TNAG-1560-FCO40-2124-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 158

3.

Hong Kong will of course remain a dependent territory

UA 1 31 June 1997. The arrangements I have described

above will continue to apply to the passports which Hong

Kong issue until that date in which the holders are

described as BDTCS. (Such passports will have a maximum

validity to 30 June 1997). The passports which are the

subject of our correspondence are those which will be issued

to Hong Kong BDTCs who elect to apply for BN (0) status in

order to preserve an entitlement to a form of British

Until that date they will

nationality after 30 June 1997.

have both BDTC and BN(O) status. The sole reason why the

passports issued to BN (O)s will be UK ones, issued in the

name of the Secretary of State and consequently attracting

the appropriate fee under the UK Consular Fees Order, is

that they will have the usual ten year validity and the

colonial implications of a passport issued in the name of

the Governor of Hong Kong would be unacceptable to the

Chinese when the territory reverts to them in 1997.

4.

ما ملممعه أسامة

effect thad they will only be allowedt to hold one

one pesopend

What we would like to see is that until Hong Kong

ceases to be a dependent territory the arrangements for the

issue of passports in Hong Kong to BDTCs connected with

that territory should remain as close as possible to the

existing arrangements and to those followed in other

dependent territories. The Governor will therefore continue

to issue the passports but as agent o' the Secretary of

State. I hope that in the light of the above information

you may, on further consideration, be able to agree to our

request.

5. From 1 July 1997 we shall have a UK consular post in

Hong Kong which will issue passports to all categories of

British nationals; HMG will be fully responsible for the

/staffing