How long can each country’s nationals stay in Hong Kong visa-free?
Hong Kong is a remarkable tourist destination.
The beautiful sceneries, exquisite Asian cuisines, luxury malls, and vibrant nightlife make the city a worthy place to spend your next vacation.
But these tourists’ thrills are not the major motivation for many people seeking to visit the city.
The opportunity to spend considerable time in the region without a visa is a dream come true for travelers and tourists, and the major reason why many people visit the city.
A visa-free stay in Hong Kong makes the city the ideal location for emergency vacations and business meetings.
Keep reading to find out if you are eligible for a visa-free stay in Hong Kong.
Who can enter Hong Kong without a visa?
If you want to visit Hong Kong for business, studies, vacation, or work, there are mandatory immigration requirements that you must fulfill to enter the city legally.
However, certain persons can enter Hong Kong without a visa.
The Hong Kong Government offers visa-free stay in Hong Kong to visitors from certain countries for a limited period.
Thus if you’re a national or diplomatic passport holder of any country eligible for a visa-free stay in Hong, you can enter Hong Kong without a visa.
This relieves you of the cost of applying for a visa and the rigorous process involved.
Also, if you’re a Hong Kong resident or connected to the region by birth, you’ll not require a visa to enter the city if you have any of the following documents:
- A valid Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Passport
- A Hong Kong Re-entry permit for persons entering the city from Mainland China or the Macao Special Administrative Region
- The Hong Kong Seaman’s Identity Book
- A valid Hong Kong Document of Identity for Visa Purposes provided that your limit of stay in Hong Kong has not expired
- Travel documents endorsed with a statement that the bearer of such documents is eligible for the Hong Kong permanent identity card, or a statement that the bearer has the right to land in Hong Kong.
Which countries are eligible for a visa-free stay in Hong Kong?
Nationals and residents of over 160 countries are eligible for a visa-free stay in Hong Kong. This includes African, European, and Asian countries.
The visa-free stay is granted for a limited period ranging from 7 to 180 days.
Here’s a table showing the countries eligible for a visa-free stay in Hong Kong by country.
CountryVisa Free Period1Albania (holders of Albanian biometric passports only)14 Days2.Algeria14 Days3.Andorra90 Days4.Anguilla90 Days5Antigua and Barbuda90 Days6Argentina90 Days7Armenia30 Days8.Australia90 Days9.Austria90 Days10.Bahamas90 Days11.Bahrain30 Days12.Barbados90 Days13.Belarus30 Days14.Belgium90 Days15.Belize90 Days16.Benin14 Days17.Bermuda90 Days18.Bhutan14 Days19.Bolivia30 Days20.Bosnia and Herzegovina14 Days21.Botswana90 Days22.Brazil90 Days23.Britain180 Days24.Britain (British Overseas Territories citizens, British Overseas citizens, British subjects and British Protected persons)90 Days25.British Antarctic Territory90 Days26.British Indian Ocean Territory90 Days27.The British Virgin Islands90 Days28Brunei Darussalam90 Days29Bulgaria90 Days30Burkina Faso14 Days31.Canada90 Days32.Cape Verde30 Days33.Cayman Islands90 Days34Chad14 Days35Chile90 Days36Colombia90 Days37Comoros14 Days38Costa Rica30 Days39Croatia90 Days40Cyprus90 Days41Czech Republic90 Days42Denmark90 Days43Djibouti14 Days44Dominica90 Days45Dominican Republic30 Days46Ecuador90 Days47Egypt90 Days48El Savador30 Days49Equatorial Guinea14 Days50Estonia90 Days51Eswatini90 Days52Falkland Islands & Dependencies90 Days53Faroe Islands90 Days54Fiji90 Days55Finland90 Days56France90 Days57Gabon14 Days58Germany90 Days59Gibraltar 90 Days60Greece90 Days61Greenland90 Days62Grenada90 Days63Guatemala30 Days65Guinea14 Days66Guyana90 Days67Haiti14 Days68Honduras30 Days69Hungary90 Days70Iceland90 Days71India14 Days72Indonesia30 Days73Ireland90 Days74Israel90 Days75Italy90 Days76Jamaica90 Days77Japan90 Days78Jordan30 Days79Kazakhstan14 Days80Kenya90 Days81Kiribati90 Days82Korea (Republic of)90 Days83Kuwait30 Days84Latvia90 Days85Lesotho14 Days86Liechtenstein 90 Days87Lithuania90 Days88Luxembourg90 Days89Madagascar14 Days90Malawi90 Days91Malaysia90 Days92Maldives90 Days93Mali14 Days94Malta90 Days95Marshall Islands14 Days96Mauritania14 Days97Mauritius90 Days98Mexico90 Days99Micronesia14 Days100Monaco90 Days101Mongolia14 Days102Montenegro14 Days103Montserrat90 Days104Morocco30 Days105Mozambique14 Days106Namibia90 Days107Nauru90 Days108Netherlands90 Days109New Zealand90 Days110Niger14 Days111North Marcedenia14 Days112Norway90 Days113Oman30 Days114Palau14 Days115Panama30 Days116Papua New Guinea90 Days117Paraguay30 Days118Peru30 Days119Philippines14 Days120Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie & Oeno Islands90 Days121Poland90 Days122Portugal90 Days123Qatar30 Days124Romania90 Days123Russia14 Days124Samoa30 Days125San Marino 90 Days126Sao Tome and Principe14 Days127Saudi Arabia30 Days128Serbia (holders of Serbian biometric passports only)14 Days129Seychelles90 Days130Singapore90 Days131Slovak Republic90 Days132Slovenia90 Days133South Africa30 Days134Spain90 Days135St. Helena90 Days136St. Helena Dependencies (Ascension, Tristan Da Cunha)90 Days137St. Kitts and Nevis90 Days138St. Lucia90 Days139St. Vincent and The Grenadines90 Days140Suriname14 Days141Sweden90 Days142Switzerland90 Days143Tanzania90 Days144Thailand30 Days145The South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands90 Days146The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia90 Days147Tonga90 Days148Trinidad and Tobago90 Days149Tunisia30 Days150Turkey90 Days151Turks and Caicos Islands90 Days152Tuvalu90 Days153Uganda30 Days154Ukraine14 Days156United Arab Emirates30 Days157Uruguay90 Days158U.S.A. (except U.S.A. Diplomatic passports)90 Days159US Trust Territory of Pacific Islands(holders of US Trust Territory passports only)14 Days160Vanuatu90 Days161Vatican City14 Days162Venezuela90 Days163Zambia90 Days164Zimbabwe90 Days165Nationals of other foreign countries do not require visas for a visit7 Days
Need to stay in Hong Kong longer than your limit of stay?
The visa-free stay is for a limited period and you’ll be required to present a valid visa to continue staying beyond your limit of stay.
Thus, it is advisable to apply for a Hong Kong visa on arrival if you intend to stay for a longer period.
Alternatively, you can apply for an extension of stay but this is mostly granted for emergency situations and only on merit.
Also, you have to apply for an extension of stay 7 days before your visa-free period expires for your application to be considered.
How to get a Hong Kong Visa
Generally, anyone entering Hong Kong ought to present a visa or entry permit as required by the immigration laws and regulations.
Thus, if you do not meet the requirements for a visa-free stay in Hong Kong and you’re ineligible to enter Hong Kong without a visa, you’ll need to apply for a visa.
You’ll also need a visa to stay in Hong Kong beyond the applicable visa-free period.
Luckily, the process for applying and obtaining a visa in Hong Kong is straightforward and simple.
You can apply for a Hong Kong Visa at any Chinese Embassy or Consulate close to you.
Alternatively, you can apply directly to the Hong Kong Immigration Department by post.
You’ll have to provide your reason for applying for the Visa, the period you intend to spend in Hong Kong, and show sufficient funds to cover your expenses during the period.
Your application form and supporting documents must provide these details for your application to be considered.
Conclusion
Hong Kong offers several opportunities to foreigners seeking an overseas destination to explore.
You may need to visit the city to explore the environment and assess the available opportunities.
You can take advantage of the Hong Kong visa-free stay to do so if you’re eligible.
Among being a great vacation city, Hong Kong is also a well-known city for being an international business hub.
Businesses from all over the world love the environment for doing business in Hong Kong, or even just opening their business there as an offshore company.
Why?
Hong Kong is considered a tax haven with some of the most relaxed taxation regimes in Asia.
Register your business in Hong Kong with Air Corporate today and get approved in 48 hours.
