Hong Kong – Further enhancements to appointment booking arrangements for identity cards application

     The Immigration Department (ImmD) announced today (April 10) that starting from April 12, two enhancements to the appointment booking arrangements for identity cards application will be introduced:

(I) Appointments for applications during extended service hours of Registration of Persons (ROP) Offices for replacement of Hong Kong identity cards for persons already in possession of Hong Kong identity cards reaching 11 or 18 years of age 

     Since March 6, 2023, the working hours of four designated ROP Offices, viz. Hong Kong Office, Kowloon Office, Kwun Tong Office and Tuen Mun Office, have been extended to 10pm for processing applications for replacement of new smart identity cards made after the end of the Territory-wide Identity Card Replacement Exercise continuously in an orderly manner during the extended hours, i.e. from 4.30pm to 10pm, Monday to Friday and from 12.30pm to 10pm on Saturday.
 
     In view of the upsurge of demand for replacement of identity card service since the resumption of travel, staring from April 12, persons already in possession of Hong Kong identity cards reaching 11 or 18 years of age may make appointment booking for replacement of Hong Kong identity cards during the extended service hours of the above-mentioned four designated ROP Offices, on top of the existing arrangement of making appointment booking during the normal ROP service hours of all six ROP Offices. For details, please see Annex I. 
 
     The above arrangement is only applicable to applicants who are already in possession of Hong Kong identity cards applying for replacement. Applicants reaching 11 or 18 years of age who have never registered for an identity card should make an appointment booking during normal ROP service hours for first registration of identity card.
 
(II) Extension of appointment bookable period from 24 working days to 96 working days 

     The appointment bookable period of the ROP services appointment booking system will be extended from 24 working days to 96 working days, so as to facilitate members of the public to make appointments for services.
 
     Residents may scan the QR codes (see Annex II) to download the ImmD mobile application or make an appointment for an identity card application via the Internet (www.gov.hk/icbooking).
 
     In order to ensure that residents could apply for identity cards in a smooth and orderly manner, residents should arrive at the ROP Offices as scheduled for identity card services. ROP Offices will not process applications without appointments. For applicants without an appointment but have an urgent need to replace their identity cards which have been lost, destroyed, damaged or defaced, the ROP Offices will offer assistance based on individual circumstances.