28 August 2020
In light of the announcement by the Government on gradual resumption of public services in a safe and orderly manner, the Immigration Department (ImmD) has reopened its offices at the Immigration Headquarters, Immigration Branch Offices, Smart Identity Card Replacement Centres, Registration of Persons Offices, and Births, Deaths and Marriage Registries from August 24 to provide basic and limited public services to members of the public. The ImmD announced today (August 28) that more public services will resume with effect from August 31 as follows:
| Types of services | Service available |
|---|---|
| Travel documents | All existing services. |
| Identity cards | Replacement of identity cards and first registration of identity cards for new arrivals to Hong Kong only. (Identity card application/replacement services for those aged 11 and 18 and other identity card-related services will remain suspended. For enquiries regarding identity cards, please call 3521 6565 during working hours.) |
| Territory-wide Identity Card Replacement Exercise | Provision of an identity card collection service to those persons who had completed their identity card replacement applications previously with appointment bookings for replacement of identity cards only. (Other applicants are advised to make appointments for replacement of their identity cards if they have not done so before. The ImmD is also planning to revise the designated replacement schedule. Details will be announced later. For enquiries regarding the replacement exercise, please call 3521 6565 during working hours.) |
| Visa and extension of stay | Acceptance of only the following applications by drop-in:
Applicants must provide a local telephone number for contact (preferably a mobile phone number), and the respective offices will contact them for follow-up procedures afterwards. (A longer processing time may be required during special work arrangements for government employees. For enquiries regarding visa and extension of stay applications, please call 3521 1840 during working hours.) |
| Right of abode | All existing services. |
| Births registration | Registration of birth only. |
| Deaths registration | Registration of death only. |
| Marriage registration | Giving a Notice of Intended Marriage and conducting marriage ceremonies at Marriage Registries only. (Please also note the Government's latest requirement on the number of persons allowed in group gatherings.) |
To prevent crowds from gathering, the ImmD appeals to applicants to submit applications through its homepage or its mobile application, by post or by drop-in. As the ImmD only provides basic and limited services, applicants who are required to visit its offices for applications should expect a longer waiting time, they are also advised to make an appointment for the service. In accordance with the latest regulations implemented by the Government, persons entering the premises of the ImmD are required to wear masks..
The above-mentioned offices will provide services during normal opening hours. For detailed opening hours of individual offices, please refer to the ImmD's homepage or mobile application. 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. Meanwhile, other ImmD public services not mentioned above will remain suspended.
In addition, according to the existing arrangements by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, except for the Hong Kong International Airport, Shenzhen Bay and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Control Points, passenger immigration clearance services in other immigration control points will remain suspended until further notice. Moreover, the operating hours of the passenger clearance services at the Shenzhen Bay and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Control Points have been adjusted as follows with effect from April 3 and 5 respectively until further notice. In addition, the Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point has been commissioned on August 26, with cargo clearance facilities opened first for use by cross-boundary goods vehicles. The details are as follows:
Shenzhen Bay Control Point:
• Operating hours of all passenger clearance services have been adjusted to 10am to 8pm daily while the operating hours for cargo clearance will remain unchanged (i.e. from 6.30am to midnight daily).
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Control Point:
• Operating hours of the Passenger Clearance Building (i.e. for passengers crossing the boundary on cross-boundary coaches and shuttle buses) have been adjusted to 10am to 8pm daily; and
• Operating hours of clearance for private cars have been adjusted to 6am to 10pm daily while cargo clearance will remain in operation 24 hours daily.
Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point:
• Operating hours for cargo clearance will be 7am to 10pm daily.
Any changes to the above arrangements will be announced in due course. For enquiries, please contact the ImmD by calling the enquiry hotline on 2824 6111 from 8.45am to 5.15pm, Monday to Friday, or by email to enquiry@immd.gov.hk.