TNAG-2794-FCO40-4034-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Taiwan-1993 — Page 85

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12 MAI 1993

FM FCO

TSK C

TO PRIORITY ATTC TAIPEI

PROX

TELNO 41

OF 111623Z MAR 93

ISTRY

on Tol

امد

(34)

054143

MDLOAN 9619

настанил

AND TO PRIORITY HONG KONG

INFO ROUTINE BTC HONG KONG, PEKING, TOKYO, SEOUL

HANDLING OF PASSPORT APPLICATIONS IN TAIWAN

1. Our Telno 30 not to all. You will now have seen Hong Kong telno 3 (again not to all) giving an

indication of the potential workload - an average of about 50 BC passport issues a year and 207 BDTC/BNO

passports. You may have other information from Local knowledge to add to this.

2. Interested Departments have now fully reviewed the way passport applications from Taiwan should be handled and are agreed that there should be no discrimination between holders of the various British passports. This is particularly important in view of the imminent BNO passport publicity exercise. Applications for BNO passports by those eligible must proceed smoothly and there must be no hint that the BNO passport is in any way inferior to other British passports in the support it attracts for the holder or those eligible.

3. If therefore from your knowledge of the size of the community in Taiwan you believe you do not/not have the resources to deal with all passport applicants in the same way that you have British citizens then you should act for none.

4. If that is the outcome then in future when potential applicants require assistance you should confine yourself to providing an application form and when appropriate to attesting photocopy of the applicant's existing passport so that he may send it to a designated issuing office by post or courier. You will need to agree the form of attestation with the designated post. The equivalent of Consular Fee 6(a), pound sterling 15 or 6(b), pound sterling 1 per page (minimum pound sterling 10) coul be charged for this. 6(b) is used when copies are made by the post.

5. Designated post: It would be best we think if Hong Kong could continue to be the designated post for all applications, a arrangement which could be inherited by the Consulate-General in due course. We should however like to see an improvement in the

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