23 February 2012
The Immigration Department announced today (February 23) that the Registration of Outbound Travel Information (ROTI) service will be further enhanced so that registrants may choose to enter their overseas mobile phone number and receive Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) updates and related information by SMS via their registered overseas mobile phone. The enhancement will take place with immediate effect.
"The enhanced function will provide a convenient and cost-effective service for those Hong Kong residents who are staying overseas, without the need to use the roaming services of their mobile phones," an Immigration Department spokesman said.
"The Immigration Department launched the ROTI Service on December 6, 2010 to enable Hong Kong residents to register their itineraries and contact details outside Hong Kong before departure. ROTI registrants may receive updates on OTA information via the 'MyGovHK' platform, email, and depending on the situation, SMS on their mobile phones while travelling abroad. In case of emergency, the Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit of the Immigration Department may make use of the information provided to make urgent contact with the registrants in order to render assistance. Registrants are also advised to check with their overseas mobile service provider to obtain information on the availability and charges for receiving SMS messages sent from Hong Kong."
For more information on ROTI, please visit www.gov.hk/roti or call (852) 183 5500.