- 31
31 -
No report on refused entry to BDTC passport holders
Following are a question by the Hon Howard Young and an oral reply by the acting Secretary for Security, Mrs Carrie Yau, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
In view of the fact that all British Dependent Territories Citizen (BDTC) passports will expire at a date on or before 30th June this year and that many countries do not accept travel documents with a validity period of less than six months, will the government inform this Council:
(a)
(b)
whether the government has any information regarding BDTC passports holders being rejected at Kai Tak airport or any other overseas airports because their travel documents do not have a validity period in excess of six months, and
in regard to people who have not applied for BN(O) or British National (Overseas) passports but who have the need to travel overseas within the next two months, what recourse do they have to obtain a valid travel document?
Reply:
Mr President,
I shall reply to the two parts of this question in turn.
(a)
Most HKBDTC passport holders present themselves for departure and arrival clearance at immigration control points in Hong Kong with their Hong Kong Permanent Identity Cards. The Immigration Department therefore has no way of knowing the validity of their passports which they need not produce. We would not know whether BDTC passport holders at overseas airports are refused entry because their passports have less than six months validity unless these are reported to us. We have not received any of such reports so far.