All about Hong Kong visa
Modern Hong Kong is part of the PRC, but it has a fairly wide autonomy. As a British colony until 1997, Hong Kong developed along a slightly different path than the “greater China”, and today it is the largest financial center in the world, as well as a popular tourist destination. Such a role of Hong Kong in the global economy, as well as the right to pursue an independent migration policy, which was given to it by the PRC, easily explains the desire of the autonomy to simplify the visa regime with almost all countries of the world.
During the 15 years of its current status, Hong Kong has concluded bilateral visa waiver agreements for people visiting the country for tourist and business purposes with a large number of countries, so that today citizens of few countries in the world have to apply for a visa for a short-term visit to Hong Kong.
To obtain a visa, you must provide a passport valid for at least 6 months, a questionnaire filled out according to a sample in English, a 3×4 color photo, round-trip tickets, as well as documents confirming the availability of money necessary to stay in the autonomous region. The cost of a visa is significantly affected by the period during which it will be issued.
It only remains to add that people planning to visit Hong Kong with their children and in need of a visa must also provide additional documents, in particular, a notarized copy of the birth certificate.
It is worth noting that during entry to Hong Kong, tourists are expected to undergo standard immigration control procedures, after which the date of entry will be marked in the passport.
According to the customs rules of Hong Kong, the amount of foreign currency imported by Ukrainians is not delimited, while the amount must be declared.
Alcoholic beverages with a volume of up to 1 liter, toilet water in a package with a volume of not more than 250 ml and perfumes with a volume of not more than 60 ml, personal belongings, tobacco products, which in total should not exceed 250 g of tobacco, or 50 cigars, or 200 cigarettes, are also exempt from the duty.
At the same time, the import of certain items is prohibited: weapons, including gas canisters and electric shocks, counterfeit products, pornography, poisons and drugs. Certain types of medicines, antibiotics, explosive and combustible substances and items are allowed to be imported only after obtaining the appropriate permission from the authorities. When declaring goods, it is necessary to indicate valuables, which may be jewelry, video and photographic equipment, etc. A second declaration is required when leaving the country. Both in the normal case of a visit and in the case of transit, the import of animals is allowed only after receiving the relevant documents issued by the local veterinary control services and a veterinary certificate issued by the veterinary services of Ukraine no earlier than 4 days before departure. It is prohibited to export works of art and valuable items without a store receipt confirming the legality of the purchase.
If you are visiting Hong Kong for work purposes, as well as in transit to the rest of China, you must have return tickets and funds with you that will allow you to pay for accommodation in Hong Kong.
Long-term visas to Hong Kong
When considering the legal formalities of visiting Hong Kong, the main focus was on short-term visits, for which special regimes apply. At the same time, there are situations in which it is better to apply for a multivisa or a long-term visa than incur the wrath of the Hong Kong side. We are talking, first of all, about people who plan to visit Hong Kong frequently, as well as those who intend to work in this autonomy or carry out business activities there, which is strictly prohibited to do without appropriate permission.
As for multivises, they are not particularly popular due to the lack of restrictions on the number of visits to Hong Kong during the year (the main thing is to meet the 14-day period at a time). However, as already mentioned, it is better to be safe when crossing the Chinese border repeatedly.
The most popular double-entry (2 times for 14 days) visa is issued within a week according to the rules specified for each country separately. Such a visa is quite expensive, and it should only be issued to people who have to visit Hong Kong frequently to participate in business negotiations with possible departure to the territory of the People’s Republic of China. Having a two-time (or multiple-entry) visa to Hong Kong, as well as a Chinese multivisa, will allow you to freely cross the border with only a passport, return tickets and a certain amount of cash or non-cash money.
Long-term visas are more popular. Among them are: a work visa obtained on the basis of investment activity; a work visa obtained on the basis of employment; a work visa issued in accordance with the program for non-residents to invest in Hong Kong.
Each of these visas has its own conditions for obtaining. So, in order to obtain a type one visa, the ongoing or planned investment activity must be really beneficial for Hong Kong. There are 4 main factors for the successful obtaining of such a visa: the availability of premises intended for business; job creation; business management organization; confirmation of the sufficiency of personal funds or / and funds from other sources.
A work visa, which is obtained on the basis of an existing job offer, is required for applicants who are not shareholders of Hong Kong companies. The applicant must provide a document certifying employment by a registered commercial organization from Hong Kong. The applicant must have knowledge, experience and special skills that can be useful for Hong Kong. In addition, the immigration service considers the justification for hiring a foreign citizen.
The probability of obtaining a visa is high if the applicant has significant work experience in the chosen field (at least 3 years); the type of work is largely specific; the applicant gets a job in a responsible and highly paid position in a respected and well-known organization; the applicant is a professional in his field; the applicant is considered the best candidate for the position after his objective assessment.
A work visa, which is issued to non-residents when making investments in Hong Kong, is issued in order to facilitate the applicant’s obtaining resident status.
To obtain such a visa, a person must meet the following conditions:: reach the age of 18 by the time of application; invest within 6 months before the date of application or 6 months after the application is accepted by the Immigration Department, and its amount must be at least HK $ 10 million; do not have a problematic past in the country of residence and in Hong Kong; have evidence of the possibility of independent living in In Hong Kong with funds that are not included in investment income, wages or social assistance in Hong Kong.
In addition, the applicant is required to invest money in 2 acceptable classes of investment assets: real estate and financial assets, including equity, debt securities and certificates of deposit.
What should I do if my visa is expired?
At the end of the review, it should be noted that sometimes situations arise that require an extension of the period of stay in Hong Kong. Of course, it is recommended to avoid such cases and plan the time of arrival and departure in advance. If circumstances have developed in such a way that it is impossible to leave the autonomy before the end of the legal period of stay on its territory, in no case should one violate the law and hide from immigration services. In this case, violators face hefty fines, a ban on visiting Hong Kong, and even a prison term (up to 3 years). At the same time, thanks to the use of modern systems for tracking movements across the border, immigration services will easily find the violator.
According to the current legislation, 7 days before the end of legal stay in Hong Kong, a foreign citizen must apply to the immigration service of the autonomy with a request for an extension of stay. A complete list of immigration service offices with addresses and opening hours can be found on the official website. http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/address_3.htm.
The applicant must have with him a passport and tickets confirming the completed and planned movements across the border, fill out a special form ID91 and, most importantly, provide all possible evidence of the need to extend the period of stay in the autonomous region. The application is usually considered within 24 hours, and the decision is influenced by many factors, such as the history of visiting Hong Kong by a non-resident, the presence of family and business ties with residents, the reason for the application, etc.
It should be noted that the described rules are valid only for foreign citizens who do not have a long-term visa. People who have received, for example, a work visa must act in accordance with immigration laws appropriate to their situation, which can be found on the official website http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/faq_es_vnpr.htm.
Despite the abundance of information, visiting Hong Kong is not a particularly difficult task for citizens of Russia and neighboring countries, with the possible exception of Belarusians. It is only important to carefully study and follow all the rules that relate directly to your situation, and then no bureaucratic delays will spoil your impressions of visiting this distinctive Chinese autonomous region.
Using APEC Business Travel Card you can come to Hong Kong an unlimited number of times, each time for up to 60 days.
It was on this card that I came to Hong Kong from 2017 to 2022.
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