TNAG-1406-FCO40-1881-Future-of-Hong-Kong-passports-and-visas-1985 — Page 172

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As you know the British Embassy in Paris

made representations on our behalf to the Ministry of External Relations in July 1982 (Paris telno VISA 597 of 9 July 1982) on learning from press reports apparent French visa requirement for Hong Kong passport holders visiting France. The French Consulate here eventually confirmed in February 1983 that the Ministry of Interior had issued instructions to frontier posts to the effect that HK BDTCs visiting France for less than three months did not require visas. As the visa requirement imposed by French Embassy in London and the advice tendered by French immigration staff in Paris are inconsistent with the confirmation issued by the French in February 1983 and which has been adhered to religiously by the French Consulate here, I should be grateful if you could arrange for action to be urgently taken in both London and Paris to seek authoritative confirmation from the French that HK BDTCs visiting for less than three months are not required to obtain visas. As the Commissioner London Office says, this time of the year a lot of HK BDTCs visit France and we do not wish to see a repeat of the 'Mrs. Chan IP Yuk-sim' incident, in which Mrs. Chan, a Hong Kong passport holder, was refused landing at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in June 1983 after she had been advised by the French Consulate here that she did not require visas for visiting France. Furthermore, as you know Unofficials are most concerned with visa requirements for HK BDTCs and it is desirable to iron out any misunderstanding before French visa requirement for HK BDTCS is made an issue by the press.

Yours sincerely,

ད་བཇ་པཡི་

Regina IP (Mrs.) Security Branch

Encls.