kingddd

An agent recently inform my cousin that BNO passport have an advantage as a "sort of" British passport in Europe. It is also possible to apply for work and citizenship in Iceland and Germany. That don't sound right to me, Is he misinform?

scot47

He is much misinform

As is often the case there is something in what your source says, but the BNO does NOT give you the same rights to go and work in the EU as holders of full British passports -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_re...nals_(Overseas)

BritInParis

Yes and no.

Officially, no, as British Nationals (Overseas) are not considered EU/EEA citizens.

However many BN(O)s and others with "look-a-like" British passports (British subjects, British Oversea Citizens, British protected persons) live and work in the EU/EEA in the same way as British citizens do as the local authorities do not understand that there are six different flavours of British nationality.

Ironically the only time these passports are stamped within the EU/EEA is when they visit the UK.

kingddd

UK do not want the let BNO passport holder in. I would say pre-97 HK people are better than the new age travellers from EU they let in now. The last 2 years there has been revival of the BNO as the China influence of Hong Kong getting worst.

Anyway if BNO people only in EU because of the local authorities don't understand than is just pot luck. Not really a safe escape route.

holly_1948

Belgium appears to be the most generous in Europe. If you manage to register your residence, work in a job where taxes are withheld from wages, and avoid serious law breaking, learn French or Flemish then you can apply for citizenship after three years.

FlyingDutchman6666

The Belgians hoped that granting citizenship to everyone with a pulse would improve integration and increase social harmony. Surprisingly, rather the opposite happened. Things have now been tightened up considerably, and citizenship takes at least five years.

But the OP wouldn't qualify anyway, because they would need to be a permanent resident when acquiring citizenship. And a BN(O) passport doesn't provide a direct route to that.

I doubt a BN(O) passport would fool the citizenship bureaucrats.

kingddd

As I could read there has been an amendment in the Act 1981 on 2009, I had seen the catagory from where british national (0verseas) are eligible to apply for a british citizen without staying for 5 years. In the page http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/br...ernationality/ I could see BNO passport can apply for the british citizenship if they don't have taken any other nationality.

(Too bad, over the years I haven't meet anyone in HK who haven't apply their HKSAR passport since the BNO cost 4 times more)

BritInParis

This doesn't apply to ethnic Chinese BN(O) holders as they are citizens of PR China. This was intended to allow ethnic Pakistani and other non-Chinese BN(O)s who had fallen between two stools - neither citizens of China nor the country of origin - to register as British citizens to prevent them from being left essentially stateless.

HKG3

kingddd

In the UK, a British National (Overseas) passport offers the holders the following advantages -

1) Treated as a Commonwealth Citizen, so the BN(O) holder can register to vote in UK elections
2) Can become a British Citizen via registration using form B(OTA) after meeting the same requirements, which can be a cheaper process than naturalisation.
3) Can join the UK armed forces - see link below

https://www.raf.mod.uk/recruitment/h...ibility-check/

4) After four years of service in the UK armed forces, can be granted Indefinite Leave to Remain. See section 16 of this link -

https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...rces_final.pdf