5 April 2020
To reduce the risk of the spread of the virus with an environment crowded with applicants, the Immigration Department (ImmD) will implement from tomorrow (April 6) the following crowd management and related measures at its offices.
ImmD appeals to applicants who are not required to visit its offices in-person for applications, they should submit their applications by post, drop-in, online or mobile application. For those who are required to visit its offices for applications, they should make appointment bookings in advance by phone or electronic means to avoid gathering of crowds at the offices. From April 6, ImmD will distribute daily quotas tags to applicants at the Wan Chai Headquarters and other branch offices, applicants are required to attend the offices at a scheduled period specified on the quotas tags. Outside of the scheduled periods, applicants will not be allowed to remain within the office premises to avoid crowded situation. ImmD will deploy adequate manpower according to the actual circumstances with a view to complete all scheduled applications with quotas tags within the same day. ImmD said the quotas are sufficient, therefore there is not a need to queue up too early, particularly overnight, for applications. In addition, employers of foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) should encourage FDHs to submit their applications by post, drop-in or online to avoid the unnecessary risk of the spread of the virus caused by long waiting time at the offices.
Furthermore, ImmD also said that its East Kowloon, Sha Tin and Fo Tan branch offices will resume services from April 6 alongside with the West Kowloon and Yuen Long branch offices, providing emergency and limited public services including applications of extension of stay for FDHs (contract renewal with the same employer) and visitors (excluding Mainland visitors).
Detailed services arrangements of ImmD and its offices from tomorrow (April 6) are tabulated as follows:
| Types of Services | Sections/Offices | Addresses | Services Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel Documents | Travel Documents and Nationality (Application) Section and Travel Documents (Issue) Section | 4/F, Immigration Tower, Wan Chai | Urgent application and collection of Hong Kong travel documents only. (Those who have successfully applied and chose to collect their Hong Kong travel documents at the Hong Kong Island Travel Documents Issuing Office, may call 2852 3045 during working hours for enquiries.) |
| East Kowloon Branch Office | Level 2, Sceneway Plaza, Lam Tin | ||
| West Kowloon Branch Office | G/F, 28 Kimberley Street, Tsim Sha Tsui | ||
| Sha Tin Branch Office | 3/F, Sha Tin Government Offices | ||
| Fo Tan Branch Office | 4/F, Jubilee Square, Fo Tan | ||
| Yuen Long Branch Office | 1/F, Yuen Long Government Offices | ||
| Identity Cards | Hong Kong Registration of Persons Office | 8/F, Immigration Tower, Wan Chai | Replacement of identity cards and first registration of identity cards for new arrivals to Hong Kong only. (Identity card application/replacement service for those aged 11 and 18, and other identity card-related services are temporarily suspended.) (For enquiries regarding identity cards, please call 3521 6565 during working hours.) |
| Kowloon Registration of Persons Office | 3/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices | ||
| Fo Tan Registration of Persons Office | 4/F, Jubilee Square, Fo Tan | ||
| Yuen Long Registration of Persons Office | 1/F, Yuen Long Government Offices | ||
| Visa and Extension of Stay | Foreign Domestic Helpers Section | 3/F, Immigration Tower, Wan Chai | All existing services. |
| Extension Section | 5/F, Immigration Tower, Wan Chai | ||
| Quality Migrants and Mainland Residents Section | 6/F, Immigration Tower, Wan Chai | Application for extension of stay only. | |
| Other Visas and Permits Section | 7/F, Immigration Tower, Wan Chai | ||
| East Kowloon Branch Office | Level 2, Sceneway Plaza, Lam Tin | Application for extension of stay for Hong Kong residents (excluding Mainland residents admitted to Hong Kong through various admission schemes), foreign domestic helpers (contract renewal with the same employer) and visitors (excluding Mainland visitors) with appointment booking or daily quotas tags only. | |
| West Kowloon Branch Office | G/F, 28 Kimberley Street, Tsim Sha Tsui | ||
| Sha Tin Branch Office | 3/F, Sha Tin Government Offices | ||
| Fo Tan Branch Office | 4/F, Jubilee Square, Fo Tan | ||
| Yuen Long Branch Office | 1/F, Yuen Long Government Offices | ||
| Right of Abode | Right of Abode Section | 25/F, Immigration Tower, Wan Chai | All existing services. |
| Marriage Registration | All Marriage Registries |
|
Giving a Notice of Intended Marriage and conducting marriage ceremonies at Marriage Registries only. |
| Births Registration | The Births and Deaths General Register Office | 3/F, Low Block, Queensway Government Offices | Birth registration only. (For those who have made appointments at other Birth Registries, the ImmD will contact them for further arrangements.) |
| Kowloon Births Registry | LG/F, 28 Kimberley Street, Tsim Sha Tsui | ||
| Deaths Registration | The Births and Deaths General Register Office | 3/F, Low Block, Queensway Government Offices | Registration of death only. |
| Hong Kong Island Deaths Registry | 18/F, Wu Chung House, Wan Chai | ||
| Kowloon Deaths Registry | 1/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices |
The above-mentioned offices will provide services during normal opening hours. For detailed opening hours of individual offices, please refer to the ImmD's official website or mobile application. Meanwhile, other ImmD offices, including all Smart Identity Card Replacement Centres, and other public services will be temporarily closed and suspended.
In addition, according to the existing arrangements by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, except for the Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and Shenzhen Bay Control Points, passenger immigration clearance services in other immigration control points will remain suspended until further notice. Besides, the operating hours of the passenger clearance services at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and Shenzhen Bay Control Points are adjusted as follows until further notice:
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Control Point:
• Operating hours of the Passenger Clearance Building (i.e. for passengers crossing the boundary by cross-boundary coaches and shuttle buses) are adjusted to 10:00 am to 8:00 pm daily; and
• Operating hours of the clearance for private cars are adjusted to 6:00 am to 10:00 pm daily while the operating hours for cargo clearance will remain operating 24 hours daily.
Shenzhen Bay Control Point:
• Operating hours of all passenger clearance services are adjusted to 10:00 am to 8:00 pm daily while the operating hours for cargo clearance will remain unchanged (i.e. from 6:30 am to midnight daily).
The hotline of the Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit on (852) 1868 will continue to operate as normal to provide practicable assistance for Hong Kong residents in distress outside Hong Kong.
Any changes to the above arrangements will be announced in due course. Those who have made appointments for other immigration services may proceed to the respective offices afterwards for relevant applications without the need for making new appointments.
For enquiries, please contact the ImmD by calling the enquiry hotline at 2824 6111 or by email to enquiry@immd.gov.hk.