TNAG-1406-FCO40-1881-Future-of-Hong-Kong-passports-and-visas-1985 — Page 222

Mrs Priest, HKD

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Reference........

GNN 340/393/1

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- 9 AUG 1985

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HONG KONG AGREEMENT: PASSPORTS

1.

I have the following comments to make on Hong Kong's telegram

1476.

2.

In (A) Hong Kong have misinterpreted the instructions in DSP Volume 25, paras 5.3 and 6.1.15. The normal procedure when an applicant's previous passport contains a valid visa which he still wishes to use is for the old passport not to be cancelled but to be united by tape and seal to the new passport. Appropriate endorsements are made in both old and new passports, see DSP 25, 6.2.14. Once a passport is cancelled any visas contained in it are usually regarded as invalidated. I would have thought it inadvisable for a BN(0) passport to be united to an old one describing the holder as a BDTC Hong Kong. Admittedly the old passport can later be detached and cancelled once the visas have been utilised or are no longer required (see DSP 25, 7.6.1), but there must be some danger that holders would fail to have this done before using the new passports after 30.6.97.

3. With regard to the proposals in Hong Kong's (E), the measures they have described in sub-paragraphs (1) and (2) were very much emergency measures designed to meet the very exceptional circumstances when supplies of blank passports were unavailable. It will be for the Passport Department of the Home Office to make the policy decision on whether they would agree to such measures in the case of The short persons awaiting their permanent Hong Kong identity card. extension of an expired passport might be acceptable, but I would certainly not favour the introduction of the proposals in (2); better to issue a new passport of limited validity as a BDTC until the applicant was able to obtain his identity card.

The information contained in Hong Kong's (F) will enable us to pursue with Finance Department and the Legal Advisers the questions related to the financial arrangements to cover the cost of passport supplies, the authority under which fees would be collected, and the provisions to cover administrative costs.

4.

CODE 18-77

AWO Ltd. 7/84

26 July 1985

cc: Mr Nicholson, Passport Dept

Y J Veale (Miss)

Nationality & Treaty Department