Visiting Forces Act 1952

10 Definition of membership of civilian component of visiting force

(1) In this Part of this Act references to a member of a civilian component of a visiting force are references to a person for the time being fulfilling the following conditions, that is to say—

(a) that he holds a passport issued in respect of him by a Government, not being a. passport issued by the passport authorities of the United Kingdom or any colony;

(b) that the passport contains an uncancelled entry made by or on behalf of the appropriate authority of the sending country stating that he is a member of a civilian component of a visiting force of that country; and

(c) that the passport contains a note of recognition of that entry by or on behalf of the Secretary of State which has not been cancelled and as respects, which no notification in writing has been given by or on behalf of the Secretary of State to the appropriate authority of the sending country stating that the recognition is withdrawn.

(2) The reference in paragraph (c) of the last foregoing subsection to a note of recognition of an entry in a passport is a reference to any mark or indication made in the passport by or on behalf of the Secretary of State signifying that the entry has been noted and approved.

(3) For the purposes of this section the following provisions shall have effect in any proceedings in any United Kingdom court, that is to say—

(a) a document purporting to be a passport issued by or on behalf of a Government and to be so issued in respect of a person bearing the name in which a person is referred to in the proceedings (whether as a party thereto or otherwise) shall, unless the contrary is proved, be deemed to have been issued by that Government and to relate to the person so referred to:

(b) an entry in a passport containing such a statement as is mentioned in paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of this section and purporting to be made by or on behalf of the appropriate authority of the sending country shall, unless the contrary is proved, be deemed to have been so made; and

(c) a mark or indication in a passport purporting to be made by or on behalf of the Secretary of State shall, unless the contrary is proved, be deemed to have been so made.

(4) In this section the expression " passport" includes any document which, in accordance with the United Kingdom law for the time being in force, would be treated as the equivalent of a passport in the case of a person entering the United Kingdom, being a national of the country by whose Government the document is issued.