By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-03-06 16:31:15 | Updated at 2025-03-06 19:13:07
2 hours ago
Hongkongers holding British National (Overseas) passports will no longer need to obtain an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) document before heading to the United Kingdom, with London expanding the original exemption that applied to BN(O) visa holders.
The development came to light in a letter by the migration and citizenship minister, Seema Malhotra, who said BN(O) passport holders would no longer need an ETA to travel to the UK, after the government had “listened to evidence”.
“This decision has been made on the basis of the close ties that the BN(O) community has with the UK, the historical commitments made to them and, critically, the fact that just like for British citizens with passports, it is the UK issuing their travel documents,” she said in a letter to David Alton, a member of the House of Lords, dated March 3.
She added that as the UK had issued the BN(O) passport it had a “higher degree of certainty” of the identity of an individual.
Malhotra said the Home Office would amend the immigration rules “at the earliest opportunity” and the exemption would be kept under review in case there was any evidence of it being abused.
