TNAG-2952-FCO40-4229-Hong-Kong-visa-free-travel-for-British-Nationals-(Overseas)--1993 — Page 42

September 1993

Mrs Elsie Tu

Legislative Council House Committee Legislative Council Building

8 Jackson Road

Central

Hong Kong

Thank you for your letter of 7 September about your concerns

over the possible curtailment of visa-free entry for Hong

Kong British Dependent Territory Citizens (BDTCs) and British National (Overseas) Citizens (BN (0) s) to European countries

which are signatories of the Schengen Convention.

Continuity in visa free travel arrangements is indeed an

important factor in sustaining the confidence of Hong Kong

people. Your understanding that the British government have already taken up the matter with Schengen Convention countries is quite correct; our overseas posts in Schengen

Convention countries which now allow visa free access for

BDTCs and BN (0)s have made it a priority to clarify the

intentions of host governments and to put the strong case for

continued visa free access for these Hong Kong visitors.

1

We understand that BDTCs and BN (0)s will continue to enjoy

visa free travel to Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Italy and Greece. (As you will be aware, Portugal, France

and Germany already require visas for these Hong Kong

visitors). We have also established that there is no plan to

common approach among the Schengen Convention signatories towards visas for Hong Kong. But the Spaniards

have informed us that they will require BDTCs and BN (0) s

visiting Spain from 1 October 1993 to apply for visas. This

requirement in effect suspends an arrangement which has been