TNAG-1570-FCO40-2136-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 13

CONFIDENTIAL

Nationality and Treaty Department

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Clive House Petty France London SW1H 9HD

Telephone 01 - 213

I S Lockhart Esq

British Embassy ABU DHABI

LUTH BAOS RECEIVEC

REGISTRY

12 DEC 1986

Jem Lock Love,

INDEX

PA

Action Taken

фтека

MR.Kitt

1127

Anglish

да

CON 346/2(A)

Your reference

Our reference

Date

8 December 1986

HONG KONG: BRITISH NATIONALS (OVERSEAS)

1.

Thank you for your letter of 17 November reporting the MFA's reaction to your approach explaining the introduction of BN (0) status and passports.

2. By copy of this letter I am passing on to Hong Kong the Abu Dhabi request for 10 specimen copies of the BN(O) passport. You may wish to inform the MFA however that passports issued to BN(0)s will be in the standard format, but containing the following distinguishing features:

1) the holder's national status shown as British National (Overseas)

on page 1.

2) the endorsement showing the holder has right of abode in

Hong Kong.

3)

the endorsement showing the holder needs no visa to visit the UK.

Those passports issued in Hong Kong will have items 1) and 3) pre-printed and item 2) will be stamped. These pre-printed passports are not expected to be received in Hong Kong until about April 1987.

3. The provisions for the reduction of statelessness in the Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986 ensure that children born on or after 1 July 1997 to BN(0)s will become BOCS automatically if they have no other nationality at birth.

Similarly, children born stateless outside the dependent territories on or after 1 July 1997 will have an entitlement to registration as BOCS within one year of their date of birth if one of their parents was such a BOC at the time of birth. The children and grandchildren of BDTCs who lose that status on 1 July 1997 through a connection with Hong Kong will be protected from statelessness, even though this means that the status of BOC will be granted more widely than was originally envisaged in the BNA 1981. The problems explained in the enclosure to your letter in relation to children of BOCs will not therefore arise in the case of children of BN(0)s.

Moms lie для

cc:

HKD

Political Adviser Hong Kong

CONFIDENTIAL

Alan Lazy-

AR Kaye