TNAG-1406-FCO40-1881-Future-of-Hong-Kong-passports-and-visas-1985 — Page 219

SEE

108

109

110

B7/

180

ник

RECLIN

DESK

- 9 AUG 1985

R

Res

له

enter on Passport a

I to we

Jul 918

Mr Grant, Finance Department

ISSUE OF BN(O) PASSPORTS IN HONG KONG

1.

Reference

112

Discussed with this reale. 3DTC pass parts will contro to be cheyed at The exisly prize, a Therife we were expone Той вие раборла

Please refer to Mr Escritt's minute of 10 July to Miss Veale about the arrangements for the issue of BN (0) passports in Hong Kong. As requested I give some of the background to the way in which passports are issued.

2.

Passports are issued under the Royal prerogative and there is

'United Kingdom' passports no law governing their grant or refusal. are issued at the discretion of the Secretary of State for the Home Department in respect of those issued in the United Kingdom, and at the discretion of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in respect of those issued at British missions overseas.

However in their Each exercises separately the Royal prerogative. respective territories, the Lieutenant Governors of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man and the Governors and Administrators of UK, dependent territories are deemed to have the authority to

Current exercise the Royal prerogative in their own right. procedure therefore is that the Governor in Hong Kong is responsible

for passport issuing in Hong Kong.

This extends to the ordering and payment for blank passports and associated stationery. The Hong Kong Government does not account to the FCO for fees levied but levy them under its own fees ordinance.

The passports It is therefore a completely separate operation. themselves bear the title of the dependent territory, 'Hong Kong', on the outside cover in place of the words 'United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland' and on the inside front cover the exhortation is in the name of the Governor rather than of the Secretary of State.

4.

Dependent territory passports may be issued in those territorie.

However, because of the terms to any category of British national. of visa abolition agreements and also to avoid any confusion for foreign immigration authorities, it is the usual practice for Britis nationals having the right of abode in the United Kingdom to have their passports issued either by the Passport Office in London or by The position a neighbouring diplomatic post using the 'bag scheme'.

is therefore that with the sole exception of Falkland Islands (and for a few more months Anguilla), 'United Kingdom' passports are not issued in British dependent territories.

5.

From the foregoing you will see that the United Kingdom is not

The matter is at present involved in passport issuing in Hong Kong.

However because entirely in the hands of the Hong Kong Government. of the agreement with the Chinese on the future of Hong Kong and the nature of the new national status of BN(0) it would not be appro- priate for the Hong Kong Government to issue passports (which will remain valid after 30.6.97) to this category of British national. We therefore seek to empower the Governor to act under the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary's exercise of the Royal prerogative in

(Passports showing the the matter of issuing these passports. holder's status as British Dependent Territories citizen (BDTC) will continue to be issued under the Governor's exercise of the Royal prerogative, as at present, to those who do not wish to apply for BN(O) status). There is no earlier parallel to what we are proposin

/I understan

CODE 16 77