ENG-1996 — Page 502

POPULATION AND IMMIGRATION

398

turn-up rates for most of the 10 completed phases were above 86 per cent. At the end of the year, 3 246 774 persons had been registered as BN(O)s.

Legislative amendments were made in June 1996 to waive the personal attendance of children under 11, the aged, the blind and the infirm to register or apply for a Hong Kong identity card for the purpose of applying for a BN(O) passport or Certificate of Identity. It also enables these applicants to submit their applications for travel documents by post.

The demand for Hong Kong Certificate of Identity and re-entry permits has decreased by 8.2 per cent and 11 per cent respectively.

There are two types of identity card: the Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card which states that the holder has the right of abode in Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Identity Card which does not state that right. These identity cards will remain valid beyond July 1, 1997, until they are replaced by identity cards issued by the future Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.

The fully automated system for booking appointments by telephone has been well accepted by members of the public. It will gradually replace the queuing-for-a-tag system at the Registration of Persons Offices. In 1996, 813 169 new identity cards. were issued: 306 285 to new arrivals and persons who reached the ages of 11 or 18 years, and 246 621 to people who had lost or damaged their identity cards or whose identity cards required amendments.

Naturalisation

The deadline of March 31, 1996, for submission of applications for naturalisation or registration as British Dependent Territories citizens by virtue of having a connection with Hong Kong prompted many people to submit their applications in the last two days of March in order to beat the deadline.

From the beginning of the year to March 31, 1996, 211 633 applications for naturalisation were received, representing a 624.9 per cent increase over the 29 193 applications in 1995.

By September, the majority of the applications had been finalised. To help successful applicants apply for BN(O) passports, applications for passports were processed at the same time as the naturalisation certificates were issued to the applicants.

Marriages

Marriages in Hong Kong are governed by the Marriage Ordinance and the Marriage Reform Ordinance. At least 15 days' notice of an intended marriage must be given to the Registrar of Marriages. The registrar may reduce the period of notice or dispense with the notice - but this is done only in exceptional circumstances.

Marriages may take place at any of the 223 places of public worship licensed for the celebration of marriages, or at any of the 10 full-time marriage registries and three part-time sub-registries. Four of the full-time marriage registries are also open on Sundays. During the year, 34 651 marriages were performed in the registries and 2 394 at the licensed places of worship. All records are maintained permanently at the General Register Office in the Queensway Government Offices.