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The issue of the HKSAR passport is strictly controlled by the Immigration
Department. Under the HKSAR Passports Ordinance, eligibility is limited
to Chinese citizens who are Hong Kong permanent residents holding permanent
identity cards. The passport contains advanced anti-forgery design features.
To further enhance the security features of the HKSAR passport, an enhanced
version was introduced on January 1, 2003.
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, 476 739 applications were received,
including 4 540 from overseas.
The HKSAR Passports Appeal Board was established on
September 7, 1998 to handle appeals against refusal of applications for
HKSAR passports. It received 22 appeals in 2003.
During the year, the Immigration Department continued
its efforts in visa-free lobbying for HKSAR passport holders. Countries
having agreed to grant visa-free access to HKSAR passport holders included
Croatia, Central African Republic and Burkina Faso.
By year-end, a total of 126 countries/territories
had agreed to grant visa-free access to HKSAR passport holders.
In September 2003, the Director of Immigration led
a delegation to visit Finland, Slovenia, France, Belgium and United Kingdom.
The visit has strengthened the links and cooperation between the Immigration
Department and its counterparts in these countries in immigration matters,
especially with regard to the global problem of human smuggling and forged
documents.
During the visit to Europe, the Director of Immigration
signed an immigration cooperation protocol with the Director-General of
the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Interior of Finland on September
24. The protocol reflects the determination of two sides to work more
closely and cooperatively to tackle immigration problems of common concern.
The Immigration Department will continue to lobby
more countries for maximum travel convenience for 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 another country. With a view to automating the preparation
process and enhancing the international acceptance of the DI, a new machine-readable
DI with enhanced security features was launched on September 1. REPs are
issued to Hong Kong residents for travelling to the Mainland and the Macau
SAR. During the year, 49 214 DIs and 90 919 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 persons who have the right of abode
in Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Identity Card issued to residents who
do not have that right. During the year, 858 972 identity cards were issued,
including 346 665 smart identity cards issued under the territory-wide
replacement exercise for smart identity cards. |
