TNAG-2629-FCO40-3820-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-British-National-(Overseas)-1992 — Page 100

Captain N Ford

General Superintendent

Fleet Operations

c/o Kuwait Oil

Tanker Co. S.A.K.

PO Box 810

13009 Safat, Kuwait

Dear Captain Ford

DRAFT

IMG/92 9/387/1

July 1992

I have been asked to reply to your letter of 25 June to the Home Secretary.

I am sorry that you felt the Home Secretary's letter of 24 February to Sir David Steel did not properly address your concern about your wife's position in Hong Kong up to and

beyond 1997. It was not clear from your earlier letter, and is still not clear, whether or not your wife is a British Dependent Territories citizen (BDTC).

If your wife is a BDTC by connection with Hong Kong, she is now entitled to be registered and obtain a passport as a British National (Overseas) which will enable her

to retain a form of British nationality after 1 July 1997 when Hong Kong reverts to

China and BDTC status ceases to exist so far as Hong Kong is concerned. Should she

fail to register and otherwise be stateless due to the transfer of sovereignty, she would

automatically become a British Overseas citizen from 1 July 1997. Either way, Annex

I (XIV) of the British/Chinese Joint Declaration on Hong Kong guarantees not only the

right of abode in Hong Kong to those who held it before 1 July 1997, but also their right

to enter and leave Hong Kong on non-Chinese travel documents.

If your wife is not already a British Dependent Territories citizen, she may wish to consider applying to the Governor in Hong Kong for naturalisation if she has resided in the Colony for 5 years, is free of immigration time restrictions there and meets certain other statutory requirements.