itory.
Residents of Hong Kong have always been free
to come and go as they wish. There is certainly no
question of stopping people leaving Hong Kong and the
Joint Declaration provides for the maintenance of freedom
of movement after 1997.
XII: Nationality
49.
There are currently over 3.25 million Hong Kong residents who are British Dependent Territory Citizens by
virtue of a connection with Hong Kong. Since Hong Kong
will cease to be a British Dependent Territory after 30
June 1997, it will no longer be appropriate for people
who are BDTCs by virtue of a connection with Hong Kong to
be described as such after that date. The Exchange of
Memoranda associated with the Joint Declaration provides
for such people to acquire a new status, which will carry benefits similar to those enjoyed by BDTSC, such as the
entitlement to use a British passport and to receive
British consular protection in third countries.
status will not, however, be transmissible to later
generations.
(Overseas).
The new
The new status is know as British National
50. The Hong Kong Government began issuing passports with the new BN (0) status from 1 July 1987. This was in
order to continue to existing practice of issuing
passports with a 10 year validity and to allow maximum
time for third countries to get used to the new
nationality status. The new BN (0) status will be