Who is eligible for a HKSAR passport in 2026?
You are eligible for a HKSAR passport in 2026 if three things are true at the same time: you are a Chinese citizen, you have the right of abode in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and you hold a valid Hong Kong permanent identity card. That is the test set out on the Immigration Department's Travel Documents Frequently Asked Questions page. The three conditions are cumulative rather than alternative, and the one most readers cannot answer from memory is the first, because Chinese citizenship in the Hong Kong context is decided under the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China as elaborated in the interpretation adopted by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on 15 May 1996.
What follows explains how those rules fit together. It is general information about published requirements, not an assessment of any individual's status; where a case turns on foreign passports, birth abroad or a possible change of nationality, the deciding material is the Department's own published guidance or a qualified professional's opinion.
What are the three conditions, and why must all of them hold?
Each condition does a different job, and none of them substitutes for another:
| Condition | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Chinese citizenship | You hold Chinese nationality under the Chinese Nationality Law as applied in the HKSAR, including the 1996 interpretation. |
| Right of abode in the HKSAR | You have the right of abode, which the Department treats as a separate status from simply living in Hong Kong. |
| Valid Hong Kong permanent identity card | Your permanent identity card is current; an expired or replaced card does not satisfy this limb. |
The cumulative structure is what catches people out. A Hong Kong permanent identity card is evidence of a status, not a route into Chinese nationality: a person who has the right of abode and holds a valid permanent identity card but is not of Chinese nationality falls outside the passport. In the same way, a Chinese citizen with a permanent identity card who has lost the right of abode does not meet the test. The Department repeats the same three-part wording in its answer on how to apply, which is a useful confirmation that no single document carries the application on its own.
How do you know whether you are a Chinese citizen?
You are a Chinese citizen if you have Chinese nationality under the Chinese Nationality Law as elaborated in the interpretation passed on 15 May 1996. In general, the Department says you may have Chinese nationality if you are a Hong Kong resident of Chinese descent and were born in Hong Kong or other parts of China, and this holds notwithstanding that you hold or have held any foreign passport.
Two articles of the Nationality Law do most of the work:
- Article 4. A person born in China whose parents are Chinese nationals, or one of whose parents is a Chinese national, has Chinese nationality.
- Article 5. A person born abroad whose parents are both Chinese nationals, or one of whose parents is a Chinese national, has Chinese nationality — except that a person whose parents are both Chinese nationals and have both settled abroad, or one of whose parents is a Chinese national who has settled abroad, and who acquired foreign nationality at birth, does not have Chinese nationality.
Because Article 5 turns on where the parents had settled and whether foreign nationality was acquired at birth, the Department states plainly that each case has to be considered individually. Assume an applicant born in Toronto to one parent who is a Chinese national settled abroad, who acquired Canadian nationality at birth: on the wording of Article 5, that person does not have Chinese nationality, and the passport application fails at the first condition. Assume instead an applicant born in Hong Kong, of Chinese descent, who later took a foreign passport: birth in Hong Kong and Chinese descent point to Chinese nationality, and the foreign passport does not by itself remove it.
What does the 1996 interpretation actually change?
The interpretation is the instrument through which the Nationality Law is applied in the HKSAR, and its practical effect is to separate nationality from travel documents for Hong Kong residents. For a Hong Kong resident of Chinese descent born in Hong Kong or elsewhere in China, holding or having held a foreign passport does not, on its own, extinguish Chinese nationality. What the interpretation does not do is create nationality where Articles 4 and 5 do not confer it, so it cannot rescue a case that fails on birth abroad plus a settled-abroad parent.
Can you hold a foreign passport and still be eligible?
Yes, depending on your history. If you are a Chinese national holding a valid Hong Kong permanent identity card and a foreign passport, and you have returned to settle in Hong Kong without having been approved for a change of nationality by the Immigration Department, you remain a Chinese national and are eligible for a HKSAR passport.
Two details matter here. "Settled", in relation to a claim to the right of abode, means ordinarily resident in Hong Kong and not subject to any restriction on the period of stay. And if you remain a Chinese national, you can keep your foreign passport and travel on it; within Hong Kong and other parts of China it is regarded as a travel document only.
What if you have the right of abode but are not a Chinese citizen?
Then the HKSAR passport is the wrong document, but a different one exists. The HKSAR Document of Identity for Visa Purposes is issued to, among others, persons not of Chinese nationality who have the right of abode in the HKSAR and hold a permanent identity card of the Region but are unable to obtain a national passport or travel document of any other country or territory. It comes in a standard size of 44 pages and a jumbo size of 92 pages, and both are valid for 7 years.
What applies to children under 11 with no permanent identity card?
Children under 11 are not required to hold identity cards, but that does not exempt them from the third condition. For eligible children under 11 who do not hold permanent identity cards, the application for the card must be submitted together with the application for the HKSAR passport. The form must be signed by a parent or legal guardian, and the permanent identity card is issued together with the passport.
One consequence is timing: the Department's processing pledge is 5 working days once all necessary documents, the fee and the photograph are received, but 10 working days for children aged under 11 who do not hold a Hong Kong permanent identity card.
If you meet the three conditions, what happens next?
You can submit an application from Hong Kong or from overseas. The Department pledges to complete the process in 5 working days after receiving all necessary documents, the application fee and the photograph, and in 10 working days for children aged under 11 not holding a permanent identity card. In general you can collect the new passport on the next working day after processing is completed; applications not submitted in person, for example via a drop-in box, may need an extra 2 to 3 working days for handling formalities. Processing may take longer where the application follows loss, damage or an amendment of personal particulars, and whether the pledge is met also depends on the circumstances of individual applications and on how many applications are received at a particular time.
Fees published on the same page are:
- 10-year validity: HK$430 (32 pages) or HK$520 (48 pages)
- 5-year validity: HK$215 (32 pages) or HK$260 (48 pages)
- Amendment to personal particulars: HK$110
- Cross-linking of passports: HK$200
Photographing at the Travel Document Submission Kiosk or Personal Documentation Submission Kiosk is free of charge. Note also that successfully submitting an application online or through the Immigration Department Mobile Application does not mean it has been approved; the Department may still ask for another photograph or additional documents.
What does the passport itself state?
The HKSAR passport is machine readable and carries a contactless chip storing the photograph and the data shown on the data page. It contains only the personal particulars of the holder, so children of any age must hold their own passport and cannot be included in a parent's. It states that the holder has the right to return to the HKSAR, it is valid for all countries, and it is normally valid for 10 years from the date of issue unless otherwise specified — or 5 years for children under 16.
For travel to the Mainland, the traveller still has to observe the documentation requirements of the Mainland authorities, such as the Home Visit Permit; the passport does not replace those. For entering or departing the Macao SAR, a Hong Kong permanent resident aged below 11 who does not hold a valid HKSAR Re-entry Permit must produce a Hong Kong permanent identity card and a valid HKSAR passport for identification.
Where a reader's question is specifically about the first condition, the Department maintains separate pages on right of abode in the HKSAR and on Chinese nationality, and those are the natural next references after the eligibility test above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a HKSAR passport if I hold a foreign passport?
Holding a foreign passport does not automatically disqualify you. If you are a Chinese national with a valid Hong Kong permanent identity card, 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 are eligible. You can keep and travel on the foreign passport, which is regarded in Hong Kong and other parts of China as a travel document only.
I was born abroad to one Chinese parent. Do I have Chinese nationality?
Article 5 of the Nationality Law confers Chinese nationality on a person born abroad whose parents are both Chinese nationals or one of whose parents is a Chinese national. The exception applies where the parents are both Chinese nationals and both settled abroad, or the Chinese-national parent has settled abroad, and the person acquired foreign nationality at birth. The Department states that each case has to be considered individually against those provisions.
I have a Hong Kong permanent identity card but I am not a Chinese citizen. Am I eligible?
No, not for a HKSAR passport, because Chinese citizenship is one of the three cumulative conditions. If you have the right of abode and hold a permanent identity card but cannot obtain a national passport or travel document of any other country or territory, you may fall within the HKSAR Document of Identity for Visa Purposes instead.
My child is under 11 and has no permanent identity card. How does the application work?
The application for the permanent identity card must be submitted together with the passport application, and the form must be signed by a parent or legal guardian. The permanent identity card is then issued together with the HKSAR passport. Processing for children aged under 11 who do not hold a permanent identity card is pledged at 10 working days rather than 5.
How long does a HKSAR passport application take?
The Department pledges 5 working days after receiving all necessary documents, the fee and the photograph, and 10 working days for children aged under 11 not holding a permanent identity card. Applications not submitted in person may need an extra 2 to 3 working days, and loss, damage or amendment cases can take longer. Whether the pledge is met also depends on individual circumstances and application volume.
Does submitting my application online mean it is approved?
No. Successful submission through the Internet or the Immigration Department Mobile Application does not mean approval, and the Department may request another photograph or additional documents. After submission you can check the status online using your application reference number plus your day and year of birth.
Can my child be included in my passport?
No. The passport contains only the personal particulars of the holder, and children of any age must hold their own passport. A separate application has to be made for each child.