Visa requirements for Chinese citizens of Hong Kong

As of 2025, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport holders have visa-free or visa on arrival access to 169 countries and territories, ranking the passport 17th in the world according to the Henley Passport Index.^[1] It is ranked 11th by the Global Passport Power Rank.^[2] In practice, some countries and territories unfamiliar with the HKSAR passport, particularly in Latin America, would subject holders to visa requirement as ordinary Chinese passport holders, as HKSAR passport uses CHN as the machine identification code and cannot be automatically distinguished from ordinary Chinese passports.

The official figure provided by the Hong Kong Immigration Department of countries and territories granting visa-free access to Hong Kong SAR passport holders was 173 as of 4 February 2025. (However, this figure excludes countries and territories which are not officially recognised by the People's Republic of China, such as Kosovo, Taiwan and Somaliland, territories deemed to be under Chinese rule, such as Mainland China and Macao, as well as UN observer states, such as Palestine and Vatican City so the practical figure relevant to Hong Kong passport holders is actually much higher.) ^[3]

Due to the one country, two systems policy, the Government of Hong Kong can make a visa-waiver agreement for Chinese residents of Hong Kong with other countries. As a result of both bilateral visa abolition agreements (e.g. between Hong Kong and Russia^[4]) and unilateral decisions to grant visa exemptions (e.g. Myanmar), HKSAR passport holders enjoy visa exemptions and simplified visa procedures to a large number of destinations worldwide. Whilst the visa exemptions are mostly only for short trips for pleasure or on business, a number of countries extend the visa exemption to short stays involving paid activities (e.g. Belgium and Luxembourg).

HKSAR passports are available to Chinese citizens who are also permanent residents of Hong Kong and hold a valid Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card, many of whom also hold a British National (Overseas) passport by virtue of their previous status as British Overseas Territories citizens.