The Immigration Divisions of the Office of the Government of the HKSAR in Beijing (“BJO”), the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Shanghai (“SHETO”), and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Chengdu (“HKETO”) are where eligible applicants with a valid HKSAR permanent identity card or Acknowledgement of application for a Hong Kong permanent identity card (ROP140/140A) [Acknowledgement (ROP140/140A)] may submit their applications for HKS passports. Holders of Hong Kong passports can travel to 111 countries without a visa, 28 countries with an eVisa that can be readily obtained online, 30 countries with a visa handled at the airport, and 35 countries require traditional paper visa applications to be submitted at embassies.
The application forms must be filled out and submitted by the applicants with the required fees and accompanying documentation.
Requirements for getting a Hong Kong passport
The necessary documents are as follows:
Photograph
3 modern color images with white backgrounds (Photograph requirements).
Supplementary records
- Permanent identity card and acknowledgment (ROP140/140A).
- A current HKSAR passport.
Additional requirements for a person under the age of 18 who is not married:
The following are the required documents:
A valid travel document
A valid travel document, another form of identification, or the identity card of the consenting parent or legal guardian.
Birth certificate
A birth certificate which is not necessary if the applicant was born in Hong Kong, to establish his or her relationship to the consenting parent, or, if appropriate, a court order, which demonstrates that the consenting legal guardian has custody rights over the applicant.
School record
For applicants who still possess a valid Hong Kong permanent identity card, a school record (such as a student handbook including the child’s name, date of birth, and photo validated by a supervisor of the school), or another form of identification with a photograph is necessary.
Countersignature form
A completed form for the Countersignature (ID641) and a photocopy of the countersignatory’s identity document should be submitted in the absence of such a school document or other form of identification.
The applicant must present the application in person to change personal information in a passport or link several passports that have been lost, destroyed, defaced, or are otherwise unavailable for use. The travel papers and nationality (application) section of the immigration department will process the supplied documents after an initial review by the immigration divisions of the mainland offices. The new passports will be delivered to the Immigration Division of the relevant Mainland Office for issuance to applicants after the applications are approved.
Process duration
Normally, it takes 4 to 6 weeks to process a replacement application when all required paperwork, payments, and photos are received. Time spent sending the application and sending the completed passport is not included.
When the new passport is prepared for pickup, the applicant will be notified by the Mainland Office.
Make plans to pick up the passport
If the applicant files the application in person at the mainland office, he or she may pick up the passport in person or may give written permission (Authorisation form) for someone else who is at least 18 to pick it up there. If the applicant does not appear in person when applying, he or she must pick up the passport in person at the mainland office.
If the applicant is under 16, the consenting parent or legal guardian (the person who signed the application form) may pick up the child’s passport in person, or they may give written permission (Authorization Form) for someone else who is at least 18 years old to pick up the child’s passport at the mainland office. The youngster must appear in person at the Mainland Office either when filing the passport application or when picking up the passport.
When picking up the new passport, the old HKSAR passport must be presented for cancellation. If only photocopies of the supporting documents are submitted with the application, the originals must be supplied for verification. The applicant may ask the Immigration department to submit the permanent identity card and the passport to the chosen mainland office for issuance if only the Acknowledgement (ROP140/140A) was provided upon application. The Acknowledgment (ROP140/140A) must be returned for cancellation after collection. The original permanent identity card must be produced for verification when picking up the passport for applicants who did not make such a request.
