HONG KONG 2005

The issuance of the HKSAR passport is strictly controlled by the Immigration Department. Under the HKSAR Passports Ordinance, only Chinese citizens who are Hong Kong permanent residents holding Hong Kong permanent identity cards are eligible for the HKSAR passport. The passport contains advanced anti-forgery design features.

Applications can be made either by post or in person. Those from overseas can be sent to the Immigration Department through the nearest Chinese diplomatic or consular missions. All HKSAR passports are prepared centrally by the Immigration Department in Hong Kong, for collection either locally or at the relevant Chinese diplomatic or consular missions overseas. During the year, the number of HKSAR passport applications received was 479 685, including 4 484 from overseas.

The HKSAR Passports Appeal Board handles appeals against refusal of applications for HKSAR passports. It received 31 appeals in 2005.

To keep pace with international efforts to enhance the security standards of travel documents, biometric HKSAR passports will be introduced in early 2007 in line with the specifications recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

During the year, the Immigration Department continued to lobby for visa-free entry to more countries for HKSAR passport holders; the countries that agreed included Bulgaria and Brazil. By year-end, a total of 135 countries/territories had agreed to grant visa-free access or visa on arrival to HKSAR passport holders.

Other travel documents issued by the Immigration Department include Documents of Identity for Visa Purposes (DIs) and Re-entry Permits (REPs). DIs are issued for international travel and are valid for seven years. They are issued to Hong Kong residents who are not eligible for the HKSAR passport but are nevertheless unable to obtain a national passport or travel document of any other countries or territories. REPs are issued to Hong Kong residents for travelling to the Mainland and the Macao SAR. During the year, 51 595 DIs and 98 182 REPs were issued.

The Immigration Department also issues identity cards to Hong Kong residents. There are two types of identity cards: the Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card issued to residents who have the right of abode in Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Identity Card issued to residents who do not have that right.

Except those who are required to obtain Certificates of Entitlement, other persons who claim to have the right of abode in the HKSAR must apply for verification of their eligibility for a permanent identity card. In 2005, 67 808 applications were received. Of these, 54 384 were approved.

Since June 23, 2003, the Immigration Department has introduced a new generation of identity cards for Hong Kong residents. The new identity card takes the form of a smart card and employs state-of-the-art technologies to make it more secure and fraud-resistant. While the personal particulars of the cardholder are engraved by laser on the card surface, the templates of the holder's two thumbprints and facial image are stored in the chip and protected by sophisticated cryptographic techniques. The smart identity cards enable the Immigration Department to use the fingerprint identification technology to quickly authenticate the cardholders' identity and enable the cardholders to enjoy the convenience of the automated passenger clearance system and the automated vehicle clearance system.

The automated passenger clearance system (e-channel) has been implemented at control points in phases, starting from the end of 2004. Permanent residents aged 11 or above holding smart identity cards can perform self-service immigration clearance. In addition, the automated vehicle clearance system (e-channel) was introduced at vehicular control points in phases starting from April 2005 and has proved a boon to cross-boundary drivers who are permanent residents holding smart identity cards.

The territory-wide replacement exercise has been making good progress since it was launched on August 18, 2003. Arrangement have been made for people born between 1943 and 1977 to apply for new identity cards within specified periods at any one of the nine Smart Identity Card Centres. By the end of 2005, a cumulative total of 3 338 401 smart identity cards were issued under the replacement exercise.