Recognition of same-sex unions in the British Overseas Territories recognises foreign same-sex marriages for immigration purposes. Recognition of same-sex unions in the British Overseas Territories Among the fourteen British Overseas Territories, nine – Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Bermuda, the British Antarctic Territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, the Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha and recognise and perform same-sex marriages. In the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, only British military and civilian personnel can enter into same-sex marriages and civil partnerships. The five Caribbean territories have no general recognition of same-sex unions. Three of them specify the right of opposite-sex couples to
British National (Overseas) applicants. Instead, all those who opted for the status were required to make an application for a British National (Overseas) passport at the time of registration, and a BN(O) passport remains today the sole legal document to demonstrate one's BN(O) status. In the first few years, the majority of BDTC in Hong Kong opted not to register for BN(O), so only 15% of the total passport applications in Hong Kong were for the BN(O) passport. In order to avoid peaks in the registration process towards 1 July 1997, the British government, by means of enacting the Hong Kong (British Nationality)