The Hong Kong SAR Government officially announced de-recognition of the British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) passport as a valid travel document and proof of identity.
Effective from January 31, BN(O) passports cannot be used for immigration clearance and will not be recognised as any form of proof of identity in Hong Kong.
The measures include that the BN(O) passport cannot be used for immigration clearance in Hong Kong. Hong Kong residents concerned may continue to use their Hong Kong SAR passports or Hong Kong permanent identity cards for entering or departing the city.
Those few Hong Kong permanent residents who are not of Chinese nationality and who may only hold BN(O) passports but not any other valid travel document, they may apply to the Immigration Department for Document of Identity for Visa Purposes for international travel.
What is BN(O) Passport?
The BN(O) passport, is a British passport for persons with British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) status. The passport was first issued in 1987 after the Hong Kong Act 1985
From 31 January 2021, BN(O) passport holders can apply for limited leave to remain allowing them to work or study in the UK for 5 years, and then apply for settled status after that. The holders can then apply for citizenship after 12 more months.
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. From April 1997 to the end of 2006, the British government has issued a total of 794,457 BN(O) passports. The peak was reached in 2001, when 170,000 were issued in a single year.
