Hong Kong Immigration Latest News

More Relaxing Policy Of Covid Is In Place In Hong Kong Now!

September 26, 2022

HK International Airport

Hong Kong cuts hotel quarantine for overseas travelers to 3 days, plus 4 days of home medical surveillance starting August 12, 2022

August 09, 2022

Hong Kong is easing COVID-19 entry rules for international arrivals from Friday, requiring them to remain in a hotel for three days before undergoing four days of home medical surveillance that will allow limited movement into areas where vaccine pass checks are not mandatory.

The long-awaited cut from seven days of mandatory quarantine in a designated hotel was announced at the same time as the launch of a mainland China-style, two-colour health code, following a high-level meeting of top officials last Wednesday.

HK International Airport

Current rules require travellers to spend a week in quarantine at a designated hotel of their choice.

Under the revised scheme, overseas travellers have to complete three days of quarantine in hotels, and serve the remainder of their isolation at home or in a hotel. However, they will be allowed to leave their home or hotel in the last four days but not to places that require the Leave Home Safe app, which residents use to show their vaccination status for entry to most public premises, such as restaurants and bars.

They are also banned from entering elderly homes, schools, homes for disabled people, and designated medical venues, as well as from participating in any mask-off activities.

If travellers test negative daily through rapid kits during the four days, they can take public transport, attend work and go to shopping centers.

Hong Kong imposed strict border controls to stem the spread of Covid. But thousands left the Chinese city as restrictive measures weighed on resdents while most of the rest of the world opened up.

Source: SCMP

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Hong Kong Opens it's Boarders to Travelers / Non-Residents & Foreigners in May as Government Ease Covid Rules

April 22, 2022

Hong Kong Opens it's Boarders to Travelers / Non-Residents & Foreigners starting next month, a sign the financial hub is taking some steps to ease up on the world’s strictest pandemic travel rules.

Under the new rules, travelers will take a rapid Covid test at the airport, and those who are negative can head to a designated quarantine hotel for seven days.

Hong Kong is also easing rules for halting a flight route, saying a suspension will come into effect if five passengers test positive on arrival, up from the previous three. The government said that it was aware of opinions that the old approach had been “too harsh, leading to suspensions of different routes and easily disrupting the itineraries of people coming back to Hong Kong.”

HK International Airport

Airlines and travelers have been frustrated by the flight suspension rules, which could lead to any route getting halted. More than 10 routes are now suspended, including ones flown by Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., Emirates and Qatar Airways. Some carriers, including British Airways Plc and Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd., aren’t taking bookings for flights to the former British colony until later in the year.

The ban on non-residents has been in place since March 2020, though it was briefly lifted for travelers from certain places. Decisions on wider easing will likely be left to Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s successor John Lee when he takes over in July after an uncontested election, a person familiar with the plan told Bloomberg News.

Hong Kong’s strict travel rules stand in stark contrast other places around the world, which have decided to live with Covid-19. That includes Singapore, which on Friday scrapped all testings for incoming vaccinated visitors and limits on gathering sizes.

Other moves in Singapore, effective Tuesday, include allowing all workers to return to the workplace and doing away with checking people’s vaccination statuses at most places, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health.

Source: (Hong Kong Border Reopens, Allowing Non-Resident Arrivals From May - Bloomberg)

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Boarding and Quarantine Requirements for Inbound Travellers Entering Hong Kong (Updated on 17 Aug 2021)



Group A (High-risk) Brazil, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa and the United Kingdom

Effective from 0.00am on 20 August 2021: Bangladesh, Cambodia, France, Greece, Iran, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America

Persons applicable: Hong Kong residents who have stayed in Group A specified place(s) during the relevant period (the day of boarding for/arrival at Hong Kong or during the 21 days before that day) and who have been fully vaccinated and hold recognised vaccination record.

Boarding requirement: Present recognised vaccination record; Negative result proof of a PCR-based nucleic acid test for COVID-19 within 72 hours; and confirmation of room reservation in a DQH for not less than 21 nights.

Quarantine requirement: Undergo compulsory quarantine for 21 days in a designated quarantine hotel; Undergo 4 tests during compulsory quarantine; Self-monitoring in the subsequent 7 days; Compulsory testing on the 26th day of arrival at Hong Kong at any Community Testing Centre (CTC).

Group B (Medium Risk) All places outside China which are not Group A or Group C specified places

Effective from 0.00am on 20 August 2021: Australia

Persons applicable: Travellers who have stayed in Group B specified place(s) on the day of boarding for/arrival in Hong Kong or during the 14 days before that day.

Boarding requirement (for visitors who have not been fully vaccinated): Negative result proof of a PCR-based nucleic acid test for COVID-19 within 72 hours; and confirmation of room reservation in a DQH for not less than 21 nights.

Boarding requirement (for visitors who have been fully vaccinated): Negative result proof of a PCR-based nucleic acid test for COVID-19 within 72 hours; Confirmation of room reservation in a DQH for not less than 14 nights; and vaccination record.

Boarding requirement (for visitors who have been fully vaccinated with positive serology antibody test result conducted by a laboratory recognised by the HKSAR Government): Negative result proof of a PCR-based nucleic acid test for COVID-19 within 72 hours; Confirmation of room reservation in a DQH for not less than 7 nights;
Vaccination record; and Present positive result proof of a recognised serology antibody test conducted within the past 91 days (i.e. 13 weeks) by a laboratory recognised by the HKSAR Government.

Quarantine requirement (for visitors who have not been fully vaccinated): Undergo compulsory quarantine for 21 days in a designated quarantine hotel; and Undergo 4 tests during compulsory quarantine.

Quarantine requirement (for visitors who have been fully vaccinated): Undergo compulsory quarantine for 14 days in a designated quarantine hotel; Undergo 3 tests during compulsory quarantine; Self-monitoring in the subsequent 7 days; and Compulsory testing on the 16th and 19th days of arrival at Hong Kong.

Quarantine requirement (for visitors who have been fully vaccinated with positive serology antibody test result conducted by a laboratory recognised by the HKSAR Government): Undergo compulsory quarantine for 7 days in a designated quarantine hotel; Undergo 2 tests during compulsory quarantine; Self-monitoring in the subsequent 7 days; and Compulsory testing on the 9th, 12th, 16th and 19th days of arrival at Hong Kong.

Group C (Low Risk) New Zealand

Effective until 19 August 2021: Australia

Persons applicable: Hong Kong residents and non-Hong Kong residents who have only stayed in Group C specified place(s), Mainland or Macao during the relevant period (the day of boarding for/arrival at Hong Kong or during the 14 days before that day).

Boarding requirement (for visitors who have not been fully vaccinated): Negative result proof of a PCR-based nucleic acid test for COVID-19 within 72 hours; and Confirmation of room reservation in a DQH for not less than 14 nights.

Boarding requirement (for visitors who have been fully vaccinated): Negative result proof of a PCR-based nucleic acid test for COVID-19 within 72 hours; Confirmation of room reservation in a DQH for not less than 7 nights; and Vaccination record.

Quarantine requirement (for visitors who have not been fully vaccinated): Undergo compulsory quarantine for 14 days in a designated quarantine hotel; Undergo 3 tests during compulsory quarantine; Self-monitoring in the subsequent 7 days; and Compulsory testing on the 16th and 19th days of arrival at Hong Kong.

Quarantine requirement (for visitors who have been fully vaccinated): Undergo compulsory quarantine for 7 days in a designated quarantine hotel; Undergo 2 tests during compulsory quarantine; Self-monitoring in the subsequent 7 days; and Compulsory testing on the 9th, 12th, 16th and 19th days of arrival at Hong Kong.



Boarding and Quarantine Requirements for Inbound Travellers Entering Hong Kong (Updated)

23 June 2021

Group A1 (Extremely high-risk): Brazil, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa, Indonesia

Persons applicable: Hong Kong residents who have stayed in Group A1 specified place(s) during the relevant period (the day of boarding for/arrival at Hong Kong or during the 21 days before that day).

Boarding requirement: Have not stayed in the relevant specified places for more than two hours during the relevant period; Present a negative result proof of a nucleic acid test for COVID-19 conducted within 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure of the aircraft (see Notes below); Present confirmation in English or Chinese of room reservation in a designated quarantine hotel in Hong Kong for not less than 21 nights starting on the day of the arrival of the relevant traveller in Hong Kong.

Quarantine requirement: Undergo compulsory quarantine for 21 days in a designated quarantine hotel; Undergo 4 tests during compulsory quarantine; Self-monitoring in the subsequent 7 days; Compulsory testing on the 26th day of arrival at Hong Kong at any Community Testing Centre (CTC).

Group A2 (Very high-risk): Ireland, the United Kingdom

Persons applicable: Hong Kong residents who have stayed in Group A2 specified place(s) during the relevant period (the day of boarding for/arrival at Hong Kong or during the 21 days before that day)

Boarding requirement: Present a negative result proof of a nucleic acid test for COVID-19 conducted within 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure of the aircraft (see Notes below); Present confirmation in English or Chinese of room reservation in a designated quarantine hotel in Hong Kong for not less than 21 nights starting on the day of the arrival of the relevant traveller in Hong Kong.

Quarantine requirement: Undergo compulsory quarantine for 21 days in a designated quarantine hotel; Undergo 4 tests during compulsory quarantine; Self-monitoring in the subsequent 7 days; Compulsory testing on the 26th day of arrival at Hong Kong at any Community Testing Centre (CTC).

Group B (High-risk): Argentina, Bangladesh, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United States of America, Vietnam, Colombia, Korea

Persons applicable: Hong Kong residents who have stayed in Group B specified place(s) during the relevant period (the day of boarding for/arrival at Hong Kong or during the 14 days before that day).

Boarding requirement (for visitors who have not been fully vaccinated): Present a negative result proof of a nucleic acid test for COVID-19 conducted within 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure of the aircraft (see Notes below); Present confirmation in English or Chinese of room reservation in a designated quarantine hotel in Hong Kong for not less than 21 nights starting on the day of the arrival of the relevant traveller in Hong Kong.

Boarding requirement (for visitors who have been fully vaccinated): Present a vaccination record;Present a negative result proof of a nucleic acid test for COVID-19 conducted within 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure of the aircraft (see Notes below);
Present confirmation in English or Chinese of room reservation in a designated quarantine hotel in Hong Kong for not less than 14 nights starting on the day of the arrival of the relevant traveller in Hong Kong.

Quarantine requirement (for visitors who have not been fully vaccinated): Undergo compulsory quarantine for 21 days in a designated quarantine hotel; Undergo 4 tests during compulsory quarantine.

Quarantine requirement (for visitors who have been fully vaccinated): Undergo compulsory quarantine for 14 days in a designated quarantine hotel; Undergo 3 tests during compulsory quarantine; Self-monitoring in the subsequent 7 days; Compulsory testing on the 16th and 19th days of arrival at Hong Kong.

Group C (Medium-risk): All places except China which are not Group A, Group B or Group D specified places (China means the Mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan)

Persons applicable: Hong Kong residents who have stayed in Group C specified place(s) during the relevant period (the day of boarding for/arrival at Hong Kong or during the 14 days before that day).

Boarding requirement (for visitors who have not been fully vaccinated): Present confirmation in English or Chinese of room reservation in a designated quarantine hotel in Hong Kong for not less than 21 nights starting on the day of the arrival of the relevant traveller in Hong Kong.

Boarding requirement (for visitors who have been fully vaccinated): Present a vaccination record; Present confirmation in English or Chinese of room reservation in a designated quarantine hotel in Hong Kong for not less than 14 nights starting on the day of the arrival of the relevant traveller in Hong Kong.

Quarantine requirement (for visitors who have not been fully vaccinated): Undergo compulsory quarantine for 21 days in a designated quarantine hotel; Undergo 4 tests during compulsory quarantine.

Quarantine requirement (for visitors who have been fully vaccinated): Undergo compulsory quarantine for 14 days in a designated quarantine hotel; Undergo 3 tests during compulsory quarantine; Self-monitoring in the subsequent 7 days; Compulsory testing on the 16th and 19th days of arrival at Hong Kong.

Group D (Low-risk): Australia, New Zealand

Persons applicable: Hong Kong residents and non-Hong Kong residents who have only stayed in Group D specified place(s), Mainland or Macao during the relevant period (the day of boarding for/arrival at Hong Kong or during the 14 days before that day).

Boarding requirement (for visitors who have not been fully vaccinated): Present confirmation in English or Chinese of room reservation in a designated quarantine hotel in Hong Kong for not less than 14 nights starting on the day of the arrival of the relevant traveller in Hong Kong.

Boarding requirement (for visitors who have been fully vaccinated): Present a vaccination record; Present confirmation in English or Chinese of room reservation in a designated quarantine hotel in Hong Kong for not less than 7 nights starting on the day of the arrival of the relevant traveller in Hong Kong.

Quarantine requirement (for visitors who have not been fully vaccinated): Undergo compulsory quarantine for 14 days in a designated quarantine hotel; Undergo 3 tests during compulsory quarantine; Self-monitoring in the subsequent 7 days; Compulsory testing on the 16th and 19th days of arrival at Hong Kong.

Quarantine requirement (for visitors who have been fully vaccinated): Undergo compulsory quarantine for 7 days in a designated quarantine hotel; Undergo 2 tests during compulsory quarantine; Self-monitoring in the subsequent 7 days; Compulsory testing on the 12th days of arrival at Hong Kong.



Boarding and Quarantine Requirements for Inbound Travellers Entering Hong Kong

15 April 2021

Group A (Extremely high-risk): Brazil, Ireland, South Africa and the United Kingdom

Persons applicable: Hong Kong residents who have stayed in Group A specified place(s) during the relevant period (the day of boarding for/arrival at Hong Kong or during the 21 days before that day).

Boarding requirement: Have not stayed in a Group A specified place for more than two hours during the relevant period; Present a negative result proof of a nucleic acid test for COVID-19 conducted within 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure of the aircraft (see Notes below); and Present confirmation in English or Chinese of room reservation in a designated quarantine hotel in Hong Kong for not less than 21 nights starting on the day of the arrival of the relevant traveller in Hong Kong.

Quarantine requirement: Undergo compulsory quarantine for 21 days in a designated quarantine hotel.

Group B (High-risk): Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, Ecuador, Egypt (to be effective on 20 April 2021), Ethiopia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Romania, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America

Persons applicable: Hong Kong residents who have stayed in Group B specified place(s) during the relevant period (the day of boarding for/arrival at Hong Kong or during the 21 days before that day).

Boarding requirement: Present a negative result proof of a nucleic acid test for COVID-19 conducted within 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure of the aircraft (see Notes below); and Present confirmation in English or Chinese of room reservation in a designated quarantine hotel in Hong Kong for not less than 21 nights starting on the day of the arrival of the relevant traveller in Hong Kong.

Quarantine requirement: Undergo compulsory quarantine for 21 days in a designated quarantine hotel.

Group C (Medium-risk): All places except China which are not Group A, Group B or Group D specified places (China means the Mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan)

Persons applicable: Hong Kong residents who have stayed in Group C specified place(s) during the relevant period (the day of boarding for/arrival at Hong Kong or during the 21 days before that day).

Boarding requirement: Present confirmation in English or Chinese of room reservation in a designated quarantine hotel in Hong Kong for not less than 21 nights starting on the day of the arrival of the relevant traveller in Hong Kong.

Quarantine requirement: Undergo compulsory quarantine for 21 days in a designated quarantine hotel.

Group D (Low-risk): Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore

Persons applicable: Hong Kong residents and non-Hong Kong residents who have only stayed in Group D specified place(s) and/or China during the relevant period (the day of boarding for/arrival at Hong Kong or during the 21 days before that day).

Boarding requirement: Present confirmation of room reservation for 14 nights in a designated quarantine hotel.

Quarantine requirement: Undergo compulsory quarantine for 14 days in a designated quarantine hotel. Self-monitoring in the subsequent 7 days. Compulsory testing on the 19th day of arrival at Hong Kong.



Solution for Hong Kong non permanent residents currently in a foreign country with expired or expiring HK visas but cannot return to Hong Kong due to the Coronavirus Pandemic

5 January 2021

Under normal circumstances, persons who are permitted to come to Hong Kong under the immigration policy/plan of the Hong Kong Immigration Department should apply for an extension of stay within 4 weeks before the expiration/expiry of their stay. The applicant must be in Hong Kong on the day of submission of the application and the day of receiving the visa label.

The Hong Kong Immigration Department announced that if a person (who is a Hong Kong non permanent resident) is outside Hong Kong due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the period of stay of his/her Hong Kong visa is about to expire or has expired, Hong Kong non permanent residents can apply for an extension of stay to return to Hong Kong.

Due to the recent pandemic, people who are outside Hong Kong and their permitted stay in Hong Kong is to expire within 4 weeks, or those who have expired but not more than 12 months, and if they are unable to return to Hong Kong to submit an extension of stay application before their visa expires, they may submit the completed application form to the HK Immigration Department in accordance with their immigration policy/plan. They must attach alongside the supporting documents required for the application of extension of stay.

At the same time, a letter must be provided to explain the reasons for failing to return to Hong Kong in time alongside the application of the extension of stay.

Once the application is approved, the applicant will be issued an entry visa label. The applicant can return to Hong Kong within the validity period stated on the label.

This immigration policy does not apply to foreign domestic helpers or imported workers.



Quarantine Procedures when Entering through Hong Kong International Airport

Upon arrival at the HK International Airport, all inbound travelers (entering HK) are required to submit the health declaration result to the staffs of the Department of Health.

Inbound travellers can fill in and submit the Health & Quarantine Information Declaration form on mobile phones or mobile devices before boarding their flights.

After the submission of the online form, inbound travelers should download the result by clicking Save QR Code button, or capture the screen. This QR code is valid for the next 48 hours.

Inbounder travellers should wear a mask on board, and are required to undergo temperature screening upon arriving in Hong Kong.

Inbound travellers arriving in Hong Kong should approach the staffs of the Department of Health of HK immediately when they believe they may be developing respiratory symptoms.

Depending on the situation of the inbound travelers or passengers at the Hong Kong International Airport (except exempted persons), the Department of Health may issue quarantine orders and/or arrangements. A risk-based approach may be adopted to distribute passengers to appropriate quarantine premises (including home, hotels or other premises).

Persons (or inbound travelers) under compulsory quarantine must stay inside their corresponding quarantine premises (e.g. home and hotel room) at all times. Persons during the quarantine period must monitor their health progress by checking their body temperature twice daily and recording their health condition.



Shenzhen Bay and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Control Points (Latest Immigration News Updates on 24 July 2020)

Shenzhen Bay Control Point:

The operating hours for all passenger clearance services have been changed to 10am to 8pm daily.

The operating hours for cargo clearance remains unchanged (i.e. from 6.30 am to midnight daily).

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Control Point:

The operating hours of the Passenger Clearance Building have been changed to 10am to 8pm daily. This applies to all passengers crossing the boundary by cross-boundary coaches and shuttle buses.

The operating hours of the clearance for private cars/vehicles have been changed to 6am to 10pm daily.

The operating hours for cargo clearance remains operational for 24 hours daily.



Hong Kong Government Work Arrangement from Home Extends

The Hong Kong Government today (23 July 2020) announces that all government employees will continue to work from home until 2 August 2020. The exceptions are those HK government employees who are to provide emergency services and essential public services.

This is necessary because of the recent local epidemic situation which has become severe. The objective is to significantly reduce the flow of people and social contact in order to stop COVID-19 from further spreading in the HK local communities.

This reduction in public services may cause inconvenience to the public. The government hopes that the public will understand.

The HK government strongly advises Hong Kong employers of private companies to let their staffs/employees to work from home whenever possible, and this will definitely reduce the flow of people and social contact.

Let's work together to prevent further spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Hong Kong.



Updates on 13 July 2020

A male Senior Immigration Assistant who stationed at Control Support Section of the Hong Kong Immigration Department has been tested positive for COVID-19 (Coronavirus).

The officer is mainly responsible for providing supporting services at the 14th floor and 16th floor of the Wan Chai Immigration Tower. Both floors are not public floors and are not open to the public.

The officer last performed duties on July 10 and sought medical treatment at clinic, and was subsequently notified of the tested positive result.

The officer's workplace has immediately been arranged for thorough cleansing and to be fully sterilised with the guidelines of the CHP including all public facilities.

The officer has no recent travel history, and has been wearing mask when performing duties at work. The body temperature of this officer was normal, while he has followed relevant disease prevention measures at work.

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) currently is investigating the cause of his infection, and who else he has been in close contact with.




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