Immigration Department introduces electronic services for visa application and “e-Visa” arrangement
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The Immigration Department (ImmD) announced today (December 22) that electronic services for visa application and “e-Visa” arrangement will be launched on Tuesday (December 28), allowing applicants to complete the entire process of visa application, including application submission, payment and “e-Visa” collection, online without having to attend an Immigration office in person.
Under the electronic services for visa application, eligible applicants can submit their applications online through the ImmD mobile application, the ImmD’s website or the GovHK website. Once their applications are approved, applicants can use the online payment service to pay the relevant fee and download the “e-Visa” instantly upon payment. The “e-Visa” can be printed and/or saved as a PDF file on a personal mobile device.
The “e-Visa”, including the electronic “Notification Slip for Entry Visa/Permit”, “Notification Slip for Conditions of Stay” and “Foreign Domestic Helper – Notification Slip for Extension of Stay and Entry Visa”, will replace the existing sticker-type labels for entry visas/permits, extension of stay and more. Upon implementation of the “e-Visa” arrangement, the ImmD will cease issuing sticker-type labels. Labels including entry visas/permits and extension of stay issued before December 28, 2021, will remain valid in accordance with the information stated thereon.
An “e-Visa” contains a QR code for anti-forgery purposes. Persons concerned can verify the information on the “e-Visa” by scanning the QR code with the ImmD mobile application. The QR code on the “e-Visa” is generated by the ImmD’s official encryption key. The information cannot be retrieved by scanning the QR code with other mobile applications. Persons concerned may also choose to input the information on the “e-Visa” for verification by using the “e-Visa” enquiry service through the ImmD mobile application, the ImmD’s website or the GovHK website.
The “e-Visa” arrangement is not applicable to the entry visas/permits issued by Chinese diplomatic and consular missions or the Immigration Divisions of the Mainland offices of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
After the implementation of electronic services for visa application, applicants may continue to use the existing methods to submit their applications and pay the fee. Regardless of the submission method, the eligibility criteria of relevant applications and fees remain unchanged.
The electronic services for visa application will be introduced in phases. For further details on electronic services for visa application and “e-Visa” arrangement, please visit the ImmD’s website at www.immd.gov.hk/eng/evisaonline.html. For enquiries, please call 2824 6111, or send enquiries to the ImmD by fax at 2877 7711 or by email at enquiry@immd.gov.hk.