Travel warning for British expats living in Hong Kong over passport ‘mess’

British passport holders in Hong Kong have been warned not to make any plans to leave if they are waiting for a replacement travel document.

British nationals and holders of British National (Overseas) passports find themselves in limbo after a switch from a locally based passport-issuing system to one based in Liverpool.

Consular officials have declined to say how many people have been affected, but the number is believed to be in the hundreds. According to the 2012 consular census, there were 250,000 full British nationals and 3.4 million British National (Overseas) passport holders in Hong Kong.

A spokeswoman for the government in London said: "It is to do with transferring from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's regional passport processing centres to Her Majesty's Passport Office."

The delays extend to all types of British passport holders renewing internationally.

Some expatriates in the city have already had to wait up to three months for a new passport.

Events organiser Greg Hunt, who applied for a new passport on March 17 and is still waiting, said the situation was a "mess", and he had made a complaint to the British government.