Personal Documentation

HKSAR passports are issued to Chinese citizens who have the right of
abode in the HKSAR and who hold Hong Kong permanent identity cards.

Applications for HKSAR passport may be submitted either by post or in
person. Persons residing outside Hong Kong should submit their
applications to the local Chinese diplomatic or consular mission for
onward transmission to the HKSAR for approval and personalisation of
passports. Personalised passports will be despatched to the Chinese
diplomatic or consular mission for issue to the applicants.

The HKSAR passport is in a machine-readable format. There are two
types of HKSAR passports: the regular size (32 pages) and the jumbo size
(48 pages). The passport is normally valid for 10 years for persons 16
years of age or over and five years for children under 16. At the end of
1997, 335 658 HKSAR passports were issued.

With effect from April 1, 1997, the British Consulate-General has taken
over from the Immigration Department responsibility for issuing and
renewing British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) passports. All records of
BN(O) passports issued previously by the department were transferred to
the Consulate-General.

For the period from January to June 1997, the demand for Hong Kong
Certificates of Identity decreased by 32.4 per cent compared with the
corresponding months in 1996. The issuing of Hong Kong Certificates of
Identity ceased on July 1, 1997, and most holders may now apply for a
HKSAR passport. However, Certificates of Identity have a 10-year validity
and are valid travel documents until their expiry. Demand for re-entry
permits decreased by 37.4 per cent.

There are two types of identity cards: the Hong Kong Permanent Identity
Card, which states that the holder has the right of abode in Hong Kong,
and the Hong Kong Identity Card, which does not carry that right. The
fully automated system for booking appointments by telephone has been
well accepted by the public. In 1997, 728 257 identity cards were issued:
313 621 to new arrivals and persons who reached the age of 11 or 18
years, and 236 980 to people who applied for replacement identity cards
due to loss, damage or change of personal particulars.

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