XN000022-1985-10-17 — Page 5

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1985

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IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO APPLY ALSO FOR BN(0) PASSPORTS FROM PASSPORT OFFICES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND FROM CONSULAR POSTS OVERSEAS.

THE GOVERNOR WILL CONTINUE TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ISSUE OF HONG KONG BDTC PASSPORTS.

THE FORMAT OF THE BN(0) PASSPORT WILL BE THE SAME AS THAT ISSUED BY UK PASSPORT ISSUING POSTS TO OTHER BRITISH NATIONALS. SUCH POSTS AT PRESENT ISSUE THE TRADITIONAL BLUE HARD COVER PASSPORT AND THE FIRST BN(0) PASSPORTS ARE LIKELY TO BE ISSUED

IN THAT FORMAT.

THERE WILL, HOWEVER, BE A CHANGE IN THE FORMAT OF ALL BRITISH PASSPORTS AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE DECISION TO GIVE A COMMON FORMAT TO THE NATIONAL PASSPORTS OF EUROPEAN COMMUNITY (EC) MEMBER STATES. ONCE THAT CHANGE HAS BEEN MADE, AND THE EXACT TIMING HAS YET TO BE SETTLED, THE BN(0) PASSPORT WILL BE THE SAME AS THAT ISSUED BY UK PASSPORT ISSUING POSTS TO THOSE BRITISH NATIONAL S WHO ARE NOT UK NATIONALS FOR EC PURPOSES.

THIS PASSPORT, LIKE THE PROPOSED COMMON EUROPEAN COMMUNITY PASSPORT, WILL BE BURGUNDY RED, SOFT COVERED AND OF SMALLER SIZE THAN THE PRESENT DOCUMENT. ON THE COVER WILL BE THE WORDING *UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND'. THE ROYAL EMBLEM AND PASSPORT AND THE WORDING ON THE INSIDE COVER WILL REFER TO HER BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S SECRETARY OF STATE'.

IT IS ALSO PLANNED THAT ALL REFERENCES TO THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AND TRANSLATIONS INTO EUROPEAN COMMUNITY LANGUAGES SAVE FOR FRENCH AT VARIOUS PLACES INSIDE THE PASSPORT WILL BE REMOVED. IN OTHER RESPECTS THE PASSPORT WILL BE VERY SIMILAR TO THE DOCUMENT ISSUED TO THOSE BRITISH NATIONALS WHO ARE UK NATIONALS FOR EUROPEAN COMMUNITY PURPOSES, BUT THE LATTER WILL IN ADDITION CONTAIN THE WORDS +EUROPEAN COMMUNITY+ ON THE COVER.

THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WILL CHANGE TO THE NEW FORMAT FOR EDTC HK PASSPORTS BUT WITH HONG KONG ON THE COVER AND THE GOVERNOR'S RUBRIC ONCE THE UK GOVERNMENT INTRODUCE THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY COMMON FORMAT PASSPORT.

A FEE WILL BE CHARGED FOR THE BN(0) PASSPORT UNDER THE CONSULAR FEES ACT 1980 AND WILL BE STANDARD FOR ALL UK PASSPORT ISSUING POSTS AROUND THE WORLD, SAVE FOR VARIATIONS ARISING FROM RATES OF CURRENCY EXCHANGÉ. THE LEVEL OF THE FEE HAS NOT YET BEEN DECIDED.

THE FEE FOR THE HONG KONG BDTC PASSPORT WILL BE LEVIED UNDER THE HONG KONG IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS AND WILL BE SET BY THE GOVERNOR IN COUNCIL. ELSEWHERE IT WILL BE SET UNDER THE CONSULAR FEES ACT 1980.

BM(0) PASSPORTS WILL BE ENDORSED TO INDICATE THAT THE HOLDER POSSESSES A HONG KONG PERMANENT IDENTITY CARD AS EVIDENCE OF THE HOLDER'S RIGHT OF ABODE IN HONG KONG. THE WORDING OF THIS ENDORSEMENT IS BEING DISCUSSED WITH THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT.

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