Can I get a HKSAR passport if I hold a foreign passport in 2026?
Yes — a foreign passport in the drawer does not by itself cost you a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) passport. On its official Travel Documents page (reviewed as at October 2026), the Hong Kong Immigration Department sets out three eligibility conditions and addresses passport holders directly: a Hong Kong resident of Chinese descent born in Hong Kong or other parts of China may have Chinese nationality notwithstanding that they hold, or have held, a foreign passport. This article is general reference only and not personalised professional advice — because nationality turns on your own family and residence facts, confirm your position against the Immigration Department's current published guidance or take advice from a suitably qualified professional.
Does holding a foreign passport cancel Chinese nationality?
No. The passport itself is not the switch. The Department treats you as a "Chinese citizen" if you have Chinese nationality under the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China, as elaborated in the "interpretation of Chinese Nationality Law when applying in the HKSAR" passed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on 15 May 1996.
What can change the outcome is not the travel document but two other things: whether your route to nationality was cut off at birth, and whether the Immigration Department has later approved a change of your nationality. Both come up below.
So who actually qualifies for a HKSAR passport?
Three conditions must hold at the same time. You must be a Chinese citizen, you must have the right of abode (ROA) in the HKSAR, and you must hold a valid Hong Kong permanent identity card. For most foreign-passport holders it is the nationality limb that raises the doubt; the other two are matters of Hong Kong residence status. The Department keeps fuller guidance on those two elements on its separate official pages covering Chinese nationality services and eligibility for the right of abode in the HKSAR.
Does it matter whether I was born in Hong Kong, mainland China, or abroad?
It does, because the Nationality Law routes you through different articles depending on birthplace. Article 4 covers people born in China. Article 5 covers people born abroad, and it carries an exception that can remove Chinese nationality entirely.
| Situation | What the Nationality Law provides |
|---|---|
| Born in China (Article 4) | If either parent is a Chinese national, you have Chinese nationality. |
| Born abroad (Article 5, general rule) | If one or both parents are Chinese nationals, you have Chinese nationality. |
| Born abroad (Article 5, exception) | If both parents were Chinese nationals and both settled abroad, or one was a Chinese national who had settled abroad, and you acquired foreign nationality at birth, you do not have Chinese nationality. |
The Department's own note is that each case has to be considered individually against those provisions. Treat the table as a map of the rules, not a verdict on any one person.
When does "returned to settle" decide the answer?
This is where most foreign-passport holders find their answer, and the Department puts the case directly. If you are a Chinese national holding a valid permanent identity card and a foreign passport, and you have returned to settle in Hong Kong and have not been approved for a change of nationality by the Immigration Department, you remain a Chinese national and you are eligible for a HKSAR passport.
"Settled" carries a specific meaning here. In relation to a claim to the right of abode, it means ordinarily resident in Hong Kong and not subject to any restriction on the period of stay. The decisive facts are therefore whether you have genuinely come back to live here without a stay limit, and whether a change of nationality has ever been formally approved — not simply how long you have been away or how old the foreign passport is.
Assume an applicant born in Hong Kong to Chinese-national parents who later took a foreign passport, then moved back, took up local work and a local address, and never applied to change nationality. That applicant has returned to settle and stays eligible. Change one fact — say nationality change had been approved — and the footing disappears.
Can I keep my foreign passport after getting a HKSAR passport?
Yes. The Department states that you can keep and travel on your foreign passport, which will be regarded in Hong Kong and other parts of China as a travel document only. That framing is worth holding on to: within Hong Kong and mainland China the foreign passport does not operate as evidence of a second nationality, whatever status it may carry outside those jurisdictions.
How do I apply, and how long will it take?
An application can be submitted from Hong Kong or from overseas. The Department's processing pledges are:
- 5 working days after it receives all necessary documents, the application fee and a photograph;
- 10 working days for children aged under 11 who do not hold a permanent identity card;
- a further 2 to 3 working days for applications not submitted in person, such as drop-in-box submissions.
Working days mean Monday to Friday excluding general holidays. In general you can obtain the new passport on the next working day after processing is completed. Longer handling is likely where the application follows loss, damage or an amendment of personal particulars. Since the passport carries only the holder's own particulars, every child needs a passport of their own rather than being included in a parent's.
The fees quoted on the same page are HK$430 for a 32-page passport and HK$520 for a 48-page passport at 10-year validity, and HK$215 and HK$260 respectively at 5-year validity. A HKSAR passport is normally valid for 10 years from the date of issue unless otherwise specified, falling to 5 years for children under 16, and it states that the holder has the right to return to the HKSAR.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hold a HKSAR passport and a foreign passport at the same time?
Yes. You may keep and travel on your foreign passport after obtaining a HKSAR passport. Within Hong Kong and other parts of China, that foreign passport is regarded as a travel document only. Holding it does not, by itself, remove Chinese nationality.
If I was born abroad, do I still have Chinese nationality?
Usually yes under Article 5, where one or both parents were Chinese nationals. The exception bites where your parents were both Chinese nationals and both settled abroad, or the Chinese-national parent had settled abroad, and you acquired foreign nationality at birth — in that case you do not have Chinese nationality. The Department assesses each case individually against these provisions.
What does "returned to settle" mean for my application?
A Chinese national holding a permanent identity card and a foreign passport who has returned to settle in Hong Kong and has not been approved for a change of nationality remains a Chinese national and is eligible. "Settled" in this context means ordinarily resident in Hong Kong and not subject to any restriction on the length of your stay.
Besides nationality, what else is required?
Two further conditions: the right of abode in the HKSAR and a valid Hong Kong permanent identity card. All three must be satisfied together, so a nationality claim unsupported by ROA and a permanent identity card will not carry an application.
How long does a HKSAR passport application take?
The Department pledges 5 working days once it has all necessary documents, the fee and a photograph. For children under 11 who do not yet hold a permanent identity card the pledge is 10 working days, and non-in-person submissions such as drop-in boxes add roughly 2 to 3 working days.
How long is a HKSAR passport valid?
It is normally valid for 10 years from the date of issue unless otherwise specified. For children aged under 16 it is normally valid for 5 years from the date of issue.
Do I have to give up my foreign passport to get a HKSAR passport?
No surrender is required. You may keep both documents, and within Hong Kong and other parts of China the foreign passport is treated purely as a travel document rather than as proof of another nationality.