GRS 2000 CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
CONFIDENTIAL
TO DESKBY 16120OZ FCO
TELNO 2180
OF 160915Z OCTOBER 85
нки ото/4 040/4
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
17 OCT 1985
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
(469
APUISTRY
PAS
Action Taken
W
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING.
46
MY TELNO 2177 : HONG KONG AGREEMENT : NATIONALITY ORDER IN COUNCIL.
FOLLOWING IS REVISED TEXT OF 'QUESTION-AND-AWSWER' BRIEF.
BEGINS.
WHY IS THE ORDER BEING INTRODUCED SO FAR IN ADVANCE OF 19977
1. THREE REASONS. FIRST ANY LATER THAN 1 JULY 1987 WOULD MEAN ISSUE
OF RESTRICTED VALIDITY BDTC PASSPORTS (NORMAL VALIDITY OF A BRITISH
PASSPORT IS 10 YEARS) FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO TRAVEL BEFORE 1997.
SECOND, TO GIVE THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT PLENTY OF TIME TO PROCESS ALL APPLICATIONS BEFORE 1997. THIRD, TO GIVE TIME FOR OTHER
COUNTRIES TO GET USED TO BN(0) PASSPORTS.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BN(0) STATUST
2. EN(0) STATUS WILL CARRY BROADLY THE SAME BENEFITS AS BRITISH
DEPENDENT TERRITORIES CITIZENSHIP, EXCEPT THAT IT WILL NOT BE
TRANSMISSIBLE BY DESCENT. BN (0)S WILL BE ABLE TO USE BRITISH
PASSPORTS: THEY WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR BRITISH CONSULAR PROTECTION
IN THIRD COUNTRIES: AND THEY WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO REGISTER AS
BRITISH CITIZENS ON THE SAME TERMS AS BDTCS.
WHY IS BN(0) NOT TRANSMISSIBLE? -
3. BN(0) STATUS IS NOT TRANSMISSIBLE BECAUSE THE UK MEMORANDUM
ASSOCIATED WITH THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION PROVIDES THAT
NO PERSON BORN ON OR AFTER 1 JULY 1997 WILL ACQUIRE BN(0) STATUS.
(IF PRESSED)
PRCS WERE NOT PREPARED TO ACCEPT THAT ANYONE BORN IN HONG KONG
AFTER JUNE 1997 SHOULD ACQUIRE EN(0) STATUS BY VIRTUE OF A
CONNECTION WITH HONG KONG. NOT THEREFORE POSSIBLE TO PROVIDE FOR
TRANSMISSION OF BN (0) STATUS TO CHILDREN BORN AFTER JUNE 1997.
WHY DO BN (0)S HAVE TO REGISTER?
4. ACQUISITION OF BN(0) STATUS MUST BE A MATTER OF CHOICE.
REGISTRATION IS A SIMPLE, TRADITIONAL AND CONVENIENT WAY OF
RECORDING THOSE WHO HAVE BECOME 3N(C)S AND HAVE BN(0) PASSPORTS.
REGISTRATION AND ISSUE OF PASSPORT WILL BE PART OF INDIVISIBLE
PROCESS.
WILL IT BE COMPULSORY FOR BN (0)S TO HOLD BY(0) PASSPORTS?
CONFIDENTIAL
15
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