§ 10. Mr. Tilneyasked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs why citizens and residents of the United Kingdom visiting the Bahamas have their passports endorsed for a limited number of days, in view of the fact that citizens of the United States of America are accepted as visitors without passports.
§ Mrs. HartUnited Kingdom citizens may visit the Bahamas for periods up to three weeks without passports. United States citizens have been exempted from the requirement to have passports to encourage tourism, which is mainly with the United States. They are, however, required to produce evidence of nationality and to declare the period of their proposed stay. If a person presents a passport it is endorsed with the permitted period of stay.
§ Mr. TilneyWhy, then, is the passport of someone from Liverpool endorsed for staying four days—I saw it only last weekend—and why do British citizens appear to be treated in the Bahamas as second-class citizens?
§ Mrs. HartNo, that is not so at all. This whole question is for the Government of the Bahamas since they have internal self-government, but the restrictions on British visitors are no more severe than those on Americans, who must provide proof of nationality.