Inbound Travel
Points to Note for Quarantine for Inbound Travellers
Important Health Advice for Home Confinees
The confinee and household members should always wear a mask as far as possible; do not touch the outer surface of the mask
Important Health Advice for Home Confinees
Frequent hand hygiene especially before eating, or touching eye, nose or mouth and before/after taking up/off the mask
Important Health Advice for Home Confinees
All personal items such as toothbrush and toothpaste, rinsing cup, towels, must be separately placed from those of other family members
Important Health Advice for Home Confinees
Bathtub and washing basin should be cleansed with detergent and water thoroughly after use, while the toilet and toilet seat should be disinfected
Important Health Advice for Home Confinees
Always keep a distance of at least 1 metre from another person
Important Health Advice for Home Confinees
If possible, eat in your own room; otherwise, eat by yourself facing the wall and do not eat on the same table together with your family members
Important Health Advice for Home Confinees
Do not touch commonly shared items; such as TV control panel, radio control panel, door handles, unless you disinfect your hand with alcohol-based handrub first
Points to Note Before Arrival at Hong Kong
- Before departing to Hong Kong, please pay attention to the relevant boarding, quarantine and testing arrangements. For details, refer to the information on this page and this Concise Guide.
- Regarding Designated Quarantine Hotels, please refer to this webpage.
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Health Declaration System
- All inbound travellers are required to submit health declaration form.
- Travellers can submit the form online (https://www.chp.gov.hk/hdf/).
- After submitting the online form, the system will generate a QR code. Please save the result and show it to the border control point staff upon entering Hong Kong. The QR code is valid for 48 hours for arrival via Hong Kong International Airport (For arrival via land control points, the QR code is valid for 24 hours).
- Currently, paper health declaration form is not applicable to travellers arriving in Hong Kong via the Hong Kong International Airport, Passenger Clearance Building of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port and Passenger Terminal Building of Shenzhen Bay Control Point. If travellers have problems with the online form (e.g.no applicable mobile device), they may seek assistance from staff of the Department of Health upon arrival in Hong Kong.
- Arrivals holding a visa with insufficient validity period will be denied entry.
Quarantine Measures for Inbound Travellers
The boarding and quarantine arrangements applicable to a person arriving at Hong Kong depend on:
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Whether the person arriving at Hong Kong is a Hong Kong resident (HKR)
- Non-Hong Kong residents will be denied entry to Hong Kong if they have stayed in Taiwan, any Group A1, A2, B or C specified places on the day of arrival at Hong Kong or during the 14 days before that day.
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What places the person arriving at Hong Kong has stayed in on the day of boarding for/arrival at Hong Kong, or the 21 days before that day
- All persons who have stayed in specified extremely high-risk (Group A1) places for more than two hours on the day of boarding or during the 21 days before that day are not be allowed to board for Hong Kong.
- See also the details on the grouping of specified places and their respective boarding and compulsory quarantine requirements below.
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Whether the person arriving at Hong Kong is fully vaccinated
- The Government has adjusted the boarding, quarantine and testing arrangements for persons arriving at Hong Kong (including Hong Kong residents returning to Hong Kong) who have completed their COVID-19 vaccination course under the "vaccine bubble" concept.
- Fully vaccinated means the suggested dosage has been administered in accordance with the relevant guidelines of a COVID-19 vaccination course at least 14 days prior to arrival at Hong Kong. For travellers who have recovered from previous COVID-19 infection, they will be required to receive one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in order to be considered as fully vaccinated.
- The 14th day after a person has completed a COVID-19 vaccination course is counted by taking the next day after the person received all of the recommended dose(s) of COVID-19 vaccine as the 1st day.
- For example, for a person who has not been infected with COVID-19 previously and received the last recommended dose of COVID-19 vaccine on 10 May 2021, the "1st day" would be 11 May and the "14th day" would be 24 May. This person can be considered "fully vaccinated" starting on 24 May.
- Click here for the “List of COVID-19 Vaccines Recognised for Specified Purposes”
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Whether the vaccinated person possesses positive result proof of a recognised serology antibody test conducted within the past three months (if applicable)
- From 30 June 2021, persons arriving at Hong Kong who have only stayed in Group B specified places, Group C specified places or Taiwan on the day of arrival or the 14 days before that day will be subject to a shortened compulsory quarantine period of seven days at designated quarantine hotels if they have been fully vaccinated and obtained positive result proof of a recognised serology antibody test.
- Recognised serology antibody positive result proof refers to proof of a positive result in a designated format after receiving a designated serology antibody test by a recognised local medical laboratory.
- Click here for the “List of Recognised Private Medical Laboratories for Conducting Recognised Antibody Test”
Please refer to this Concise Guide.
All inbound travellers should not have any symptoms and should have passed temperature checks upon entry. Those with symptoms will be referred to the Department of Health for further handling.
Following the end of compulsory quarantine, inbound travellers may be required to undergo self-monitoring in the subsequent 7 days and compulsory testing(s), depending on the place(s) they have stayed during the relevant period, as well as whether they are fully vaccinated.
Persons who have only stayed in the Mainland, Macao or Taiwan
If only stayed in Mainland China or Macao
| Persons applicable: | HKRs and non-HKRs who have only stayed in the Mainland or Macao on the day of boarding for/arrival at Hong Kong or during the 14 days before that day (including those arriving at Hong Kong via land boundary control points or the airport), and who | |
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| have not been fully vaccinated | have been fully vaccinated | |
| Document requirement: | Not applicable |
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| Quarantine requirement: |
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If only stayed at Taiwan
| Persons applicable: | HKRs who have stayed in Taiwan on the day of boarding for/arrival at Hong Kong or during the 14 days before that day (excluding those who have stayed in Group A1 or Group A2 specified place(s)), and who | |
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| have not been fully vaccinated | have been fully vaccinated | |
| Document requirement: |
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| Quarantine requirement: |
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Other Points to Note
- For details on Return2hk Scheme for Hong Kong residents, please refer to this webpage. Inbound travellers who have been to any at-risk area(s) in the Mainland that are temporarily inapplicable under the Return2HK Scheme in the past 14 days do not fulfill the relevant specified conditions under the Return2hk Scheme and they are required to undergo 14 days compulsory quarantine upon arrival and the relevant compulsory testing arrangement. Shortening of compulsory quarantine period for fully vaccinated persons will also not be applicable.
- For arrangement on exempted persons under "Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation" (Cap. 599C), please refer to this webpage.
Persons who have stayed in overseas places
The Government has categorised the relevant specified places into different groups according to the relevant risk-based boarding and compulsory quarantine requirements:
Group A1|
Group A1 specified places (Extremely high-risk) |
Brazil, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa and the United Kingdom |
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| Persons applicable: | Hong Kong residents who have stayed in Group A1 specified place(s) during the relevant period (the day of boarding for/arrival at Hong Kong or during the 21 days before that day) |
| Boarding requirement: |
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| Quarantine requirement: |
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Group A2 specified places (Very high-risk) |
Ireland
With effect from 16 July 2021: Russia |
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| Persons applicable: | Hong Kong residents who have stayed in Group A2 specified place(s) during the relevant period (the day of boarding for/arrival at Hong Kong or during the 21 days before that day) |
| Boarding requirement: |
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| Quarantine requirement: |
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Group B specified places (High-risk) |
Argentina, Bangladesh, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Romania, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United States of America, and Vietnam With effect until 15 July 2021: Russia |
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| Persons applicable: | Hong Kong residents who have stayed in Group B specified place(s) during the relevant period (the day of boarding for/arrival at Hong Kong or during the 14 days before that day) and who – | |
| have not been fully vaccinated | have been fully vaccinated | |
| Boarding requirement: |
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| Quarantine requirement: |
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Group C specified places (Medium-risk) |
All places except China which are not Group A1, Group A2, Group B or Group D specified places *China means the Mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan | |
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| Persons applicable: | Hong Kong residents who have stayed in Group C specified place(s) during the relevant period (the day of boarding for/arrival at Hong Kong or during the 14 days before that day) and who – | |
| have not been fully vaccinated | have been fully vaccinated | |
| Boarding requirement: |
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| Quarantine requirement: |
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Group D specified places (Low-risk) |
Australia and New Zealand | |
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| Persons applicable: | Hong Kong residents and non-Hong Kong residents who have only stayed in Group D specified place(s), Mainland or Macao during the relevant period (the day of boarding for/arrival at Hong Kong or during the 14 days before that day) and who – | |
| have not been fully vaccinated | have been fully vaccinated | |
| Boarding requirement: |
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| Quarantine requirement: |
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Other points to note
- Travellers to Hong Kong should note that even they have conducted a COVID-19 nucleic acid test before returning to Hong Kong, for prudence sake, they will still be mandated to undergo testing for COVID-19 at the DH's Temporary Specimen Collection Centre and wait for their test results at a designated location pursuant to the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance (Cap. 599).
- If their test results are negative, they will be allowed to go to the hotel for which they made the reservation to continue the compulsory quarantine until completion. If their results are positive, the travellers will be transferred to hospital for isolation and treatment. Close contacts of confirmed cases will be sent to quarantine centre. Travellers have to bear their own cost for cancellation of hotel reservation or other relevant charges as a consequence of the positive test result.
- The DH will issue quarantine orders to these returnees. The relevant government department will also arrange electronic wristbands for them (except for those undergo compulsory quarantine in Designated Quarantine Hotels). According to quarantine orders, they shall neither leave their hotel rooms nor move around in the hotel during the entire quarantine period. Leaving designated rooms will be regarded as a breach of the quarantine order and constitutes a criminal offence. Offenders are subject to a maximum imprisonment for six months and fine of $25,000.
- For arrangement on exempted persons under "Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation" (Cap. 599E), please refer to this webpage.
- For details on Air Travel Bubble, please refer to this webpage.
Boarding Requirements (if Applicable)
For the negative result proof of a nucleic acid test for COVID-19 conducted within 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure of the aircraft, relevant documents should include the following:
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A test report in English or Chinese issued by a laboratory or healthcare institution bearing the name of the relevant traveller identical to that in his or her valid travel document to show that:
- the relevant traveller underwent a nucleic acid test for COVID-19, the sample for which was taken from the relevant traveller within 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure of the specified aircraft;
- the test conducted on the sample is a nucleic acid test for COVID-19; and
- the result of the test is the relevant traveller was tested negative for COVID-19; and
- If the relevant report is not in English or Chinese or does not contain all of the above information, a written confirmation in English or Chinese issued by the laboratory or healthcare institution bearing the name of the relevant traveller identical to that in his or her valid travel document and setting out all of the above information. The said written confirmation should be presented together with the test report; and
- Documentary proof in English or Chinese to show that the laboratory or healthcare institution is ISO 15189 accredited or is recognised or approved by the relevant authority of the government of the place in which the laboratory or healthcare institution is located
The relevant vaccinated traveller should provide the following documentary proof of vaccination:
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The vaccination record in English or Chinese issued by a healthcare institution or a relevant authority of the government of the place where the vaccine was administered, bearing the name of the relevant vaccinated traveller identical to that in his/her valid travel document to show that:
- the relevant vaccinated traveller received dose(s) of COVID-19 vaccine and the date(s) on which the dose(s) was/were administered; and
- the name of the vaccine administered; and
- If the vaccination record is not in English or Chinese or does not contain all of the above information, a written confirmation in English or Chinese issued by the healthcare institution or a relevant authority of the government of the place where the vaccine was administered, bearing the name of the relevant vaccinated traveller identical to that in his/her valid travel document and setting out all of the above information. The said written confirmation should be presented together with the vaccination record.
The operator of the specified aircraft should submit to the Department of Health (DH) before the specified aircraft arrives at Hong Kong a document in a form specified by the DH confirming that each relevant traveller has, before being checked-in for the flight to Hong Kong on that aircraft, produced for boarding on the aircraft the documentary proof to show that the above conditions are met (template). The above-mentioned inbound travellers who fail to produce the relevant specified documents will be refused to board the flight.
The following persons will not be affected:
- A person who is in transit in Hong Kong;
- A person exempted by the Chief Secretary for Administration from compulsory quarantine under section 4(1) of either the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C) or Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation (Cap. 599E); and
- A person who is a Hong Kong resident, and who has commenced his/her journey in Hong Kong and is deemed as an inadmissible person by the authorities of the place of his/her destination;
If any conditions specified by the Secretary for Food and Health is not met in relation to any relevant traveller on the conveyance, each of the operators of the conveyance commits an offence, and is liable on conviction to the maximum penalty of a fine at level 5 ($50,000) and imprisonment for six months. If an operator fails to comply with a requirement to provide information, or knowingly or recklessly provides any information that is false or misleading in a material particular, he or she is liable on conviction to the maximum penalty of a fine at level 5 ($50,000) and imprisonment for six months.
As for travellers, if a traveller coming to Hong Kong fails to comply with a requirement to provide information, or knowingly or recklessly provides any information that is false or misleading in a material particular, he or she is liable on conviction to the maximum penalty of a fine at level 3 ($10,000) and imprisonment for six months.
Serology Antibody Test (if Applicable)
The Government announced that the quarantine requirements for persons arriving at Hong Kong who have received COVID-19 vaccination will be adjusted in phases.
- Persons arriving at Hong Kong who have only stayed in Group B specified places, Group C specified places or Taiwan on the day of arrival or the 14 days before that day will be subject to a shortened compulsory quarantine period of seven days at designated quarantine hotels if they fulfil the following three conditions. They have to undergo two nucleic acid tests during the quarantine period, followed by a seven-day self-monitoring period as well as compulsory testing on the 12th, 16th and 19th days of arrival at Hong Kong. The three conditions are:
- Fully vaccinated with a vaccination record;
- Obtained a negative nucleic acid test result during "test-and-hold" upon arrival at Hong Kong; and
- Possess positive result proof of a recognised serology antibody test conducted in Hong Kong within the past three months.
- The recognised serology antibody test for administering compulsory quarantine requirements must fulfill the following criteria:
- The test is IgG/total antibody test against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein/surrogate neutralising antibody test;
- The test is done by a recognised medical laboratory;
- The test is done within three months (based on specimen collection date);
- Laboratories in Group A (private medical laboratories with the test area of "virology–serology" accredited under the Hong Kong Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (HOKLAS)) may use any validated antibody testing platforms;
- Laboratories in Group B (accredited private medical laboratories recognised by the Hong Kong Government's Laboratory Recognition Scheme without the "virology–serology" accreditation) may only use specified antibody testing platforms (Abbott or Roche); and
- The test result must be reported in the prescribed format in paper form or in the electronic form on Government system to be rolled out separately.
- Click here for the “List of Recognised Private Medical Laboratories for Conducting Recognised Antibody Test”
- Persons in Hong Kong may take a recognised antibody test before departing Hong Kong, and the documentary proof of such, by fulfilling all the above criteria, will be recognised for the purpose of administering the compulsory quarantine arrangements upon returning to Hong Kong.
- The currently recognised antibody tests will be done by serology testing using blood drawn from veins. The decision to receive serology testing is completely voluntary and it is a self-paid arrangement. The positive result proof is valid for three months.
Note: The purpose of checking antibodies is to show evidence of response to vaccination. A negative result or low antibody level may not correlate with lack of protection.
Testing Arrangements for Persons Arriving at Hong Kong
Persons who arrive at Hong Kong and who have only stayed in the Mainland or Macao on the day of arrival at Hong Kong or during the 14 days before that day
Via land boundary control points
| Persons applicable: | Arriving at Hong Kong on or after June 3, 2021 |
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| Fully vaccinated persons or those returning under the Return2hk Scheme |
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| Persons not fully vaccinated and are not returning under the Return2hk Scheme |
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Via the airport
| Persons applicable: | Arriving at Hong Kong on or after June 3, 2021 |
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| Fully vaccinated persons or those returning under the Return2hk Scheme |
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| Persons not fully vaccinated and are not returning under the Return2hk Scheme |
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Staff of the Department of Health will distribute specimen collection bottles to the persons subject to the compulsory testing requirements mentioned above when they arrive at Hong Kong. The relevant persons subject to compulsory testing should collect deep throat saliva samples using the specimen bottles as per the guidelines on the specified testing dates, and return the specimen collection bottles by the same day. If necessary, the relevant persons subject to compulsory testing may also choose to obtain the specimen collection bottles from post offices, general out-patient clinics of the Hospital Authority or vending machines set up at MTR stations via family or friends. Regarding routes to submit specimens, please refer to this webpage.
For persons not subject to compulsory quarantine (i.e. persons arriving at Hong Kong under the Return2hk Scheme or persons exempted from compulsory quarantine), they may alternatively undergo the specified tests by attending Community Testing Centres on the specified testing dates.. The persons subject to testing must keep the SMS notifications containing results of the test for checking when a prescribed officer requires the persons to provide information about their undergoing the specified test.
Persons who have stayed in places outside China
Those arriving Hong Kong via the Hong Kong International Airport will be required to proceed to the Temporary Specimen Collection Centre (TSCC) set up in the restricted area of the Airport for COVID-19 testing immediately upon arrival. They will need to stay at the TSCC to wait for test results. Regarding Quarantine Procedures for entry via Airport, please refer to this webpage.
There will be testing by combined nasal and throat swabs for persons subject to quarantine at designated quarantine hotels. According to the epidemic development and needs, the Government will arrange extra virus testing for persons subject to quarantine at hotels. Young children are required to submit stool samples during their quarantine period. (Note: Charged door-to-door specimen collection service is not applicable to persons undergoing compulsory quarantine at the Designated Quarantine Hotel.)
Regarding compulsory testing outside quarantine period, persons subject to compulsory testing must undergo testing on specified testing dates according to relevant instructions, through returning the specimen to one of the designated collection points or attending any of the community testing centres (CTCs). (Note: except inbound travellers who have stayed in Group A1 or A2 places in the relevant period, who can only undergo testing at CTCs.) Regarding routes to submit specimens, please refer to this webpage.
Other points to note
- According to the epidemic development and needs, the Government will arrange other rounds of virus testing for inbound travellers. Please refer to relevant instructions for details.
- Any enquiries on compulsory testing arrangements may be addressed to the hotline at 6275 6901 which operates from 9am to 6pm.
- Pursuant to the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J), the Government published in the Gazette a compulsory testing notice, requiring relevant inbound travellers to undergo COVID-19 test(s) on specified day(s) after arrival. Any person who fails to comply with the testing notice commits an offence and may be fined a fixed penalty of $5,000. The person would also be issued with a compulsory testing order requiring him/her to undergo testing within a specified time frame. Failure to comply with the order is an offence and the offender would be liable to a fine at level 4 ($25,000) and imprisonment for six months.
- Besides facing prosecution, persons under compulsory quarantine at home who fail to conduct testing according to compulsory testing requirements may be required to complete the rest of the quarantine period at a designated quarantine centre.
FAQs
Please refer to this webpage.