Miss Marsden
Mr Paul
Reference.
CONFIDENTIAL
HUNGARIAN TRADE OFFICE, HONG KONG
28
HKB OZO / 13
ECEIVED IN
05 1990
29
A
B
1. Budapest have asked in telno 412 whether we and Hong Kong would be content for the proposed Hungarian Office to issue visas.
2. In his telno 1490 the Governor indicated that a Hungarian Trade Office could facilitate, but not issue, visas. One way the Hungarians could facilitate and issue visas would be to operate in the same way as the Anglo-Taiwanese Trade Commission in Taiwan. This is a trade office, not officially connected with HMG, which collects visa applications, and submits them to MVD. MVD authorise the visas which the Commission issue by appending a stamp indicating that the visa has been issued by MVD. So it seems to me that the non-official nature of the Hungarian office would not preclude it from offering a visa service to applicants in Hong Kong if the Hungarians pressed for this facility. However, with a bit of luck the question will be academic by the time the office opens because moves are afoot (if Hong Kong follow suit) to abolish visas between the UK and Hungary.
3.
I attach a draft telegram.
CODE 18-77
22 June 1990
FB Holroyd
Hong Kong Department
CONFIDENTIAL