Hong Kong Immigration Department will no longer stamp passports of arriving visitors with effect from today March 19th, 2013. All arriving visitors at immigration control points will be issued with landing slips instead of stamps in their travel documents. Taiwan residents as well as Macau Smart Permanent Identity Card holders known already this procedure since the landing slip is the same that they currently use.
The landing slip will bear the visitor’s English name, travel document number, arrival date, conditions and limit of stay in Hong Kong. Upon departure, no slip will be issued and the travel document will not be stamped. Visitors are required and should keep the slip during their stay. In case the landing slip is lost, visitors can visit the Extension Section on the 5/F of the Immigration Department Headquarters for a free replacement.
Points to note
- Visitors are required to keep the landing slip while remaining in Hong Kong.
- If a visitor loses the landing slip, he/she may approach in person the Extension Section (Immigration Department, 5/F, Immigration Tower, 7 Gloucester Road, Wanchai) and be issued a replacement free of charge.
- Visitors are required to leave Hong Kong on or before the limit of stay expires. They shall not take any employment (whether paid or unpaid), establish or join in any business and/or become a student at a school, university or other educational institution. Persons who breach a condition of stay are liable to criminal prosecution. (The requirements are printed on the back of the landing slip as shown below.)
- Under normal circumstances, loss of landing slip will not affect the departure clearance. But if you need to apply a visa to China or another country, this will be a problem. So make sure you keep it somewhere safe for your future use.
- Stamping on travel document may still be applied in exceptional circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q 1:Is it necessary for a visitor to apply for a replacement of landing slip in case of loss and where to apply?
A 1:The landing slip bears a visitor’s conditions and limit of stay. Visitors are required to keep the landing slip while remaining in Hong Kong. Notwithstanding that the loss of landing slip will not affect the visitor’s departure clearance formalities under normal circumstances, visitor who has lost the landing slip may approach in person the Extension Section (5/F Immigration Tower, 7 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong) and be issued a replacement free of charge.
Q 2:Can the visitor request stamping on his/his travel document so as to keep the travel record?
A 2:Upon implementation of non-stamping immigration clearance arrangement, the immigration counter officers will not stamp on the visitors’ travel documents. If the visitor needs to refer to his/her travel record, he/she may submit an “Application for a Statement of Travel Records” to the Records Centre of the Immigration Department and pay the application fee.
