Application of Official Documents

171 countries and territories have granted visa-free access or visa-on-arrival to HKSAR Passport holders. The final consent to enter the countries concerned is, nonetheless, up to the relevant immigration authorities.

Please visit the link below for information on the list of countries granting visa-free access to HKSAR Passport holders:
http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/immigration/traveldoc/hksarpassport/visafreeaccess.htm

If your destination is not among the countries or territories above, you should contact the relevant consulates to ascertain the visa requirements for your visit.

Eligible Hong Kong permanent residents may submit their applications to the Immigration Department (ImmD) in person, by post, drop-in, through the Internet or ImmD mobile application, or through the Immigration Division of the Mainland Offices. Applicants may choose to collect the passports in the Immigration Division of the Mainland Offices.

For application of replacement of passport which has been lost/defaced/is not available or amendment of personal particulars in a passport, the applicant is required to submit the application in person at ImmD or the Immigration Division of the Mainland Offices.

For details, please visit the following website:
https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/service/travel_document/mainlandservice.html

If you have lost or damaged your HKSAR Passport in the Mainland, you should report the loss to the Immigration Department after your return to Hong Kong. You will be required to complete an application form and submit your replacement application in person at any of the Immigration Offices that handle travel document applications.

You can make an appointment through the telephone booking system on (852) 2598 0888 or the Internet
http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/immigration/traveldoc/referbooking.htm

On the other hand, eligible applicants with a valid HKSAR permanent identity card may submit their replacement applications for HKSAR passport in person at Immigration Division of the Office of the Government of the HKSAR in Beijing, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Shanghai, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Chengdu, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Wuhan and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong.

For detailed information on provision of HKSAR passport replacement service in the Mainland, please refer to the following website:
http://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/service/travel_document/mainlandservice.html

If you lose or damage your Hong Kong identity card in the Mainland, you should report the loss or damage to any Registration of Persons Office and apply for a replacement within 14 days of your return to Hong Kong.

An applicant may submit his application in person to any of the Immigration Branch Offices in Hong Kong, except for Travel Documents and Nationality (Application) Section. A child aged under 16 must be accompanied by his parent or legal guardian when submitting his application. If the applicant is an unmarried person aged 16 or 17, he can apply on his own after obtaining the consent of his parent or legal guardian who has signed for his application.

To save your time, you can make an appointment through the Internet or by calling (852) 2598 0888.

Eligible applicants in the Mainland may also submit a replacement application for a Re-entry Permit in person through the Immigration Division of Mainland Offices. The applicant shall authorize a Hong Kong referee to pay the fee and collect the Re-entry Permit at the selected Immigration Branch Office in Hong Kong on his behalf.

For details, please visit the following website:
https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/service/travel_document/mainlandservice_HKSAR_Re-entry_Permit.html

For replacement of Doc/I which has been expired, eligible applicants in the Mainland may submit a replacement application by post directly to the Travel Documents and Nationality (Application) Section or apply in person at the Immigration Division of the Mainland Offices. In both cases, applicants may subsequently choose to collect the Document of Identity for Visa Purposes at the Immigration Division of the Mainland Offices.

For replacement of Doc/I which has been lost, the application must be submitted in person at the Hong Kong Immigration Department or the Immigration Division of the Mainland Offices.

For details, please visit the following website:
https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/service/travel_document/Application_for_HKSAR_Document_of_Identity_for_Visa_Purposes.html#c

You need to use a valid Hong Kong and Macao Residents Entry and Exit Permit (Home Return Permit) to leave the Mainland and a valid travel document to travel abroad.

According to the laws and regulations of the Mainland, for a Hong Kong resident of Chinese nationality, as long as he has not declared to the nationality authority his identity as a foreigner, he can still apply for the Hong Kong and Macao Residents Entry and Exit Permit (Home Return Permit) to the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department through the China Travel Service (Hong Kong) Limited (CTS), irrespective of whether he is holding a foreign passport or travel documents, and enter and exit the Mainland with his Home Return Permit. For details, please refer to CTS's website and make telephone enquiry on (852) 2853 3888.

You should use the Hong Kong and Macao Residents Entry and Exit Permit (Home Return Permit) to enter and exit the Mainland.

Generally, for live births in the Mainland, the medical certificate of birth will be issued by the medical institution where the baby was delivered before the baby is discharged. For details, please contact the relevant medical institutions.

According to existing policies, children born in the Mainland who wish to enter Hong Kong for settlement have to apply for a Certificate of Entitlement from the Hong Kong Immigration Department via offices of the Public Security Bureau in the Mainland.

Eligible persons who live in the Mainland could obtain an application form from the office of the Exit-Entry Administration of the Public Security Bureau where their household registration is kept. After filling out the form truthfully, the application should be submitted to the office of the Public Security Bureau. The office of the Exit-Entry Administration of the Public Security Bureau will verify the relevant information and refer the case to the Hong Kong Immigration Department for verification. After reviewing the application, the Immigration Department will issue a Certificate of Entitlement if the person is eligible for the right of abode. The Certificate will be sent to the office of the Exit-Entry Administration of the Public Security Bureau to be passed on to the applicant.

To ensure that children born to Hong Kong permanent residents in the Mainland who are of Chinese nationality and have the right of abode settle in Hong Kong in a lawful and orderly manner, the One-Way Permit issued by the office of the Exit-Entry Administration of the Public Security Bureau and the Certificate of Entitlement issued by the Hong Kong Immigration Department will be issued at the same time. In practice, the Certificate of Entitlement will be affixed to the One-Way Permit. When the permit holder leaves the Mainland, both documents will have to be produced for inspection by inspection officers at the immigration control points of the Mainland before the permit holder is allowed to cross the border.

For enquiries, please contact the Immigration Division of GDETO at (86 20) 3891 1220 Ext. 608 during office hours (8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, except on Mainland public holidays).

At the time the child is born in the Mainland, if both of his parents are Hong Kong permanent residents and the child has not obtained any travel documents, the parents of the child can make an enquiry in writing via GDETO or directly to the Other Visas and Permits Section of the Hong Kong Immigration Department with regard to the application for documents for the child to come to Hong Kong.

After the enquiry is received, GDETO or the Hong Kong Immigration Department will contact the parents of the child to follow up the case.

For enquiries, please contact the Immigration Division of GDETO at (86 20) 3891 1220 Ext. 608 during office hours (8:30 a.m. to 12:30 noon, 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m Monday to Friday, except on Mainland public holidays).

Under the Laws of Hong Kong, you will have to go through the following procedures to solemnize a marriage in Hong Kong:

Either one of you has to give a Notice of Intended Marriage (the notice) to the Registrar of Marriages (the Registrar) in the prescribed form either directly or through a civil celebrant of marriages.

The Registrar shall exhibit the relevant part of the notice in his office until the issue of a Certificate of Registrar of Marriages or the expiry of the 3-month period.

The Registrar may, at least 15 days after the giving of a notice, issue a Certificate of Registrar of Marriages to enable you to celebrate your marriage within three months from the date of notice giving if all the statutory requirements are met.

A marriage has to take place at a marriage registry by a Registrar; or in a licensed place of worship by a competent minister or at any other place in Hong Kong by a civil celebrant of marriages.

If the marriage does not take place within three months after the giving of the notice, the notice and all proceedings thereupon shall be void. You have to give another notice before getting married.

For information on the registration of a marriage, please click on the following link:
http://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/marriage/Registration_of_a_Marriage.html

Marriage registration in the Mainland is the duty of the home affairs offices of the governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, or the authorities designated by the home affairs offices. For information on the required procedures and documents for marriage registration, please contact the relevant marriage registration authorities in the Mainland.

To apply for a certificate of absence of marriage record, you have to complete an application form and pay the prescribed fee for a search of marriage record.

If the search result shows that you have no marriage record in Hong Kong, you will be issued a certificate of absence of marriage record on payment of the prescribed fee. Otherwise, you will only be issued a letter of marriage record on which the date(s) of your previous marriage(s) will be indicated.

You can send your application in person, through an authorised representative or by post.

For information on the application for a certificate of absence of marriage record, please click on the following link:
http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/immigration/bdmreg/marriage/applyabsence.htm

Mainland residents who wish to visit their relatives or travel in Hong Kong are required to obtain an Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao with relevant endorsements issued by the relevant office of the Public Security Bureau. For information on the application for the Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao and the relevant endorsements, please contact the relevant offices of the Public Security Bureau.

According to Article 22 of the Basic Law, for entry into the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, people from other parts of China must apply for approval. Mainland residents who wish to settle in Hong Kong must apply for the Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao (also known as One-way Permits) from the office of the Exit-Entry Administration of the Public Security Bureau where their household registration is kept. The process and issue of One-way Permits are administered by Public Security Bureau in accordance with Mainland laws, policies and regulations. For details, please contact the office of the Public Security Bureau where your spouse's household registration is kept.

If you are a Hong Kong permanent resident or a Hong Kong resident who is not subject to a limit of stay (i.e. residents with the right to land or on unconditional stay), you can apply for a dependant visa for your foreign spouse to enter Hong Kong for residence. For details on the application of a dependant visa, please refer to the website of the Hong Kong Immigration Department:
https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/visas/residence_as_dependant.html

If a Hong Kong resident and a Mainland resident decide to get divorced voluntarily, the two parties should register for divorce at the marriage registration authority of the place where the Mainland resident ordinarily resides and has a household registration. If one of the parties is petitioning for divorce, the Mainland authorities could conduct mediation or the said party could directly file suit to the People's Court for divorce. For details on the procedures of applying for divorce, please contact the relevant marriage registration authorities in the Mainland.