Restrictions for passengers travelling to Hong Kong
Latest update: 08 Jul 2020
Before you fly
In response to COVID-19, Cathay Pacific Airlines implemented a number of measures to safeguard the wellbeing of its passengers and crew. While the risk of transmission from one passenger to another onboard remains very low, they have introduced additional requirements for added protection. Please visit Cathay's COVID-19 information centre to learn more.
Government travel restrictions
The Hong Kong SAR government has implemented the following travel restrictions for passengers arriving in and transiting through Hong Kong.
Entry restrictions
Effective from 25 March 2020 (00:00 HKT), only Hong Kong residents with following documents will be permitted to enter Hong Kong:
- Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card or Hong Kong Identity Card that:
- bears the “asterisk” or “A” or “R” codes
- bears the “C” code (provided that it is accompanied by a valid work visa or study visa)
- bears the “U” code (Note: this type of HKID is subject to approval from Hong Kong Immigration prior to acceptance at check-in)
- Hong Kong SAR passport or British National (Overseas) passport (with right of abode in Hong Kong)
- Hong Kong Document of Identity
Non-Hong Kong residents will be denied entry into Hong Kong.
Entry restriction exemptions
The following passengers are exempt from the entry restrictions:
- Passengers travelling from Mainland China, Taiwan or Macao SAR, and have not been to other country/region in past 14 days
- Diplomatic/official passport holders (subject to prevailing visa requirements)
- The spouse and children of Hong Kong residents
- Local government personnel performing official duties
- Personnel approved by the Hong Kong SAR government to carry out anti-epidemic work
- Passengers holding a new entry visa to work, study, establish or join in any business, or to take up residence in Hong Kong
Passengers falling into this exemption category must still meet the minimum 14 days intended/permitted limit of stay in order to meet the 14 days of compulsory quarantine requirements – otherwise entry will be refused
Transit requirements
From 1 June 2020, air transit services at Hong Kong International Airport resumed in phases. Passengers will be able to transit through Hong Kong if:
- Their itinerary is contained in a single booking
- They meet the entry requirements of their final destination
- They have their baggage checked through to the final destination
- They have been issued their onward boarding pass(es) from their origin and
- The connection time between flights is within 24 hours.
Transit restrictions
In this first phase, transiting to and from destinations in Mainland China is not available.
All sea-to-air ferry services (Greater Bay Area to Hong Kong) and air-to-sea ferry services (Hong Kong to Greater Bay Area) are also suspended.
Special chartered ferry service between Hong Kong and Macao
A special chartered ferry service between Hong Kong SkyPier and Macao Taipa (YFT) with two daily sailings will run during the period of 17 June to 16 July 2020.
Subject to requirements being met, Macao residents wishing to use this special ferry service must register online, 48 hours prior to their scheduled flight departure. For more details, please visit the Government Information Bureau of the Macao SAR.
New Flight bookings
Please note that we are currently updating our booking systems to reflect the new transit requirements, which will be made available as soon as possible. We apologise if you cannot book your desired itinerary immediately.
Additional entry requirements
A health declaration form must be completed and submitted to the Hong Kong Department of Health on arrival. Passengers can submit their details by filling out the online form prior to departure – upon completion, a QR code (valid for 48 hours) will be provided to present to officials on arrival.
All passengers arriving into Hong Kong will be required to undergo a medical test for COVID-19 upon completion of all health, immigration, customs and quarantine clearance requirements.
The test, which involves providing a saliva sample, will be conducted by medical professionals at the Department of Health Temporary Specimen Collection Centre at the Asia World Expo building. Passengers will receive directions and assistance when leaving the baggage claim area. Additionally, passengers will be required to wait for their test results.
Quarantine measures
The latest compulsory quarantine requirements for all passengers can be found on the Hong Kong SAR Government’s COVID-19 website