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Acceptance of BN(0) passports by third countries
The Government recognise that this has been a continuing major
concern in Hong Kong and in the House. In accordance with undertaking which we gave during the debates on the Hong Kong Nationality Order in Council in 1986, we mounted a major worldwide diplomatic exercise before the introduction of the passport on 1 July 1987 to explain the new status and passport to third countries. We are confident that this exercise has successfully clarified the
issue to third countries.
The passport has now been in circulation for over six months.
22,000 people are already travelling on it without encountering any problems. If anyone were to encounter difficulties with the
passport, we would act quickly to ensure these were resolved.
It is true that more people are still applying for Hong Kong BDTC passports than for BN (0) passports (91,000 as against 22,000 in the last 8 months). But this is understandable and I do not regard it as at all discouraging. We are confident that the rate of
applications for BN (0) passports will gradually increase as people come to recognise what a very useful document it is. It extends
beyond 1997 unlike the Hong Kong BDTC passports which are now being issued with an increasingly limited validity and a final expiry date.
of 30 June 1997.
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