therefore, to pre-stamp the BN(0) status.
Moving on from this issue, we undertook at a convenient point to consult Hong Kong about a machine readable code for the new BN(0) status. present, codes for existing statuses are shown in IS07501 as follows:
CONFIDENTIAL
At
HKK 340. ECEIVED IN REGISTRY
2 6 AUG 1986
DOCISTRY
Seaon Taken