With Hong Kong’s territory-wide smart identity-card replacement programme entering its final phase, the Immigration Department announced on 13 July that four Registration-of-Persons offices — Wan Chai, Sham Shui Po, Kwun Tong and Tuen Mun — will extend weekday service hours to 22:00 from 15 July until further notice. The move comes after the closure of eight temporary Smart ID Replacement Centres on 3 March.
![Immigration Department to keep four HKID offices open until 10 pm as smart-card replacement deadline nears]()
For individuals and companies that also need help coordinating visas or travel documents while juggling HKID replacement, VisaHQ offers a convenient one-stop solution. Its dedicated Hong Kong platform provides online applications, deadline reminders and corporate account management, streamlining compliance for both frequent flyers and large mobility teams.
Officials said more than 7.9 million new cards have been issued, covering 95 per cent of eligible holders, but daily bookings remain above 8,000 as summer travellers rush to obtain machine-readable documents before peak holiday season. Principal Immigration Officer Peggy Yung urged residents studying or working overseas to plan ahead. Holders of the old card face no legal sanction if their stay in Hong Kong does not exceed 30 days, but airlines increasingly require the new version to use automated e-gates on arrival. Failure to replace the card before long-haul business trips could force passengers into manual queues, adding up to 45 minutes of clearance time. Corporate mobility teams should circulate the extended-hours timetable and remind expatriate staff on Dependant or Employment visas that they, too, must renew their HKIDs. Group-booking slots are available for companies sending 20 or more employees, and on-site fingerprint capture can be arranged for staff with disabilities. The department reiterated that it currently has “no plan” to invalidate legacy IDs but will review the position at year-end. A statutory grace period of 12 months is widely expected, yet travellers whose work involves frequent e-gate use — such as regional sales teams — are strongly advised to complete replacement this summer.
For individuals and companies that also need help coordinating visas or travel documents while juggling HKID replacement, VisaHQ offers a convenient one-stop solution. Its dedicated Hong Kong platform provides online applications, deadline reminders and corporate account management, streamlining compliance for both frequent flyers and large mobility teams.
Officials said more than 7.9 million new cards have been issued, covering 95 per cent of eligible holders, but daily bookings remain above 8,000 as summer travellers rush to obtain machine-readable documents before peak holiday season. Principal Immigration Officer Peggy Yung urged residents studying or working overseas to plan ahead. Holders of the old card face no legal sanction if their stay in Hong Kong does not exceed 30 days, but airlines increasingly require the new version to use automated e-gates on arrival. Failure to replace the card before long-haul business trips could force passengers into manual queues, adding up to 45 minutes of clearance time. Corporate mobility teams should circulate the extended-hours timetable and remind expatriate staff on Dependant or Employment visas that they, too, must renew their HKIDs. Group-booking slots are available for companies sending 20 or more employees, and on-site fingerprint capture can be arranged for staff with disabilities. The department reiterated that it currently has “no plan” to invalidate legacy IDs but will review the position at year-end. A statutory grace period of 12 months is widely expected, yet travellers whose work involves frequent e-gate use — such as regional sales teams — are strongly advised to complete replacement this summer.
