Publications and Press Releases

4 December 2020

The Next Generation Smart Identity Card System (SMARTICS-2) introduced by the Hong Kong Immigration Department (ImmD) has won the Smart Business Grand Award and the Smart Business (Solution for Business and Public Sector Enterprise) Gold Award at the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2020. The award presentation ceremonies were held on October 28 and today (December 4) respectively, and the results have been published on the official website (www.hkictawards.hk/index_en.php) and Facebook page of the Hong Kong ICT Awards (www.facebook.com/hkictawards/).

Established in 2006, the Hong Kong ICT Awards, steered by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and organised by Hong Kong ICT industry associations and professional bodies, aim at building a locally espoused and internationally acclaimed brand of ICT awards. It also aims at recognising outstanding information and communications technology (ICT) inventions and applications, thereby encouraging innovation and excellence among ICT talent in their constant pursuit of better solutions to meet social needs.

The ImmD introduced SMARTICS-2 in November 2018 and rolled out the "Territory-wide Identity Card Replacement Exercise" in December 2018. By making good use of information technology at every point of contact with residents, from appointment booking to registration and collection of Hong Kong identity cards (HKICs), SMARTICS-2 offers a completely new public service experience to all Hong Kong residents. In addition, by incorporating more state-of-the-art security features and a sophisticated design, the new HKIC is produced under strict control with a view to safeguarding personal data privacy and effectively deterring forgery, thus giving local residents and international communities more confidence in the document.

With the use of the newly launched function of the mobile application, residents only need to take a few simple steps to make appointments and fill in application forms in advance for their identity card replacement. Residents can also easily and efficiently complete the HKIC replacement process by using the Self-service Registration Kiosks and the Self-service Collection Kiosks. To cater to the needs of the elderly and persons with disabilities residing in over 1 000 residential care homes (RCHs) throughout Hong Kong, the ImmD has also made use of a secure and reliable mobile registration system to proceed to these RCHs enabling them to enjoy the one-stop identity card replacement and delivery services at the RCHs.

The ImmD extends its gratitude to the organiser for presenting the two awards to SMARTICS-2 in recognition of the ImmD's contribution and efforts in providing quality public services through utilising information technology. The ImmD will continue to strive for excellence, keep abreast with the times, and make use of information technology to deliver exemplary services to Hong Kong residents.