In general, the services in Offices (including self-service kiosks at Immigration Headquarters) will be resumed in 2 hours after the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8, “extreme condition” or the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal is cancelled.
In case the above warning signal is cancelled within 2 hours before the close of business, the services in Offices (including self-service kiosks at Immigration Headquarters) will remain suspended for that day.
If the service resumption is anticipated to fall within the lunch break (if applicable) of Immigration Branch Offices, Registration of Persons Offices and Births, Deaths and Marriage Registries, the services will be resumed at 2:00 p.m.
If the services of the relevant office are resumed after the cancellation of the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8, “extreme condition” or the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal, you may approach the relevant office for alternative arrangements on any subsequent working days during service hours without the need to make a new appointment. Please bring along the original appointment letter (via internet appointment), if available, or provide the reference code (via telephone appointment) for our follow-up actions. Subject to the situation of the day, the waiting time for service may be longer. To avoid overcrowding, you need not rush to the relevant office for service on the next working day after the warning signal was cancelled. Please check the latest Government press release for details.
Please access to the following link for the service hours and scope of services provided at respective Registration of Persons (ROP) Offices.
The service hours and scope of services provided at respective ROP Offices
If the services of the Right of Abode Section are resumed on the same day of your appointment after the cancellation of the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8, “extreme condition” or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal, you may approach the Section for document verification purposes.
You may also make an alternative appointment through the website www.gov.hk/vepic or the 24-hour telephone appointment booking hotline 2598 0888.
You should contact your case officer during office hours for another appointment.
The collection period will last for 1 month. You may collect your Hong Kong identity card during office hours within the collection period. If today is the last day of the collection period, you may approach the office concerned to collect your identity card on the following working day after the cancellation of the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8, “extreme condition” or the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal.
The collection period will last for 1 month. You may collect your HKSAR passport or Document of Identity for Visa Purposes during office hours within the collection period. If today is the last day of the collection period, you may approach the office concerned to collect your document on the following working day after the cancellation of the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8, “extreme condition” or the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal.
As a normal rule, our services will be resumed in 2 hours after the cancellation of the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8, “extreme condition”, or the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal. If the service resumption is anticipated to fall within the lunch break (if applicable) of Marriage Registries, the services will resume at 2:00 p.m.
If an appointment for giving of notice of intended marriage has been made earlier, please attend the assigned marriage registry when the services are resumed.
If the above warning signal is cancelled within 2 hours before the closing of the registries, services will remain suspended for that day. The staff of the concerned marriage registry will contact you during office hours on the next working day for new arrangement. If you do not receive any phone call from us, you may contact the relevant registry during office hours for enquiry.
If the services of the Marriage Registry are resumed, you or your fiancé/fiancée should contact the Marriage Registry concerned during normal office hours for rescheduling the date of marriage solemnisation.
For the marriage ceremony scheduled at City Hall Marriage Registry or Cotton Tree Drive Marriage Registry, you should approach our Marriage Registration and Records Office at Low Block of Queensway Government Offices to make the alternative booking.
Please note that if a marriage does not take place within 3 months from the date of giving of the “notice of intended marriage”, another notice should be given for a fresh appointment for marriage celebration. Please refer to Q10 for the marriage ceremony falling on the last day of the 3-month period from the date of giving of the “notice of intended marriage”.
If the marriage services are suspended due to the issue of Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 (or higher), “extreme condition” or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal, marriages to be celebrated on the last day of the 3-month period will be postponed to the next working day, e.g. if the last day falls on 29 June 2019 (Saturday), the next working day will be 2 July 2019 (Tuesday) as 30 June 2019 (Sunday) and 1 July 2019 (Public holiday) are not counted as working days. Please note that if the marriage does not take place within the next working day, another notice will be required before the parties can contract a marriage.
You or your fiancé/fiancée should contact the Marriage Registry concerned during normal office hours after the cancellation of the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8, “extreme condition” or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal to check if another “notice of intended marriage” should be given for a fresh appointment for marriage celebration. For extension of stay applications, please refer to Q19.
The CCM must have a Certificate of Registrar of Marriage before solemnisation of a marriage. If you intend to have your marriage celebrated by a CCM, you should approach the Marriage Registry concerned, during normal office hours after the cancellation of the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8, “extreme condition” or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal, for enquiry of the formalities.
The charge for marriage solemnisation on Saturday afternoons (not being a public holiday) or Sundays is $1,935.
If the births registration services are suspended on the last day of the 42-day period due to the issue of Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 (or higher), “extreme condition” or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal, the 42-day period should include the next working day, e.g. if the last day falls on 29 June 2019 (Saturday), the next working day will be 2 July 2019 (Tuesday) as 30 June 2019 (Sunday) and 1 July 2019 (Public holiday) are not counted as working days.
No fee is required for registration if the birth is registered within 42 days from birth. However, the fee for each birth certificate is $140.
There is no difference between birth registrations within or beyond 42 days except that there will be a registration fee of $140 charged for registration beyond 42 days but within one year of the birth.
As a normal rule, our services will be resumed in 2 hours after the cancellation of the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8, “extreme condition”, or the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal. If the service resumption is anticipated to fall within the lunch break (if applicable) of Deaths Registries, the services will be resumed at 2:00 p.m.
If the above warning signal is cancelled within 2 hours before the close of business, services will remain suspended for that day. The same applies to offices open on Sundays or Public holidays in case the warning signals are issued.
The Births and Deaths General Register Office at Low Block of Queensway Government Offices will open from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sundays and Public holidays, while the Hong Kong Island Deaths Registry and the Kowloon Deaths Registry are closed on these days.
You may call the Section concerned on the next working day for arranging another appointment for interview or approach the Section concerned direct to follow up the relevant visa applications.
You may submit your extension of stay application if you are eligible to use the online service. For details of the online service, please click here. Otherwise, you should approach the Section concerned on the next working day to apply for extension of stay.
The Immigration Department has been lobbying to increase the number of countries or territories offering visa-free travel or visa-on-arrival for your convenience. The list of countries and territories currently offering visa-free access or visa-on-arrival is available through the following link.
Visa-free access or visa-on-arrival for HKSAR Passport
https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/service/travel_document/visa_free_access.html
In general, Mainland residents visiting Hong Kong are required to have a valid "Exit-Entry Permit for travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao" with a relevant endorsement and to meet normal immigration requirements before they are permitted entry. For pregnant women who are at an advanced stage of pregnancy, they must also produce a booking confirmation certificate issued by a Hong Kong hospital (but not individual doctors) for admission to the hospital for delivery. If their aim of visit is not to give birth in Hong Kong, they must provide sufficient proof.
Whether a Mainland woman is at an advanced stage of pregnancy is judged by the relevant staff; but to minimize disputes, women who have been pregnant for seven months (or 28 weeks) or above will be deemed to be at such stage. Relevant visitors can bring documentary proof such as doctors' medical examination reports for relevant staff's reference.
At present, the first and foremost objectives of the Government are to ensure that local pregnant women can enjoy proper services to which they are entitled. The new medical care measures, including the booking requirement for obstetric services, apply to all Mainland pregnant women, regardless of whether their husbands are Hong Kong residents or not. Hence, the relevant immigration complementary measures are applicable to those women. For details, please refer to the press release entitled "New Measures on Obstetric Services and Immigration Control Announced" issued by the Hong Kong Government on 16 January 2007 (webpage:
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200701/16/P200701160184.htm ).
