Hong Kong Reciprocity Schedule

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Visa Classification	Fee	Number of Applications	Validity Period
A-1	None	Multiple	60 Months
A-2	None	Multiple	60 Months
A-3 [1]	None	Multiple	24 Months
B-1	None	Multiple	120 Months
B-2	None	Multiple	120 Months
B-1/B-2	None	Multiple	120 Months
C-1	None	Multiple	120 Months
C-1/D	None	Multiple	120 Months
C-2	None	Multiple	12 Months
C-3	None	Multiple	60 Months
D	None	Multiple	120 Months
E-1 [2]	No Treaty	N/A	N/A
E-2 [2]	No Treaty	N/A	N/A
F-1	None	Multiple	60 Months
F-2	None	Multiple	60 Months
G-1	None	Multiple	60 Months
G-2	None	Multiple	60 Months
G-3	None	Multiple	60 Months
G-4	None	Multiple	60 Months
G-5 [1]	None	Multiple	24 Months
H-1B	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
H-1C	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
H-2A	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
H-2B	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
H-2R	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
H-3	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
H-4	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
I	None	Multiple	60 Months
J-1 [4]	None	Multiple	60 Months
J-2 [4]	None	Multiple	60 Months
K-1	None	One	6 Months
K-2	None	One	6 Months
K-3	None	Multiple	24 Months
K-4	None	Multiple	24 Months
L-1	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
L-2	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
M-1	None	Multiple	60 Months
M-2	None	Multiple	60 Months
N-8	None	Multiple	60 Months
N-9	None	Multiple	60 Months
NATO 1-7	N/A	N/A	N/A
O-1	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
O-2	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
O-3	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
P-1	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
P-2	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
P-3	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
P-4	None	Multiple	60 Months [3]
Q-1 [6]	None	Multiple	15 Months [3]
R-1	None	Multiple	60 Months
R-2	None	Multiple	60 Months
S-5 [7]	None	One	1 Month
S-6 [7]	None	One	1 Month
S-7 [7]	None	One	1 Month
T-1 [9]	N/A	N/A	N/A
T-2	None	One	6 Months
T-3	None	One	6 Months
T-4	None	One	6 Months
T-5	None	One	6 Months
TD [5]	N/A	N/A	N/A
V-1	None	Multiple	120 Months
V-2	None	Multiple	120 Months [8]
V-3	None	Multiple	120 Months [8]

Documents

Birth and Death Certificates

Available. Birth and death certificates are available for any person who was born or who died in Hong Kong since 1872, except during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong (1941-1945).  A certificate entitled “AN EXTRACT OF ENTRY IN REGISTER KEPT IN THE SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION OF HONG KONG”, is issued under the seal of the Registrar General of Births and Deaths.

Marriage Certificates

Available from 1945, pre-war records of the Registrar of Marriages are not normally available, but in certain cases may be obtained from the church where the ceremony was performed.  The original certificate, entitled “Certificate of Marriage”, is signed by the Registrar of Marriages or the Minister performing the ceremony.  Duplicates, when available, are entitled “Certified True Copy of Certificate of Marriage”, and are signed by the Registrar of Marriages.

The Marriage Amendment Ordinance, which took effect in March 2006, expanded the definition of individuals legally allowed to conduct marriages in Hong Kong.  Under the Marriage Amendment Ordinance, marriages may now be conducted by any person appointed as a Civil Celebrant of Marriages.  The “Certificate of Marriage” is signed by the Civil Celebrant of Marriages.

Divorce Decrees

Available from 1945.  Prior to 1971, customary Chinese marriages could be dissolved by mutual written consent of the two parties, signed before two witnesses.  After October 7, 1971, all marriages must have been dissolved through regular divorce proceedings conducted at the appropriate court, with the final decree or divorce registered at the Civil Registry.  A certificate “DECREE ABSOLUTE” issued by the Family Court Registry bearing the seal of the District Court, is the final document for the divorce.

Applicants who plan to use a divorce decree in overseas proceedings should submit an application for a sealed copy of the decree at the District Court in Hong Kong.  Applicants should then bring the sealed copy of the divorce decree to the High Court Registry for authentication.

Certificate of No-Criminal Conviction (CNCC)

Available from the Hong Kong police only to an applicant upon his and/or her written request, for whom there is no criminal record, and delivered in person or by mail.  The written request should be addressed to the Commission of Police, (Attention EO CNCC),14/F, Arsenal House, Police Headquarters, 1 Arsenal Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.  The request should provide the applicant’s full name, date of birth, and must be accompanied by:

1. A bank draft in the amount of 165 Hong Kong dollars for each person, made payable to “The Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.” Drafts in foreign currency must include an additional bank service charge of 100 Hong Kong dollars.  
2. Documentary proof that a visa application has been made (letter from an American consular office requiring the certificate will suffice) and the location of the office where the application for an immigrant visa or adjustment of status is being made.  If the person applying for a CNCC is a derivative applicant, the name of the principal applicant should also be included. 
3. A full set of fingerprints of the applicant taken and certified by a recognized official police or law enforcement agent.  The officer should endorse the fingerprint form with his or her signature and official stamp, attesting that the fingerprints are indeed taken from the applicant.  Fingerprints taken by private or commercial agencies are not acceptable.
4. A photocopy of the applicant’s Hong Kong identity card or travel document.  The Chinese commercial code number must be shown if Chinese characters are used for their names.

The applicant shall authorize the Hong Kong Police to retain his/her fingerprints and to disclose details of any criminal conviction recorded against him/her in Hong Kong to the appropriate Consulate/Immigration Authority.  

Following the return of the completed personal data form and a fingerprint consent form, a "Certificate of No Criminal Conviction" or an appropriate reply together with the applicant's police record will be sent directly to the Consulate and/or immigration office.  If a court record is required, the applicant should write directly to the Registrar of the High Court or the First Clerk of the Court.  The applicant or his/her attorney should have a record of which court he/she attended for the hearing of the case.

NOTE:  It is essential that applicants for the Certificate of No Criminal Conviction (CNCC) inform the HK Police Force which U.S. Embassy/Consulate General will be handling their visa application process.  If they are applying for immigrant visas, their visa case number is useful because it bears the country code (for example, HNK for Hong Kong).  If they are applying for adjustment of status with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), applicants should declare the location of the USCIS office where they are applying for their immigrant status.  All derivative applicants should list the name of the principal applicant in their application for a CNCC.

More information on the Hong Kong CNCC is available at www.info.gov.hk/police.

Court Record

Available.  Extract from case register is available to an applicant upon written application to the First Clerk of the Magistracy where the conviction occurred.  The applicant should provide his/her full name, date and place of birth, and the case number.  Magisterial records are normally available only for three years.  If the conviction occurred in a District Court or the High Court, the application should be addressed to the Registrar of the court concerned.

Prison Records

Unavailable.

Military Records

Unavailable.

Certificate of Registered Particulars (CRP)

The Registration of Persons Office of the Hong Kong Immigration Department (HKID) issues this serialized document on tamper-resistant paper and reflects a photo of the applicant and an embossed seal.

In addition to basic biographic information, the CRP may contain a record of the applicant's marital history, family composition, and work experience.  This information is supplied by the applicant at irregular intervals when he or she first registers for an identity card, obtains a replacement card, registers a child for an identity card, applies for a passport, or voluntarily reports other information.  Information on the CRP may or may not have been verified by HKID at the time it was recorded.  Making false statements on a CRP is an offense under Hong Kong law, and violators are vigorously prosecuted.  The CRP is an invaluable aid in establishing relationship or verifying claimed work experience.  Posts with questions on interpreting CRPs should contact Hong Kong's Fraud Prevention officer.

Present or former residents of Hong Kong can apply for a CRP at any of the five Registration of Persons Offices.  Former residents can apply by mail or through a representative, but the request must be signed by the individual and notarized.  CRPs are available for deceased persons but can only be obtained by close relatives.  Requests for CRPs should include the applicant's Hong Kong identity card number whenever possible.  Processing time is approximately five weeks.

Passport and Other Travel Documents

 

The following documents meet the definition of passport under INA Section 101(a)(30) and are valid for visa issuing purposes.

• HKSAR Passport (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region):

  Only Chinese nationals with the right of abode in Hong Kong can qualify for the new HKSAR passport.  This document lists the bearer as a Chinese national with the right of abode in the HKSAR, and also lists the bearer’s permanent Hong Kong ID number.  Bearers may hold the HKSAR and the BN(O) passport concurrently. 

• British National (Overseas) Passport (BN(O)):

  This passport identifies the bearer’s nationality as “British National (Overseas).”  It is issued to persons with the right of abode in Hong Kong whom British authorities consider British nationals, but who lack the right of abode in the United Kingdom.  The BN(O) does not confer the same rights as a regular United Kingdom passport.  For example, BN(O) bearers do not have the right to live in Great Britain, nor are they eligible for the U.S. Visa Waiver Pilot Program.  Hong Kong visa reciprocity should be followed for BN(O) bearers. 

• Hong Kong Certificate of Identity:

  This document has been issued to persons with the right of abode in Hong Kong who were not born there, or who lack proof of birth in Hong Kong.  The issuance of these documents terminated after July 1, 1997, but existing Certificates of Identity will continue to remain valid throughout their original ten-year validity.  Upon expiration, qualified bearers may replace them with the HKSAR passport.

• Hong Kong Document of Identity:

  This document has been issued to persons who have been legally residing in Hong Kong for less than the seven years necessary to have full right of abode, and who cannot obtain a national passport.  Previously, a Document of Identity was valid for re-entry to Hong Kong only if it contained a re-entry visa.  According to Hong Kong immigration, the Document of Identity is now valid for return to Hong Kong at any time during its validity, even without an explicit re-entry visa.  Currently Hong Kong reciprocity applies.

• Validity, Reciprocity, and Nationality Code:

  HKSAR and BN(O) passports, along with the Certificate of Identity are recognized as valid for return to Hong Kong for a period of six months beyond their expiration date, and thus qualify for the automatic extension of validity for purposes of INA section 212(A)(7)(B)(i)(I).  [See 9 FAM 41.104 Note 2.]  The Document of Identity does not qualify for the automatic extension of validity.  Effective July 1, 1997, the British Dependent Territories Citizen Passport (BDTC), ceased to be valid for visa-issuing purposes.

  An applicant presenting any of the above-listed travel documents, not including the BDTC, will be subject to the visa reciprocity schedule for Hong Kong.  Hong Kong residents holding British citizenship with the right of abode in the United Kingdom (and thus carrying a regular United Kingdom passport) continue to be subject to the reciprocity schedule for the United Kingdom.

  Posts issuing MRVs to persons bearing one of the above Hong Kong travel documents should use the following codes in the nationality field:
  

  • HNK - HKSAR passport, HK Certificate of Identity, or HK Document of Identity
  • HOKO - British National (Overseas) Passport.
  Because the BN(O) identifies the bearer as a British national, it is essential to maintain these two separate nationality codes for statistical reasons.
• Use of visa in expired passport:

  Under 22 CFR 41.112(3), an alien can apply for admission to the United Sates with a valid visa in one passport (even if the passport has expired), provided the alien is also in possession of a valid passport issued by the authorities of the country of which s/he is a national.

  An expired travel document, issued by Hong Kong authorities under British rule, containing a valid U.S. visa will be accepted for admission to the United States when presented with an unexpired travel document issued by the appropriate Hong Kong authorities.  This will, for example, permit a Hong Kong resident with a valid visa in an expired British document such as the BN(O), or in an expired Certificate of Identity, to present it with an unexpired HKSAR passport in order to apply for admission.

Special Clearance and Issuance Procedures

Visas Mantis Security Advisory Opinions - See Special Clearance and Issuance Procedures for China.

Visa Issuing Post

Hong Kong (Consulate General)

Street Address:
26 Garden Road, Central
Hong Kong

Mailing Address:
PSC 461 Box 5
FPO AP 96521-0006

Tel: (852) 2523-9011

Fax: (852) 2845-4845

Visa Services

SAR (Special Administrative Region) of Hong Kong - Macau. All visa categories for all of Hong Kong.

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