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Jul 22 2020. Britain unveils details of citizenship offer for Hongkongers with BN(O) passports | South China Morning Post

“At the same time, it is not an unconditional offer,” Patel said, as BN(O) holders will need to be self-sufficient in the first five to seven years before they obtain British citizenship, with no access to social security.

Brexit will probably change the lines, but currently most British airports have two. Which line's for BN(O) holders?

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nuyhik
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    If you don't have the right of abode, assume that the 'All other Passport' line must be used. – Mark Johnson Oct 01 '20 at 11:18
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    @MarkJohnson that sounds like it should be an answer, not a comment. – Chris H Oct 01 '20 at 12:15
  • @ChrisH Not sure if that is a good idea, since at present the 'UK / EU' lane is based on EU Citizenhip. This will soon change. A proper answer should reflect the legal situation after 2020. – Mark Johnson Oct 01 '20 at 12:45
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    And that sounds like additional information to include in the answer, not a reason to put your answer in the comments section. – Chris H Oct 01 '20 at 13:40
  • It may have changed in the time since so not an authoritative answer, but the the only article I can easily find states they cannot be used for the UK passport holder channel, as the holder is neither a UK citizen nor has the right of abode in the UK. https://hongkongfp.com/2016/01/19/bno-holders-excluded-from-fast-track-uk-border-channels-while-non-brits-are-eligible/ – Andy Hames Oct 01 '20 at 17:05
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    I'm guessing a bit, but the line says "UK passports" not "UK citizens". The BN(O) passport is issued by the UK. It will probably count as a UK passport. Also, border officials are actually not that worried about which line you use, and BN(O) passports are relatively rare. They would probably let you through the first time if you got it wrong. – DJClayworth Oct 02 '20 at 13:24
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    Were you able to travel to the UK and confirm this? – JonathanReez Dec 16 '20 at 02:03

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The British National Overseas passport is a burgundy colour (example below). It bears the same UK coat of arms as the new blue colored UK passports. As @DJClayworth points out, the BN(O) passport is issued by the UK and therefore is a UK passport. Moreover, as seen in the attached image, the new BN(O) passport has the ePassport symbol. Both of those facts will lead you to the right. That said, as @DJClayworth also smartly points out, the immigration officials all work together. If you should run astray, as many do, they will either help you find the correct line or process you in whichever line you've landed.

British National Overseas Passport

  • Holder's page: The nationality on the machine readable zone, however, is GBN rather than GBR.
Mark Johnson
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jcklopp
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    BNO passports are not eligible to use the ePassport gates (at the moment). The fact that BNO passports are biometric is irrelevant (most passports are nowadays, but only a few can use the automatic gates). – xngtng Jan 04 '21 at 04:06
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    But yeah AFAIK UK border force lanes are there purely for priority and efficiency reasons, the border officers are competent to deal with any passport regardless (and they probably won't be upset if you are genuinely confused). – xngtng Jan 04 '21 at 04:11
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    In normal times (tm) there was often someone stationed at the entrance to the queues to point passengers in the right direction (mostly diverting them to the biometric gates). So there's a decent chance you might be able to speak to someone and ask even before reaching the actual kiosk officer. – Andrew is gone Jan 04 '21 at 18:30