Title and commencement

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Travel Documents (Fees) Regulations 1999 and shall come into force on 16th December 1999.

Interpretation

2. In these Regulations-�

"Convention travel document" means a travel document issued in accordance with Article 28 of the Refugee Convention (travel documents) or Article 28 of the Stateless Persons Convention (travel documents);

"document of identity" means a travel document issued in the United Kingdom to a person who is not a British citizen which enables the holder to make one journey out of the United Kingdom;

"the Refugee Convention" means the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees done at Geneva on 28th July 1951(3) and the Protocol to the Convention(4); and

"the Stateless Persons Convention" means the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons done at New York on 28th September 1954(5).

Prescription of fees

3.-(1) A fee of £28 is to be paid in connection with an application to the Secretary of State for a Convention travel document or a document of identity.

(2) A fee of £67 is to be paid in connection with an application to the Secretary of State for any other Home Office travel document.

Payment into the Consolidated Fund

4. A fee received by the Secretary of State under these Regulations is to be paid into the Consolidated Fund.

Revocation

5. The Travel Documents (Refugees and Stateless Persons) (Fees) Regulations 1999(6) are hereby revoked.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations prescribe fees in connection with applications to the Secretary of State for three types of Home Office travel document: Convention travel documents, documents of identity and certificates of identity.

Convention travel documents are issued in accordance with Article 28 of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees adopted on 28th July 1951 and Article 28 of the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons adopted on 28th September 1954. Fees for this type of travel document were first prescribed in The Travel Documents (Refugees and Stateless Persons) (Fees) Regulations 1999 No. 2150, which is revoked by these Regulations. The fee for a Convention travel document has increased by £7 to £28. This is in line with the increase in the fee for a standard adult passport which takes effect on 16th December 1999 (The Consular Fees (No. 2) Order 1999 No. 3132).

Documents of identity are issued at the discretion of the Secretary of State to any foreign national in the United Kingdom and enable the holder to make one journey out of the United Kingdom. No fee has previously been prescribed in connection with applications for these documents, although a charge of £21 has been made. The fee for a document of identity has increased to £28 in line with the increase in the fee for a standard adult passport.

Certificates of identity are issued at the discretion of the Secretary of State to certain foreign nationals who do not qualify for a Convention travel document. Broadly, these nationals are persons who have been granted leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom indefinitely or on an exceptional basis outside the Immigration Rules (Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules (HC 395 (1994))) and who do not have, or are unable to obtain, a valid passport from their own national authorities. No fee has previously been prescribed in connection with applications for these documents, although a charge of £67 has been made.