People born after July 1, 1997, are not eligible to apply even if their parents are BNO passport holders. The holders can then apply for citizenship after 12 more months. British passports issued to British citizens after 29 March 2019 no longer carry the words "European Union" on the cover, making them identical to BN(O) passports in appearance. When machine-readable passports were introduced on 1 June 1990, the cover colour was changed to burgundy. Use this guide to help you apply for a British National Overseas (BNO) passport from Hong Kong. The British National (Overseas) status itself does not automatically grant the right of abode anywhere (including the United Kingdom and Hong Kong). Some 2.6 million out of the 3.4 million British Nationals (Overseas) did not renew their passports upon expiry. [citation needed]. Under the Immigration Ordinance, six categories of people are eligible to enjoy the right of abode in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). To further differentiate British Nationals (Overseas) from British citizens regarding EU freedom of movement rights, BN(O) passports renewed after 29 March 2019 carry the additional endorsement: The Holder is not entitled to benefit from European Union provisions relating to employment or establishment. They can, however, register with a HKSAR passport if they have one. As of January 2021, the UK will allow individuals living in Hong Kong with rights to a BNO passport and their immediate dependants to apply for a special UK visa. The British National Overseas (BNO) passport is a travel document that allows people to get consular assistance and protection from UK diplomatic posts. On the other hand, someone who was not born in the country can be eligible for a British passport over time, provided they meet the requirements set by the Government. The UK’s special visa for BNO passport holders. [3] This came as a result of the imposition on Hong Kong, by the Chinese central government, of the controversial national security law. To be eligible for ‘Leave Outside the Rules’ they must usually live in Hong Kong. Under Hong Kong and Chinese law, these passports are considered to be travel documents only, and do not confer any rights of citizenship on their holders. For longer stays or other purposes of visit, holders of BN(O) passports needed to apply for the appropriate visas at the UK diplomatic missions overseas. 350,000 holders of BNO passports as of February, according to the U.K. Home Office. These are issued by the United Kingdom Government to Hong Kong residents who had British nationality by virtue of a connection with Hong Kong before reunification with China in 1997. British National (Overseas) status is not recognized by the Government of China, so BN(O) passports are not recognized by Mainland China ports of entry controlled by Ministry of Public Security. Those eligible are advised to apply for a passport ahead of time if they think they will want to apply to the BNO route in the future. Published 25 August 2015 Last updated 15 July 2020 — see all updates I was born in Hong Kong in 1990, when the city was still under British rule. The British National (Overseas) citizenship status, commonly known as BNO's, is one of the major classes of British Nationality under British Nationality Law.Holders of this nationality are Commonwealth Citizens, but not British Citizens. It provides a new route for them to migrant to the UK. It is estimated that 2.9 million people hold BNO status, and are eligible to apply for a BNO passport. After five years they could apply for "settled status" and then register as a British citizen after another year.[20]. With the introduction of biometric passports, the BN(O) passport has recovered credibility among the international community. You are eligible for a BN(O) Passport if you are a Chinese citizen of Hong Kong who was born before Hong Kong’s handover in 1997. BNO status was not granted automatically; eligible individuals had to register before the end of the transfer of the territory to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. BN(O) passport holders who possess right of abode in Hong Kong normally use their permanent identity cards to enter Hong Kong. [7] As of 31 December 2015, there were only about 143,200 holders of BN(O) passports.[8]. Under current rules, BNO passport holders can visit the UK for up to six months without a visa. Currently, BNO passport holders are permitted to visit the UK for up to 6 months without having to apply for a visa. Under the new visa, holders will be permitted to remain in the UK for 5 years, at which point they become eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain. People who chose to remain as BDTCs, however, would only be able to renew their BDTC passports for a restricted validity until 30 June 1997, while those who registered as BN(O)s would receive BN(O) passports valid for a full ten years. “Today, about 350,000 of the territory’s people hold British National (Overseas) passports and another 2.5 million would be eligible to apply for them. The cover of British National (Overseas) passport was originally navy blue, as in all other types of British passport. If the holder of BN(O) passport presents his or her Hong Kong Identity Card to enter Macao, the visa-free access period is lengthened to one year (12 months)[citation needed]. Based on existing restrictions, as current passport holders die, the number of British National (Overseas) passports in circulation will continue to decline over the next decades and eventually will fall to zero. This is something the UK considers a violation of the principle of 'One country, two systems' as set out by the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984, an internationally binding treaty.[4]. There are an estimated 2.9 million Hongkongers eligible for BNOs and as many as 2.3 million of their dependents, according to a U.K. government Between 1990 and March 2020, all BN(O) passports sported a burgundy red cover identical to that of the British Citizen passports, albeit without the words "European Union" text at the top part of the cover. People born after that date would only be eligible for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) passports, although BN (O) passport holders could continue to … I have never held a BNO passport nor an HKSAR passport since my birth and I would like to apply for BNO because I prefer a Commonwealth citizenship to a communist citizenship. Holders of the British National (Overseas) passport are allowed visa-free access for 6 months upon entering Macau. These words were featured in the latter until April 2019, when the words were removed, causing their front covers to become identical in appearance to those of BN(O) passports, British Overseas Citizen, British Protected Person and British Subject passports: the text United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland above the coat of arms of the United Kingdom; the word Passport printed below the coat of arms, and the "electronic travel document symbol" () at the bottom. from 1 July 1987 to 21 December 1989, only 15% of newly issued passports were of the BN(O) type; the majority still held the British Dependent Territories Citizen passports). As a result, only 30,000 BN(O) passports were issued in 2006 against an expectation of a peak in passport renewals. When resident in the United Kingdom, a BNO passport holder is also entitled to the right to vote in that country. Innovator visa Who is eligible for a BN(O) passport? It was created by the Hong Kong Act 1985 for British Dependent Territories citizens of Hong Kong. Go through the following to understand where it is that you exactly stand on the British nationality scale and whether or not you qualify for a British passport. Hong Kong has over 300,000 BNO passport holders who already have the right to visit the UK for up to six months without a visa. There are currently around 300,000 BNO passport holders in Hong Kong and a further 2.5 to 2.7 million people are eligible to apply for one. [15], In the early years after the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong in 1997, the issue of counterfeit British National (Overseas) passports aroused international attention and government scrutiny, as such passports were being manufactured and used by illegal immigrants from the mainland of the People's Republic of China, who wished to gain direct access to the United Kingdom by way of Hong Kong. Example of how to countersign a passport photo: Holders of these passports are permitted to visit the United Kingdom without having to obtain a visa beforehand, but they are not entitled to right of abode . The British National (Overseas) passport, commonly referred to as the BN(O) passport, is a British passport for persons with British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) status. [9], As of 24 February 2020, there were 349,881 holders of BN(O) passports and the UK Home office estimates that there are around 2.9m BN(O)s in Hong Kong. Aimed at British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) citizens ordinarily resident in Hong Kong and their immediate family members, holders will be allowed to move to the UK to live, work and study, and in time become eligible to register as British citizens. They are not granted Right of Abode anywhere, including the United Kingdom and Hong Kong through their British National (Overseas) status. By 2015, the less-expensive Hong Kong SAR passport has been granted visa-free access to more than 150 countries and territories. This is clearly a brilliant news to millions of BNO passport holders in Hong Kong (or currently reside in the UK). Dependants of BNO passport holders who were born after 1 July 1997 are not eligible to apply for a BN(O) passport since they are born after the UK’s handover of Hong Kong to China. These passports are also recognised by many other countries for visa-free travel purposes. BN(O) passports are currently issued in their latest biometric versions (as of 2020) and they bear the "electronic travel document symbol" () on the navy blue coloured cover. After the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China on 1 July 1997, the British National (Overseas) passport became the most popular travel document among the people of Hong Kong. Holders of BN(O) passports are permanent residents of Hong Kong who were British Dependent Territories citizensuntil 30 June 1997 and had registered as BN(O)s. From 31 January 2021, BN(O) passport holders can … As of May 2007, there were 800,000 holders of valid BN(O) passports. Hong Kong permanent residents who are Chinese nationals can also opt for the Hong Kong SAR passport. The machine-readable zone starts with P