HKID affected by UK passport

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  1. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by Hairball:
    You'd have to naturalize as Chinese citizen to get *** and a HKSAR passport. And yes to do so you have to renounce British citizenship. The exception is those that were already Chinese and subsequently obtained some other nationality, in which case it's ok to have dual citizenship.

    If the OP was born a dual citizen, then he wouldn't need to renounce anything and have both citizenships. He could possibly have been born a Chinese citizen depending on his parents' immigration status in the UK.
    So even though he is not considered a Chinese citizen by the current interpretation of the basic law, he can regain that Chinese citizenship right by renouncing his UK citizenship? Doesn't he lose that right since one of his parents was a UK citizen when he was born in the UK? Additionally this would mean the OP would be passport less for a period of time, is that right?

  2. #22

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    No - anyone can apply to naturalize as a Chinese Citizen (at least two foreign-born gweilos have to my knowledge - Mike Rowse and Allan Zeman). If your application is provisionally accepted you then (but only then) need to renounce your previous citizenship before your new Chinese Citizenship is formalized. If you are ethnically Chinese then I suspect that requests to naturalize as a Chinese Citizen are quite rarely turned down.


  3. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by mulan_nasil:
    To PDLM

    My HKID card doesn't have RL (right to land) on it though
    its just got the letter A (right of abode)
    My HKID card is exactly like all my HK friends except that it doesn't have any stars on it so what does that mean??
    That i'm just not allowed to get the china pass but i can everything else?!?!!?
    Yes, that plus the fact that you will be downgraded to Right to Land if you don't enter through HK Immigration at least once every 36 months. Right to Land is like Right of Abode except that you can't vote, you can be deported for certain offences, and any children you might have born in HK won't automatically get Right of Abode.

  4. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by PDLM:
    No - anyone can apply to naturalize as a Chinese Citizen (at least two foreign-born gweilos have to my knowledge - Mike Rowse and Allan Zeman). If your application is provisionally accepted you then (but only then) need to renounce your previous citizenship before your new Chinese Citizenship is formalized. If you are ethnically Chinese then I suspect that requests to naturalize as a Chinese Citizen are quite rarely turned down.
    So for the OP, was he just lucky to get an HKPID (A) as he should only have a temporary HKID? I know of someone in a similar situation who went through a bit hassle with immigration, except that she was born in the US instead of UK while one of her parents had naturalized in the US. She tried to get a HKPID and was turned down and is now working in HK. Similarly the reason was stated that she was no longer considered a Chinese citizen even though her parents were born in HK and continue to hold HKPIDs. In her and the OP's situation, would renouncing their citizenship have an effect on gaining the right to naturalize as a Chinese citizen right away?
    Last edited by Andyhk888; 06-12-2009 at 01:25 AM.

  5. #25

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    Temporary HKIDs are for only people who need a visa to reside in HK.

    If you wish to naturalize as a Chinese citizen then FIRST you apply for such naturalization. If it is provisionally granted THEN you must renounce your existing citizenship. The factors that determine whether you are granted Chinese Citizenship do NOT include anything about any other citizenships you hold at the time you apply.

    The links on this page describe the process of naturalization as a Chinese Citizen in detail: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region - Immigration Department

    No country will allow you voluntarily to renounce your citizenship unless you can show that you will immediately be granted another citizenship. It is not possible voluntarily to become stateless.


  6. #26

    Thanks PDLM. I asked again because it would seem that when you posted about article 5 in the nationality law my friend and the OP would lose the right to naturalize as Chinese citizens.

    It was a bit of a sob story to hear that she was denied ROA in HK even though her family is here. Immigration suggested that she simply take up work and stay seven years, which she is in the process of doing, so she only has a temporary HKID. I always thought that it seems unfair for her and figured there were other options.

    Last edited by Andyhk888; 06-12-2009 at 01:40 AM.

  7. #27

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    Nationality issues are rarely fair, if you move to another country, links to the old one can and often will disappear.

    I imagine she has Right to Land then, which is still better than nothing. After the handover, if people from HK immigrated abroad and had children, most likely they wouldn't be eligible for anything.

    Technically speaking not all HKIDs can be temporary, RTL ID cards are the non-permanent type, but they are effectively permanent. But I guess for most people on other visas, the ID depends on the visa, so I guess in most cases it's temporary.