Hong Kong

Before you travel, make sure you’ve checked the latest entry restrictions and quarantine requirements for arriving into, and transiting through, Hong Kong.

We’ve introduced additional passenger requirements for your added protection. Find out more.

Transiting through Hong Kong

Transit requirements

Passengers will be able to transit through Hong Kong if:

• Their itinerary is contained in a single booking;
• They meet the entry requirements of their final destination;
• They have their baggage checked through to the final destination;
• They have been issued their onward boarding pass(es) from their origin; and
• The connection time between flights is within 24 hours.

Transit restrictions

• Passengers starting their journey in the Chinese mainland are able to transit Hong Kong International Airport provided they meet the above requirements
• Transiting to destinations in the Chinese mainland remains unavailable
• Hong Kong International Airport Skypier Sea-to-Air ferry service (Greater Bay Area to Hong Kong) will gradually resume from 28 October 2020, but Air-to-Sea ferry service will remain suspended

Entering Hong Kong

Mandatory COVID-19 testing

• All passengers arriving into Hong Kong will be required to undergo a medical test for COVID-19 prior to clearing immigration and baggage collection
• The test, which involves providing a combined nasal and throat swab sample, will be conducted by medical professionals at the Department of Health Temporary Specimen Collection Centre at Midfield Concourse. Passengers will receive directions and assistance after disembarking the aircraft.   All passengers will be required to wait for their test results.  Visit Arrival in Hong KongOpen a new window for more information

Immigration and quarantine requirements

Entry restrictions

Only residents with the following documents will be permitted to enter Hong Kong:

• Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card or Hong Kong Identity Card that:
  • bears the “asterisk” or “A” or “R” codes
  • bears the “C” code (provided that it is accompanied by a valid work visa or study visa)
  • bears the “U” code (Note: this type of HKID is subject to approval from Hong Kong Immigration prior to acceptance at check-in)
• Hong Kong SAR passport
• Hong Kong Document of Identity
• Non-Hong Kong residents will be denied entry into Hong Kong

Entry restriction exemptions

The following passengers are exempt from the entry restrictions:

• Passengers travelling from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan or Macao, and have not been to any other country/region in the past 21 days*
• Passengers travelling from any of the ‘Group D – low risk countries’ (see below) who have not been to any other country in the past 21 days*
• Diplomatic/official passport holders (subject to prevailing visa requirements)
• The spouse and children of Hong Kong residents
• Local government personnel performing official duties
• Personnel approved by the Hong Kong SAR government to carry out anti-epidemic work
• Passengers holding a new entry visa to work, study, establish or join in any business, or to take up residence in Hong Kong

*Passengers falling into this exemption category must still possess a travel document that would allow them to stay in Hong Kong for a minimum of 14 days, in order to meet the compulsory quarantine requirements.  Otherwise entry will be refused.

Quarantine measures

The latest compulsory quarantine requirements for all passengers can be found on the Hong Kong SAR Government’s COVID-19 website.Open a new window

Additional restrictions for entering Hong Kong 

Passengers who have been in or transited through Brazil, India, Ireland, Pakistan, The Philippines, South Africa or the United Kingdom

• Any passengers who have been in Brazil, India, Ireland, Pakistan, The Philippines, South Africa or the United Kingdom for more than two hours in the past 21 days will not be permitted to enter Hong Kong

Pre-departure requirements for entering Hong Kong

The HKSAR Government has a four tier classification system that governs the pre-departure and documentation requirements for entering Hong Kong:

1.      Group A – Extremely high risk places 

Passengers who have stayed in or transited through Brazil, India, Ireland, Pakistan, The Philippines, South Africa or the United Kingdom for less than two hours in the past 21 days

• Passengers who have stayed in or transited through these countries for less than two hours in the past 21 days, are eligible to enter Hong Kong, providing they can present all the documentary requirements stated below.
• For more information, please visit the Hong Kong SAR Government website

Information on the special flights between London-Heathrow and Hong Kong in late April 2021 can be found hereOpen a new window

2.      Group B – Very high risk places

Passengers who have stayed in or transited through Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, Egypt, Ecuador, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Romania, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates or the United States in the past 21 days

• Passengers who have stayed in or transited through these countries in the past 21 days are required to present all the documentary requirements as stated below in order to enter Hong Kong.

3.      Group C – Medium to high risk places

Passengers who have visited any other places outside of the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan in the past 21 days and are not named in Group A, Group B or Group D.

• Passengers who have visited other places outside the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao in the past 21 days, must present a confirmation of room reservation at one of the designated hotelsOpen a new window for not less than 21 nights, starting on the day of arrival in Hong Kong. This confirmation must be in English or Chinese.

4.      Group D – Low risk places   (effective 09 April 2021)

• Passengers who have only stayed in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore in the past 21 days must present a confirmation of room reservation at one of the designated hotelsOpen a new window for not less than 14 nights, starting on the day of arrival in Hong Kong. This confirmation must be in English or Chinese.
• Passengers in this category will need to:
  • undergo compulsory quarantine for 14 days in a designated quarantine hotel
  • self monitor their health from home for the subsequent 7 days
  • undergo a compulsory COVID-19 test on the 19^th day after their arrival in Hong Kong

Required documents for passengers in Group A and Group B

1. Test report

A test report issued by a laboratory or healthcare institution that contains the passenger’s name identical to that in his/her valid travel document to show that:

• They have undertaken a nucleic acid test for COVID-19
• The sample for the test was taken within 72 hours of the scheduled time of departure of the flight to Hong Kong; and
• The result of the test for COVID-19 was negative

The test report must be written in either English or Chinese and can be presented in paper or electronic format If the test report above is not in English or Chinese or does not contain all the above mentioned information, it is acceptable to present a written confirmation, in English or Chinese, issued by the laboratory or healthcare institution that contains the following information:

• The name of the passenger  (this must be identical to the name in his/her valid travel document);
• They underwent a nucleic acid test for COVID-19,
• The sample for the test was taken within 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure of the flight to Hong Kong; and
• The result of the test for COVID-19 was negative.

This written confirmation must be presented with the test report.

For passengers travelling from Canada

• Test report issued via the Ontario Health System does not meet the Hong Kong entry requirements and will not be accepted

For passengers travelling from the United Kingdom

• The NHS (National Health Service) test report does not meet the Hong Kong entry requirements and will not be accepted

Please note that if there is a schedule change or flight cancellation, passengers are responsible for ensuring that their COVID-19 test meets the 72-hour requirement based on the new flight departure time.

2. Documentary proof

Documentary proof (in English or Chinese) to show that the laboratory or healthcare institution is ISO 15189 accredited or is recognised or approved by the relevant authority of the government of the place in which the laboratory or healthcare institution is located.

This can be in the form of a copy of ‘Certificate of Accreditation’, ‘Certificate of Compliance’, or information printed out from an official government website.
Please note that documentary proof is required even if the test report from the laboratory or healthcare institution contains an ISO accreditation reference.

For more details, please visit the websites below:

• Belgium: – BELACOpen a new window / Consulate General of Belgium in Hong KongOpen a new window
• Canada:  Test / specimen samples can be collected by an approved travel clinic.  The test results must be issued by a laboratory accredited by the following Province/Territory bodies:
  • British ColumbiaOpen a new window, AlbertaOpen a new window, ManitobaOpen a new window, SaskatchewanOpen a new window:  The College of Physicians and Surgeons
  • Ontario: Ontario Medical AssociationOpen a new window
  • Quebec:  Bureau de normalisation du QuebecOpen a new window
  • New Brunswick and Nova Scotia:  Accreditation CanadaOpen a new window
  • Prince Edward Island:   Health PEIOpen a new window
  • Newfoundland:  Institute for Quality Management in HealthcareOpen a new window (IQMH)
• Ethiopia : Ethiopian National Accreditation Office list of accredited Medical Laboratories:Open a new window
• France:  CofracOpen a new window / Sante, FranceOpen a new window / Ministry of Solidarity and HealthOpen a new window / Consulate General of France in Hong KongOpen a new window
• Germany: DAkkS – Deutsche AkkreditierungsstelleOpen a new window / German Consulate-General Hong KongOpen a new window
• India: Indian Council of Medical ResearchOpen a new window
• Pakistan: Pakistan National Accreditation Council – Ministry of Science and TechnologyOpen a new window
• The Philippines: https://hfsrb.doh.gov.ph/?page_id=1729Open a new window
• Romania:  Romania accredited laboratoryOpen a new window
• Russia: RospotrebnadzorOpen a new window
• South Africa: South African National Accreditation SystemOpen a new window
• Switzerland: Swiss Accreditation Service SASOpen a new window
• Ukraine: National Accreditation Agency of UkraineOpen a new window
• United Kingdom: United Kingdom Accreditation ServiceOpen a new window / Care Quality CommissionOpen a new window
• United States: Centres for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesOpen a new window

3. Hotel reservation confirmation

A reservation confirmation at one of the designated hotelsOpen a new window in Hong Kong for no less than 21 nights starting on the day of your arrival in Hong Kong.

Please note:

• This confirmation can be either printed or shown in a digital format and must be written in English or Chinese.
• Accommodation is required for all passengers coming from these countries/regions.  Passengers who have a home or residential address in Hong Kong are also required to undergo 21 days of quarantine at a hotel.
• The booking must be at one of the designated hotelsOpen a new window.

To meet these new requirements, all passengers will be asked the following upon check-in:

• That you have not been in Brazil, Ireland, South Africa or the United Kingdom for more than two hours in the past 21 days
• To complete and sign a declaration regarding your travel history over the past 21 days. We will ask if you have visited or transited through any of the countries listed in Group A or Group B. If you answer yes, you will be required to show us the documentation mentioned above.
• To demonstrate to us that you have completed the Hong Kong Department of Health online health declaration formOpen a new window by showing us the resulting QR code. This can be in a printed or digital format.

Passengers who are unable to meet these requirements will not be accepted for travel.

Diplomatic passport holders

All diplomatic passport holders who have visited any of the countries listed in Group A or Group B during the 21 days prior to arriving in Hong Kong, are required to meet the following requirements.

1. COVID-19 test certificate

Provide a medical certificate indicating a negative result of COVID-19 nucleic acid test issued by an ISO15189 accredited laboratory or a laboratory recognised by the government where the laboratory is located with the specimen collected within 48 hours prior to the scheduled flight departure to Hong Kong.

2. Post-arrival test

Must take a COVID-19 test upon arrival at Hong Kong International Airport

3. Self-Isolation

For accredited officers, personnel of diplomatic and consular missions (including six Officially Recognised Bodies (ORBs) in Hong Kong SAR and excluding honorary consuls and their staff) as well as their recognised family members, must undergo quarantine at an accommodation arranged by the Consulate General or ORB for 21 days upon arrival (except for Consul General of the Consulate Generals and Head of Office of the six ORBs).

Diplomatic passport holders who have not visited the 20 specified countries in the past 21 days, will be required to undergo 21-day medical surveillance.