TNAG-1192-FCO40-1494-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1982 — Page 42

1 (Revised)

memorandum

J

DRAFT:

mante Aletter/teleletterdespatch/ngte

FROM:

Secretary of State

DEPARTMENT:

TY CLASSIFICATION

TO:

ret

ntial

ed

ified

Prime Minister

TEL. NO:

TYPE: Draft/Final 1+

Reference

Your Reference

Copies to:

Secretary of State for

Home Affairs

CY MARKING

........In Confidence

T.

es-flag(s)...........

SUBJECT:

1.

HONG KONG PASSPORTS

The Home Secretary and I have given further thought

to Hong Kong passports which we discussed with you on 21

October. We have in particular considered the questions

then raised on the implications of

describing

the nationality of Hong Kong belongers as British in their

passports, and on what the passport to be issued in future

to Hong Kong belongers might look like.

2. On the first of these two points the proposed new

wording presents no strictly legal problem. The descrip-

tion of nationality in passports, which are documents to

facilitate international travel, is not bound to follow

precisely the definitions of citizenship in our domestic

legislation. There is no doubt that the holders of Hong

Kong passports are British in the internationally accepted

sense that we are entitled to give them consular protection

and to represent their interests abroad.

3. On the other hand to add 'British' in the space

provided for 'National status' in Hong Kong passports will

affect the symmetry and clarity of our original scheme,

which was that the entry 'under 'National status' should in

/every