For general enquiry, please call Hong Kong Immigration Department, Registration of Persons Office, tel: 2824-6111, fax: 2877-7711, home page: Immigration Department.
Under the Registration of Persons Ordinance, all residents in Hong Kong who are aged 11 years and over (with certain exceptions) are required to register for a juvenile or adult identity card. A bona fide visitor who is in transit through Hong Kong and not staying more than 180 days is exempted from this requirement. Others must apply for an identity card within 30 days of arrival. All persons in Hong Kong aged 15 and above are required to carry government-issued photo ID on their person at all times—whether it be a Hong Kong ID card or a passport—and police officers can demand to see it at any time.
Children under age 11 do not need an identity card. From one month past his/her eleventh birthday until age 18, a Hong Kong resident must possess a juvenile identity card. Juvenile card holders are required to re-register in person for an adult card within 30 days of reaching their eighteenth birthday. Failure to re-register could result in a fine of HK$10,000 and one year’s imprisonment.
Someone applying for an identity card should bring:
- Passport or travel document
- Birth certificate with photocopy
- Previous juvenile identity card (if applicable)
- Proof of legal residence in Hong Kong
- One recent photograph
A card holder should notify the Commissioner of Registration of any changes of address, marital status, or if he/she is leaving Hong Kong for a period exceeding three months. Someone leaving Hong Kong for longer than three months may also be required to surrender his/her card to the Commissioner of Registration.
The juvenile identity card and adult identity card issued to new applicants or juveniles reaching the age of 18, is free of charge. For replacement of a card that requires alteration, or replacement for a lost, damaged or destroyed card, the fee is HK$395.
For further information, please contact one of the Registration of Persons Offices which are located at:
HONG KONG
8/F, Immigration Tower
7 Gloucester Road
Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tel: 2824-6111, Fax: 2877-7711
KOWLOON
Shop No. 25-35 and 43-45
G/F, World Trade Square
123 Hoi Bun Road
Kowloon Bay, Kowloon
Tel: 2755-9545, Fax: 2795-3625
3/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices
303 Cheung Sha Wan Road
Kowloon
Tel: 2150-7933, Fax: 2369-4825
NEW TERRITORIES
405-6, Jubilee Court Shopping Centre
2-18 Lok King Street
Fotan, N.T.
Tel: 2653-3116, Fax: 2650-4766
G/F, Manhattan Plaza
23 Sai Ching Street
Yuen Long, N.T.
Tel: 2475-4114, Fax: 2474-3962
Last modified: December 5, 2022
