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Miss D J Hopkins
Nationality & Treaty Dept
VISA ABOLITION AGREEMENT:
UK/AUSTRIA
Thank you for your note of 5 October about the proposed renegotiation of this 1968 agreement.
2. As you say, the position on passports has become much more complicated following the 1981 Act, and the introduction of the CFP. Recognition depends on the type of passport, the national status shown, and other endorsements. This cannot be encapsulated in a couple of sub-paragraphs as previously, and it is probably better presented in the form of a schedule to be part of any future agreement. I attach a draft of how such a schedule, covering the 'Blue' passport, might appear. There would be separate schedules for the EC format passport and 'lookalike'.
3.
In
Before finalising this however, we need to be clear on how far the visa abolition agreement is to extend through the various categories of British Nationals. The schedule is based on the assumption that all British nationals who have the right of abode in, or readmission to, the UK, or the right of abode in a Dependent Territory, would be covered. (It excludes rare endorsements, such as those for members of British forces.) Although the debate with Austria has focussed on the BN (0)/BDTC problem, there seems to be no basis for excluding other British nationals who are similarly returnable to the UK or elsewhere. fact, this may not go far enough. The papers on the 1987 discussions with the Benelux countries on a new visa abolition agreement indicate an intention to cover all British nationals, regardless of rights of abode. This was primarily to avoid confirming criticisms of the limited validity of these forms of British nationality, and was to be achieved through a simple amendment to the existing agreement bringing all these people within its scope.
(It is not clear what became of this initiative.) We appear to be taking a more restrictive line with the proposed Austrian agreement, and, if you have not already done so, I assume that you intend to establish common cause with our Immigration and Nationality (B2) Division before starting detailed negotiations with the Austrians.
Passport Department
25 October 1989
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Miss C Brindle, MVD Mr R P Ritchie, B2 Div
RH
R I HENDerson
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