Is there an age limit for a HK person to apply for a HK ID card? Does anyone know? My baby is less than 2 months old, and we want to bring him to visit his grandparents in China in summer time. Any advice on the sort of travel document he needs, besides the option of having an ID card?
are HK IDs issued to infants?
- Thread starter tammie
- Start date
IDs are issued for infants, too, but they have to change their IDs when they're 11 years old. You can apply passport & ID for your baby in HK Immigration in Wan Chai. For ID, you have to bring your baby's birth certificate, and... I'm sorry, I forget. Maybe you can contact HK Immigration office. We applied one for our baby last summer before he was 5 months old.
Is he a HK citizen?
If your baby's a HK citizen, you can apply for..., sorry again, I don't know how they call it in English; it's like a passport, (brown in colour) but only to be used when a HK citizen go to China (and they don't need to bring passport, just this book and HK ID). And sometimes infant just included in the mother's book, which means that you have to have one with your baby's inside. You can apply this book through Zhong Guo Lu Xing She (the big one is in Mongkok, but sometimes you can find one inside MTR station, this is where people can buy train/bus tickets to China). With this book, you don't have to apply visa to visit China, but it's only for HK citizen. My husband said that now they don't issue a book, but issue a card.
So, you might want to go to Zhong Guo Lu Xing She/ HK Immigration office to ask about your situation.
Hope this will help.
Is he a HK citizen?
If your baby's a HK citizen, you can apply for..., sorry again, I don't know how they call it in English; it's like a passport, (brown in colour) but only to be used when a HK citizen go to China (and they don't need to bring passport, just this book and HK ID). And sometimes infant just included in the mother's book, which means that you have to have one with your baby's inside. You can apply this book through Zhong Guo Lu Xing She (the big one is in Mongkok, but sometimes you can find one inside MTR station, this is where people can buy train/bus tickets to China). With this book, you don't have to apply visa to visit China, but it's only for HK citizen. My husband said that now they don't issue a book, but issue a card.
So, you might want to go to Zhong Guo Lu Xing She/ HK Immigration office to ask about your situation.
Hope this will help.
Thanks. When you applied ID card for your baby last year, did you have to bring the baby with you? How long did it take, the whole process? Did they take a photo at the spot or did you prepare a photo in advance? Was an appointment booking necessary before you could show up/with the baby?
My children are Hong Kong citizens with Chinese ancestry. That is they have ?established? written on their Hong Kong birth certificates and they are entitled to the three asterisks on their HKID cards.
With the birth certificate and their father?s HKID card we were able to get:
1) An SAR passport. This comes with a HKID card. If the child is under 11 years old there is no photograph on the card.
2) A China Reentry Permit ? this is the size of a credit card with a photo on it.
If your child has a mixed heritage then I?d suggest that the Chinese parent deal with the Chinese authorities and the non-Chinese parent not be anywhere in site. I don?t want to call them racist but things seem to be much smoother when the ?alien? isn?t there. This doesn?t matter for the Hong Kong authorities.
When you go over the Hong Kong border the child still needs to take his/her passport but with the ID card you don?t need to fill in the departure and arrival cards. Once the child is 11 years old he/she will get a new ID card with a photo on it and then the passport isn?t necessary.
It was necessary for the child to be there when we applied for all the above documents but if I remember correctly it was possible to get the photos and the photocopies needed at the immigration places.
It didn?t take that long to apply for the documents but then it took a while (maybe a week or two) to go back and collect them.
SARAH
With the birth certificate and their father?s HKID card we were able to get:
1) An SAR passport. This comes with a HKID card. If the child is under 11 years old there is no photograph on the card.
2) A China Reentry Permit ? this is the size of a credit card with a photo on it.
If your child has a mixed heritage then I?d suggest that the Chinese parent deal with the Chinese authorities and the non-Chinese parent not be anywhere in site. I don?t want to call them racist but things seem to be much smoother when the ?alien? isn?t there. This doesn?t matter for the Hong Kong authorities.
When you go over the Hong Kong border the child still needs to take his/her passport but with the ID card you don?t need to fill in the departure and arrival cards. Once the child is 11 years old he/she will get a new ID card with a photo on it and then the passport isn?t necessary.
It was necessary for the child to be there when we applied for all the above documents but if I remember correctly it was possible to get the photos and the photocopies needed at the immigration places.
It didn?t take that long to apply for the documents but then it took a while (maybe a week or two) to go back and collect them.
SARAH
Sorry, Tammie. That's all I could tell you. Because I'm not a HK citizen, I have to go to HK Immigration office for a lot of things: my ID, baby's ID&passport, etc. so everything kinda mixed into one.
Since you have a small baby, I suggest maybe your husband can go to HK Immigration office and ask them. He can take the forms you needed, too, and you can fill them at home. They have the forms in English. Make sure that you take all the forms you needed, so you don't have to go there again.
If I'm not wrong, you can apply for ID&passport together. Then you can mail the application forms, together with your baby's passport pictures (you can take your baby to any picture shops and have them take his picture, passport size), and cheque. You also have to choose where you want to take the ID&passport (first choice, second choice...). When they're ready, they'll send you a letter saying that you can pick the ID&passport in.... Then you have to bring your baby. And if the baby cannot go, if think you have to bring some identification, or...well, ask your husband to ask them when he's in Wan Chai.
Really sorry, I just wish I could give more information.
(btw, I applied the ID&passport for my baby when he was 5 months old, around March last year)
Since you have a small baby, I suggest maybe your husband can go to HK Immigration office and ask them. He can take the forms you needed, too, and you can fill them at home. They have the forms in English. Make sure that you take all the forms you needed, so you don't have to go there again.
If I'm not wrong, you can apply for ID&passport together. Then you can mail the application forms, together with your baby's passport pictures (you can take your baby to any picture shops and have them take his picture, passport size), and cheque. You also have to choose where you want to take the ID&passport (first choice, second choice...). When they're ready, they'll send you a letter saying that you can pick the ID&passport in.... Then you have to bring your baby. And if the baby cannot go, if think you have to bring some identification, or...well, ask your husband to ask them when he's in Wan Chai.
Really sorry, I just wish I could give more information.
(btw, I applied the ID&passport for my baby when he was 5 months old, around March last year)
You can obtain forms from http://www.esdlife.com/campaign/1004/eng/get_form.asp
then, mail the completed form, photo and cheque to the immigration dept, in which case, you will be told to take your baby along when passport and HKID application is approved, ready for collection.
You can also book an appointment at the same website and bring your baby along when submitting the completed form at the immigration dept, in which case, you don't need to take your baby when collecting the new passport and HKID.
So, all in all, you have to bring your baby to the immigration dept once.
Hope this helps
then, mail the completed form, photo and cheque to the immigration dept, in which case, you will be told to take your baby along when passport and HKID application is approved, ready for collection.
You can also book an appointment at the same website and bring your baby along when submitting the completed form at the immigration dept, in which case, you don't need to take your baby when collecting the new passport and HKID.
So, all in all, you have to bring your baby to the immigration dept once.
Hope this helps
You apply for the HKID card at the same time when you apply for the HK Sar Passport. The application form for the HKID card comes inside the passport information booklet.
The infant HKID bears no photo, when your kid reaches 11, you will have to apply to change it into one with photo.
After your baby obtains the HKSAR passport, you can then bring it to China Travel to apply for a "return home permit" for travelling to China. (If you can prove that the baby's has Chinese citizenship)
Hope this helps too!
The infant HKID bears no photo, when your kid reaches 11, you will have to apply to change it into one with photo.
After your baby obtains the HKSAR passport, you can then bring it to China Travel to apply for a "return home permit" for travelling to China. (If you can prove that the baby's has Chinese citizenship)
Hope this helps too!
barbwong_130
Registered User
On the HK Government web site, http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/topical_2.htm, it says:
Chinese citizens with the right of abode in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and holding Hong Kong permanent identity cards, whether or not they are holders of the "British National (Overseas) passport "or" Hong Kong Certificate of Identity" or other travel documents, are eligible to apply for the HKSAR passport.
Lower down the page it says:
For eligible children under 11 years of age who are not holding PICs, their applications for PICs must be submitted together with their applications for HKSAR passports. The application form must be signed by a parent or legal guardian. The PIC will be issued together with the HKSAR passport.
PIC = Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card
My husband tells me there are cases of non-Chinese descent holding SAR passports, for example Elsie Tu holds one but she had to give up her British passport to do so.
Barb
Chinese citizens with the right of abode in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and holding Hong Kong permanent identity cards, whether or not they are holders of the "British National (Overseas) passport "or" Hong Kong Certificate of Identity" or other travel documents, are eligible to apply for the HKSAR passport.
Lower down the page it says:
For eligible children under 11 years of age who are not holding PICs, their applications for PICs must be submitted together with their applications for HKSAR passports. The application form must be signed by a parent or legal guardian. The PIC will be issued together with the HKSAR passport.
PIC = Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card
My husband tells me there are cases of non-Chinese descent holding SAR passports, for example Elsie Tu holds one but she had to give up her British passport to do so.
Barb
Topical Issues
A General Guide to HKSAR Passport
Q8 I am a Chinese citizen holding a PIC and a foreign passport. Can I apply for a HKSAR passport?
A8 According to " the interpretation of Chinese Nationality Law when applying in the HKSAR" passed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the Chinese Government on 15 May 1996, you will be regarded as a Chinese citizen if you return to settle in Hong Kong unless you make a declaration of change of nationality at the HKSAR Immigration Department. If you remain as a Chinese citizen, you are eligible for a HKSAR passport. You are advised to read the booklet on ROA in the HKSAR for a more detailed explanation of Chinese nationality matters.
(Note : " Settled", in relation to a person's claim to the ROA in the HKSAR, means ordinarily resident in Hong Kong and not subject to any restriction on the period of stay in Hong Kong.)
Q9 If I remain as a Chinese citizen, can I keep my foreign passport when I obtain a HKSAR passport?
A9 Yes, you can keep and travel on your foreign passport which will be regarded in Hong Kong and other parts of China as a travel document only. You are advised to read the booklet on ROA in the HKSAR for a more detailed explanation of Chinese nationality matters.
***********************************************
The above Q&As are from immd.gov.hk. What's your take on a person of chinese nationality who holds a HKSAR passport because he's a Chinese citizen, and who may also hold a foreign passport as a travel document?
In Elsie Tu's case, did she give up her british passport because she chose to work for the HK government?
If dual passport is accepted as defined above, how does it work in reality? When a person travels to China, e.g., he exits and returns to HK using his HKSAR/PIC, but when he travels to the US, e.g. he may choose to exit HK this time using his US passport in order to enter the US with the same passport?
A General Guide to HKSAR Passport
Q8 I am a Chinese citizen holding a PIC and a foreign passport. Can I apply for a HKSAR passport?
A8 According to " the interpretation of Chinese Nationality Law when applying in the HKSAR" passed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the Chinese Government on 15 May 1996, you will be regarded as a Chinese citizen if you return to settle in Hong Kong unless you make a declaration of change of nationality at the HKSAR Immigration Department. If you remain as a Chinese citizen, you are eligible for a HKSAR passport. You are advised to read the booklet on ROA in the HKSAR for a more detailed explanation of Chinese nationality matters.
(Note : " Settled", in relation to a person's claim to the ROA in the HKSAR, means ordinarily resident in Hong Kong and not subject to any restriction on the period of stay in Hong Kong.)
Q9 If I remain as a Chinese citizen, can I keep my foreign passport when I obtain a HKSAR passport?
A9 Yes, you can keep and travel on your foreign passport which will be regarded in Hong Kong and other parts of China as a travel document only. You are advised to read the booklet on ROA in the HKSAR for a more detailed explanation of Chinese nationality matters.
***********************************************
The above Q&As are from immd.gov.hk. What's your take on a person of chinese nationality who holds a HKSAR passport because he's a Chinese citizen, and who may also hold a foreign passport as a travel document?
In Elsie Tu's case, did she give up her british passport because she chose to work for the HK government?
If dual passport is accepted as defined above, how does it work in reality? When a person travels to China, e.g., he exits and returns to HK using his HKSAR/PIC, but when he travels to the US, e.g. he may choose to exit HK this time using his US passport in order to enter the US with the same passport?
There is no problem having dual nationality if you have the Chinese citizenship as a birth right. My children have dual nationality one from me and the other from their father. So they can choose which passport they want to use to enter/leave a country.
The problem is when you apply for a nationality that isn?t yours from birth. Most countries, but not all, then ask you to give up all your other nationalities. This is the case with China. So if you aren?t a Chinese national from birth but apply later in life, e.g. Mrs. Elsie Tu, then you have to give up your old nationalities.
There are also some countries, I believe Kenya is one of them, which allow children born there to keep the nationality until 18 when they have to choose which to give up.
My children use their SAR passports when traveling with my husband and their British passports when traveling with me.
Hope this helps,
SARAH
The problem is when you apply for a nationality that isn?t yours from birth. Most countries, but not all, then ask you to give up all your other nationalities. This is the case with China. So if you aren?t a Chinese national from birth but apply later in life, e.g. Mrs. Elsie Tu, then you have to give up your old nationalities.
There are also some countries, I believe Kenya is one of them, which allow children born there to keep the nationality until 18 when they have to choose which to give up.
My children use their SAR passports when traveling with my husband and their British passports when traveling with me.
Hope this helps,
SARAH
This is all very interesting. We recently adopted a baby from Hong Kong and I asked the social welfare department to get him a SAR passport. A while ago I spoke to an American lady who told me her adopted child has a SAR passport but in the passport the child only has an English name because they got rid of the Chinese name thinking it wasn't important however, now because he doesn't have a Chinese name he needs to apply for a China visa every time he enters PRC. So I am going to make sure my son's chinese name be included in his passport. Is there anything else I need to make sure of? I want my son to take full advantage of his SAR passport without restrictions.
Is asking for the nationality when you apply for the birth certificate a new thing?
I wasn?t asked for any of my children (the youngest is now 4 years old).
Also my third child was born in England and he has a SAR passport, HK permanent ID card and a China Reentry Permit ? so place of birth isn?t important so long as you qualify as an established HK citizen for a permanent ID card and a Chinese citizen for an SAR passport and a China Reentry Permit. He does, however, have a Chinese name ? but it is only written in English on his birth certificate because they won?t do Chinese characters in England.
I don?t know how it is now that the China Reentry Permit is a pastic card but in the days when it was a paper booklet a child had to travel with an adult who also had a China Reentry Permit. So I had to get a visa for their English passport for the children to travel with me to China, even though they had the documents, if my husband wasn?t with me.
SARAH
I wasn?t asked for any of my children (the youngest is now 4 years old).
Also my third child was born in England and he has a SAR passport, HK permanent ID card and a China Reentry Permit ? so place of birth isn?t important so long as you qualify as an established HK citizen for a permanent ID card and a Chinese citizen for an SAR passport and a China Reentry Permit. He does, however, have a Chinese name ? but it is only written in English on his birth certificate because they won?t do Chinese characters in England.
I don?t know how it is now that the China Reentry Permit is a pastic card but in the days when it was a paper booklet a child had to travel with an adult who also had a China Reentry Permit. So I had to get a visa for their English passport for the children to travel with me to China, even though they had the documents, if my husband wasn?t with me.
SARAH