Hong Kong visa and entry requirements

A Chinese visa is not a Hong Kong visa

Hong Kong runs its own immigration service, its own border and its own visa policy. This is the fact that catches people out more than any other, and it cuts both ways.

• A visa for mainland China does not admit you to Hong Kong, and entering Hong Kong does not admit you to the mainland.
• Going on to Shenzhen or Guangzhou means crossing a full international border with full immigration formalities on both sides, and you need a Chinese visa to do it.
• Leaving Hong Kong for the mainland and coming back uses up an entry on any limited-entry Chinese visa you hold.
• The same is true of Macao, which is a third immigration jurisdiction again.

How long you get

• Indian nationals must complete pre-arrival registration online before flying. It is free, the result comes back instantly, it is valid six months and good for multiple visits of up to 14 days each. Without it you are not admitted, and it cannot be done at the airport.
• Taiwan residents register the same way: free, valid two months, two entries, 30 days each.
• Mainland Chinese residents need an Exit-Entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao with a valid endorsement, issued by mainland authorities rather than by Hong Kong.

At the desk

• There is no arrival card. The requirement was abolished on 16 October 2024 and there is nothing to fill in on the plane.
• You are handed a paper landing slip instead of a passport stamp. It carries your conditions and limit of stay, and it is the only document that says how long you may remain. Keep it - put it in the passport and do not throw it away with the boarding pass.
• A passport valid at least one month beyond your departure is what the rules require, which is unusually relaxed. Airlines may still apply a stricter test.
• BN(O) passports are not accepted for immigration clearance in Hong Kong.
• Frequent visitors can enrol for e-Channel - self-service gates - free, after two arrivals through the airport in 24 months. The criteria were relaxed on 26 February 2026.

What you cannot bring in

• E-cigarettes and vaping products are illegal to import. They are seized at the airport and the offence is criminal, not a fine to shrug off. This is the single most common way a trip here starts badly.
• CBD is a dangerous drug in Hong Kong. Oils, gummies and cosmetics containing it are illegal, whatever they are legal as at home.
• Stun guns, extendable batons, knuckledusters and martial arts weapons are prohibited weapons.
• Powdered infant formula is limited to 1.8 kg per person leaving for the mainland - a rule aimed at traders that occasionally catches a family.