As Hong Kong’s COVID situation continues to improve and daily case counts have fallen to very low levels, the government announced today (April 22) that the following measures will take effect starting at 12:00 a.m. on May 1:

  • Non-Hong Kong residents will be allowed to enter Hong Kong
  • The threshold for triggering flight-specific suspension rules based on confirmed cases will be raised
  • Airport testing on arrival will be changed to rapid antigen testing, allowing travelers to get to their quarantine hotel more quickly

Non-residents allowed to enter

The biggest point of interest is that non-residents will once again be allowed to enter Hong Kong. Under Hong Kong’s current entry policy, travelers arriving from overseas must quarantine in a designated quarantine hotel for 7 days. If your permitted stay in Hong Kong is not more than 7 days, then you cannot enter Hong Kong under these rules. Therefore, only the following people can currently enter Hong Kong:

  1. Hong Kong permanent residents or non-permanent residents
  2. People holding a visa that allows them to stay in Hong Kong for more than 7 days, or those eligible for visa-free entry for more than 7 days

In other words, if you only hold a Chinese passport, because you can normally only transit visa-free in Hong Kong for 7 days, you would not be allowed to board a flight to Hong Kong, nor could you use Hong Kong as a route back to mainland China. But if you hold a U.S. or Canadian passport, you can enter Hong Kong, apply for a Chinese visa there, and then continue into mainland China.

Applying for a Hong Kong visa

During the pandemic, Chinese embassies and consulates abroad have generally been reluctant to issue Hong Kong entry permits directly. However, you can apply directly with the Hong Kong Immigration Department for a tourist visa. As for whether they will approve a stay of more than 7 days, that is less certain.

Summary

This new policy mainly affects travelers who are not Chinese nationals. The impact on Chinese passport holders is limited, and for now there still does not appear to be much of a workaround.