HKSAR Passport 2026: Who Can Apply and How Long It Takes

Holding a foreign passport does not by itself rule you out of an HKSAR passport. The eligibility test runs to three items: you are a Chinese citizen, you hold the right of abode in Hong Kong, and you hold a valid Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card, without having had a change of nationality approved by the Immigration Department. Processing is targeted at 5 working days once the department holds all required documents, the fee and a photograph — 10 working days for children under 11 who do not yet hold a permanent identity card. Those figures, and every condition below, come from the Hong Kong Immigration Department's "Travel Documents" frequently asked questions page, as of the October 2026 official page. This article summarises published government information for general reference; it is not advice on any individual case, and a decision about your own documents belongs with the department's current published rules or a qualified professional.

Who qualifies for an HKSAR passport?

All three conditions must hold at the same time. Chinese citizenship comes first, then the right of abode in Hong Kong, then a valid Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card. A strong card alone, or Chinese citizenship alone, does not open the route.

The passport itself is machine readable and carries a contactless chip holding the photograph and data printed on the personal data page. It states that the holder has the right to return to Hong Kong and is valid worldwide. Unless otherwise specified, the passport's validity generally runs 10 years from the date of issue, except for children under 16, whose passports are generally issued for five years.

Does holding a foreign passport disqualify me?

No. The Immigration Department answers the point directly: a Chinese citizen with a valid Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card and a foreign passport can still qualify, as long as the person has returned to Hong Kong to settle and has not applied to the department for a change of nationality and had it approved.

Once issued, the HKSAR passport does not force you to give up the other one. You may continue to hold and use a foreign passport for travel; in Hong Kong and elsewhere in China it counts only as a travel document, which is why it carries no standing beyond that.

What does "settled in Hong Kong" actually mean?

This is the definition that decides cases for people coming back from abroad. For anyone claiming the right of abode in Hong Kong, the department defines "settled" as being ordinarily resident in Hong Kong with no limit placed on how long you may stay.

In practice the question turns on your pattern of living in Hong Kong and on whether any stay limit applies, rather than on a single document. Applicants who have spent years overseas should look at that test before anything else, because it sits alongside the citizenship test below.

Am I still a Chinese citizen if I was born abroad?

Two articles of the PRC Nationality Law carry most of the weight, and the department cites both:

• Article 4: where both parents or one parent is a Chinese citizen and the person was born in China, that person has Chinese nationality.
• Article 5: the same parentage but born abroad also gives Chinese nationality, unless a parent who is a Chinese citizen had settled abroad and the person held foreign nationality at birth. In that case there is no Chinese nationality.

The department also points to the Nationality Law itself and to the interpretation adopted by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on 15 May 1996 on how that law applies in Hong Kong. Broadly, people who are Hong Kong residents of Chinese descent born in Hong Kong or elsewhere in China are likely to count as Chinese citizens, whether or not they hold — or once held — a foreign passport.

Every case is assessed individually against those provisions. To see how the exception bites, assume an applicant born in Canada to a Chinese-citizen parent who had already settled there, and who held Canadian citizenship from birth: Article 5 would leave that person without Chinese nationality, and therefore outside this route. Suppose instead the parent had not settled abroad, and the outcome changes. The hypothetical only illustrates the rule; it predicts nothing about any real person.

How long does an application take?

The published pledge is 5 working days from receipt of all required documents, the fee and the photograph, with working days meaning Monday to Friday excluding public holidays. Collection normally falls on the working day after processing finishes.

Three adjustments apply on top of that base figure:

• Children under 11 without a Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card: 10 working days, since the card must be applied for and issued alongside the passport.
• Applications not submitted in person, posted or dropped in: add roughly two to three working days for handling.
• Replacement after loss, damage or a change of personal data: expect longer, with no fixed figure published on the FAQ page.

The department states plainly that meeting the pledge depends on individual circumstances and on how many applications arrive in that period, so anyone with fixed travel dates should apply early rather than count on the target.

What changes if I apply from overseas?

Applications can be submitted either in Hong Kong or overseas, and the department publishes separate sets of required documents, fees and photographs for the local and overseas routes. The processing clock described above starts once the department actually holds everything it needs.

Collection is where the timeline stretches. If you nominate a Chinese embassy or consulate abroad, or an office in the mainland, as your collection point, the 5-working-day target covers processing only and excludes delivery. Hongkong Post handles that delivery, and actual delivery depends on aviation security checks, airmail capacity and customs clearance at the destination; remote destinations take longer. The department directs applicants to check the Hongkong Post website for the latest airmail availability and to leave enough time between submitting the application and the passport reaching the chosen office.

For planning, treat the two legs as separate: a processing leg you can estimate from the pledge, and a delivery leg with no published deadline.

Can children get their own HKSAR passport?

Yes, and they must. A machine-readable passport holds one person's data, so a parent cannot add a child to their own passport, whatever the child's age. Children under 11 who do not yet hold a Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card apply for the card and the passport together, with the form signed by a parent or legal guardian; both documents are issued at the same time.

What slows an application down?

Several routine situations add steps. Where personal particulars have changed, you must apply in person at the Travel Documents and Nationality (Application) Section or any Immigration Department branch office, present your existing passport and supporting proof such as a deed poll, and update your Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card first at the Registration of Persons Office, because passport details must match the card.

Loss and damage follow their own route. A passport lost in Hong Kong is reported to the department and replaced on Form ID 645, submitted in person, and takes longer than a standard application. A passport lost while travelling is reported to local police for a written copy of the report, after which the replacement travel document is sought from the Chinese embassy or consulate; the department's round-the-clock assistance line for Hong Kong residents abroad is (852) 1868.

Submitting through the internet or the Immigration Department mobile app is only a submission, not an approval, and the department may still ask for another photograph or extra documents. Collection itself needs no appointment: follow the collection notice for the deadline and office.

The amounts quoted on the FAQ page for replacements after a change of personal particulars are:

Those figures come from that specific context; other application types are charged under the department's own published fee information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I keep my foreign passport after getting an HKSAR passport?

Yes. You may continue to hold and travel on it, and in Hong Kong and the rest of China it is treated only as a travel document. Keeping it does not undo Chinese citizenship, provided you have not applied for a change of nationality and had it approved.

How long does an HKSAR passport take?

The target is 5 working days from receipt of all documents, the fee and a photograph, rising to 10 working days for children under 11 without a permanent identity card. Collection usually happens on the next working day, with two to three working days added for posted or dropped-in applications. Working days mean Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.

Do I qualify if I hold a foreign passport and have returned to Hong Kong?

The Immigration Department says yes, provided you are a Chinese citizen, hold the right of abode with a valid Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card, and have not had a nationality change approved. The "returned to settle" element is read as ordinary residence in Hong Kong with no limit on your stay.

I was born abroad to a Chinese-citizen parent. Am I a Chinese citizen?

Usually yes, under Article 5 of the PRC Nationality Law. The exception applies where a Chinese-citizen parent had settled abroad and you held foreign nationality at birth, in which case Chinese nationality does not arise. Each case is decided on its own facts against the Nationality Law and the 1996 interpretation.

Does the 5-working-day pledge include delivery to an embassy or consulate?

No. Delivery to Chinese embassies and consulates abroad, or to offices in the mainland, runs separately and is handled by Hongkong Post. It depends on aviation security checks, airmail capacity and destination customs clearance, so remote destinations take longer and no fixed delivery date is published.

My old passport still holds a valid visa. Can I keep it?

Old passports are surrendered when you collect the new one, cancelled by cutting the bottom right corner of the back cover, and returned to you. If you need the visa to remain usable, you can apply for a linked-passport endorsement on Form ID 879 for HK$200; the old passport must still be valid on the endorsement date, contain a valid visa, residence permit or entry permit, and have at least one blank page.

What happens if my details change after my passport is issued?

Apply in person at the Travel Documents and Nationality (Application) Section or a branch office, and update your Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card at the Registration of Persons Office first. A replacement carrying the remaining validity costs HK$110, while a full-term replacement costs HK$430 (32 pages) or HK$520 (48 pages) for ten years, or HK$215 (32 pages) or HK$260 (48 pages) for five years.

References

• Hong Kong Immigration Department — Travel Documents (Frequently Asked Questions)
• Hongkong Post — Home