How to Apply for a Chinese Visa in Hong Kong

Current as of 4 September 2026.

How to obtain a new visa when your permitted stay is ending

If your permitted stay in mainland China is coming to an end, one option is to travel to Hong Kong and apply for a new Chinese visa. This is not a formal extension of the old visa and not an automatic “renewal of days”: once the application is approved, the applicant receives a new visa with its own validity period, number of entries and duration of stay.

The whole route is described below: preparing and submitting the online application while still in Shenzhen, entering Hong Kong, receiving the Hong Kong Landing Slip, the online document review, the in-person submission at the Chinese Visa Application Service Center and the return to mainland China once the passport is back.

The key point: the application form and the documents can be filled in and uploaded to your account on the visa centre's website in advance, while you are still in Shenzhen. In the experience of DCP China's visa specialist, the application is sent together with an explanation letter — the family is undergoing treatment and will enter Hong Kong in a few days — and the Landing Slip is uploaded immediately after entry. Bear in mind: the visa centre's FAQ answers the question about applying from mainland China with “No, you can't”, and the centre is entitled to return the application for amendment. In that case it is submitted again, this time from Hong Kong. The details and the fallback plan are in Step 3.

In brief: the sequence of steps

1. Check your eligibility to enter Hong Kong and prepare the full set of documents and translations for every member of the family: everyone travels to Hong Kong, with all their belongings.
2. While still in Shenzhen, register on the visa centre's website, fill in an application form for each person, upload the documents, attach an explanation letter and submit the application.
3. Cross the border via Futian / Lok Ma Chau Spur Line or another suitable border crossing.
4. At Hong Kong immigration control collect the Landing Slip, keep the original, photograph it and upload it to your account the same day: the centre returns the application with the status to be modified and a request for the slip → Operation / Modify → submit it again.
5. Check into a hotel for the whole processing period: your passport will later stay at the visa centre.
6. Wait for the status Online review completed and the confirmation email.
7. Print the Visa Application Certificate with the barcode and the full application form. Prepare the originals and the photograph.
8. Within 30 days of the online review being approved, submit your passport and documents in person at the visa centre and pay for the service.
9. Collect the passport on the date and at the time stated on the receipt, or within two weeks of that date.
10. Before returning to mainland China, fill in the free NIA Arrival Card (step-by-step guide).

In total, allow roughly 4–6 days in Hong Kong, not counting the journey — there are more details in the section “How many days to allow”.

How many days to allow

A guide to the timing: how long each step usually takes and how many days are worth booking in Hong Kong.

1. Preparation and the online application in Shenzhen — scans, translations, the photograph, an application form for each person and submission together with an explanation letter. These days are not counted: it is all done before you leave.
2. Day 1. The border + the Landing Slip — Futian or Luohu, Hong Kong immigration control. Photograph the slip straight away and upload it to your account via Operation / Modify — at the centre's request.
3. Day 1. The hotel — check in for the whole period. By this time the application is already under review.
4. Days 1–2. Approval — the status Online review completed, the email, printing the certificate and the full application form. By experience it takes from a few hours to 1–2 days; the centre does not state an official timeframe.
5. Day 2. Submission at the visa centre — the passport stays at the centre until the day of collection.
6. +3 working days — the passport (the Express option). Come on the date and at the time stated on the receipt.
7. The Arrival Card, back to Shenzhen — the NIA form is filled in before Chinese immigration control (step-by-step guide).

In total ≈ 4–6 days in Hong Kong, not counting the journey; from the in-person submission to the passport — 3–4 days. Four days are possible if the approval arrives on the day of entry and the documents are submitted before 15:00. Six days are possible if a weekend falls between submission and collection or the centre requests additional documents. The timings are approximate: public holidays and requests for additional documents shift them.

Step 1. Before leaving Shenzhen

Applying in Hong Kong does not guarantee that a visa will be issued, nor does it guarantee a particular processing time. Arrange accommodation and a time buffer in Hong Kong in advance, in case additional documents are requested or there is a delay.

• Passport. As a general requirement it must be valid for at least six more months and have at least two blank visa pages.
• Eligibility to enter Hong Kong. The requirements depend on your nationality, your passport and the purpose of the trip. Check them on the Immigration Department Hong Kong website.
• Documents for the required category of Chinese visa. The exact list depends on the purpose of the trip; the visa centre or the consular officer may request additional materials.
• Translations. Documents drawn up in a language other than Chinese or English should be prepared with a translation into English or Chinese. Do not leave the translations until after you have entered Hong Kong.
• Copies and electronic files. Make legible scans in advance, but keep the originals with you for the in-person submission.

The whole family leaves, with all their belongings. The visa is placed in each person's passport, so everyone who previously entered mainland China travels to Hong Kong: an exit record has to appear in every passport. The application in Hong Kong is made afresh and separately for each person — you cannot process one family member and leave the rest in Shenzhen. Leave with all your suitcases: the visa may not be issued, and then you will not be able to return to mainland China, while your belongings will remain on the other side of the border. This is consistent with the centre's rules: the Chinese version of the FAQ requires the applicant to be in Hong Kong for the whole period of the in-person submission and review.

Which visa category to choose

Category S2 is usually the right fit for a patient travelling for treatment: in the visa centre's table of categories the description of this category names treatment explicitly. In DCP China's experience the accompanying parent is processed as S2 as well, and the documents are submitted as a single package. There is no separate official list of “documents for treatment”: the centre's S2 checklist requires “documents on the nature of the private affair as requested by the consular officer”, so bring the medical report and the clinic's invitation with you. The final decision on the category and the set of documents is taken by the visa centre.

Step 2. Documents for the online review and the in-person submission

Since 17 March 2025 the procedure has consisted of two stages: first the online review, then the in-person submission of the passport and the originals after approval.

The basic set

• the passport and a copy of the personal data page;
• the complete visa application form;
• one recent colour photograph against a white or near-white background — 33 mm wide × 48 mm high;
• proof of lawful entry into or residence in Hong Kong; for a visitor — the original and a copy of the Landing Slip; when the application is filed in advance, the slip is uploaded after entry at the centre's request;
• a copy of the most recent Chinese visa, if one was issued previously;
• the documents for the chosen visa category;
• any additional materials requested by the visa centre or the consular officer.

The photograph must have been taken within the last six months, without headwear or conspicuous accessories, full face, with the eyes open and the mouth closed. The official centre requires a printed photograph on glossy photo paper rather than on an ordinary sheet.

If the applicant is a child and the documents relate to treatment

Following the practical notes of a visa specialist, prepare in advance:

• the child's birth certificate with a translation into English or Chinese;
• a medical report with the diagnosis, with a translation;
• the disability certificate, if it is part of the package, with a translation;
• copies of the personal data pages of the passports of both parents;
• the consent of the second parent for the trip — as a fallback document.

In the submissions described by the specialist, the consent of the second parent has not been required so far, but it may still be requested. The fact that it was not asked for in one case does not mean that another applicant will not need the document.

Step 3. The online application: from Shenzhen, in advance

The application form and the documents can be prepared and submitted while you are still in Shenzhen. Make the scans, the translations and the photograph before you leave — then you will reach the border with an application that is already under review, if the centre has taken it on.

1. Open the official Chinese Visa Application Service Center website and select the Hong Kong centre.
2. Register with an email address: the address becomes your login, and every notification from the centre is sent to it.
3. Fill in an application form for each member of the family travelling to Hong Kong.
4. Upload the full set of documents to your account. Documents are not sent by post — they are uploaded to the account, and under the centre's rules all materials are submitted at the online stage.
5. Attach an explanation letter: where you are at the moment, why the Landing Slip will be uploaded later and when you plan to enter Hong Kong.
6. Submit the application and follow the status in your application history and in your email: wait for a message from the centre — in DCP China's experience it usually returns the application with a request for the Landing Slip.

An explanation letter is an option the centre itself provides, not a workaround. The Online Application FAQ allows it explicitly: “If you are unable to provide the required materials, you can submit an explanation letter online, detailing the specific reasons”. Correspondence with the centre goes by email, so the letter is attached to the application as an ordinary document. A template in English:

We are currently in Shenzhen (mainland China), where my child is receiving medical treatment. We will enter Hong Kong on [date] via Futian Port and will upload the Landing Slip immediately after arrival. Please proceed with the online review of our application. Thank you.

Replace the date, the border crossing and the circumstances with your own.

Application statuses in the account: under review — being reviewed, to be modified — returned for amendment, online review completed — the online review has been passed. Check both the application history and your email: the centre sends the reason for a return and the Visa Application Certificate by email.

What the rules say and what happens in practice. In the visa centre's FAQ the question “I am currently in Chinese mainland. Can I submit my application online?” gets a direct answer: “No, you can't. When submitting an online application, the applicant must be from a country or region outside Chinese mainland”. The Chinese version says the same: “不可以”. In the experience of DCP China's visa specialist, an application with an explanation letter is taken on: the centre returns it with the status to be modified and asks for the Landing Slip, and once you have entered and resubmitted it with the slip, the review continues — usually the same day. That is no guarantee. The fallback plan: if the centre refuses to review an application filed from mainland China (the reason for the return arrives by e-mail), attach the slip after entry and submit it again from Hong Kong — the loss is about one day.

Practical experience. With an urgent submission the online review took from a few hours to 1–2 days. This is a specialist's observation: the visa centre does not state an official timeframe for the online review, and a request for additional documents will lengthen the wait.

After online approval the documents must be brought to the centre within 30 days. The online review in itself does not mean that the visa has already been issued: the final decision is taken by the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong SAR.

Step 4. Getting to Hong Kong via Futian

For a route from central Shenzhen the pedestrian border crossing 深圳福田口岸 (Futian) is convenient. The Gaode Map screenshot gives the address 广东省深圳市福田区裕亨路23号; as a guide, it is about 90 m on foot from Exit A of Futian Checkpoint station.

1. Pass through Chinese exit immigration control.
2. Cross the bridge over the Shenzhen River.
3. Pass through Hong Kong immigration control at Lok Ma Chau Spur Line.
4. Collect and keep the Landing Slip.
5. Come out into Hong Kong territory and stay there while the visa is being processed.

The Gaode Map card lists the hours as 06:30–22:30. This is a guide, not a guarantee: before travelling, check the schedule in the official list of Hong Kong control points and on the Shenzhen Port Office website.

Alternative: Luohu / 深圳罗湖口岸

If the Luohu district is closer for you, you can use 深圳罗湖口岸. Gaode Map gives the address 广东省深圳市罗湖区和平路, about 80 m on foot from Exit A1 of Luohu station.

The card lists the hours as 06:30–24:00. Check them again before travelling. On the map, look for the label 深圳罗湖口岸 and the markings 出境 — exit, 入境 — entry.

Step 5. Landing Slip: the Hong Kong entry slip — and straight into your account

The Landing Slip is a small piece of paper issued to a visitor after Hong Kong immigration clearance instead of a passport stamp. It states the name in English, the travel document number, the date of entry, the conditions and the permitted length of stay. The slip is printed both at the counter and when you pass through the e-Channel (for visitors enrolled in the service).

This is not the Chinese Arrival Card and not a visa. The Landing Slip confirms that the applicant is in Hong Kong lawfully. The visa centre's official list of documents cites it explicitly as an example of proof of lawful entry for a visitor.

What to do immediately after the border:

1. Keep the original slip — you will need it at the in-person submission.
2. Photograph or scan it right there in the arrivals hall.
3. The same day, open the application in your account. If the centre has already returned it with the status to be modified and a request for the Landing Slip (the notification comes by email), choose Operation / Modify, attach the photo of the slip and submit the application again. If the status is still under review, there will be no Modify button: the FAQ describes the Modify button only for a returned application — wait for the centre's message, either the request for the slip or the approval.
4. Wait for the status Online review completed and the confirmation email.
5. Print the Visa Application Certificate — the sheet with the barcode.
6. Print the full application form as well, not just a single page. At the counter the officer can take the sheets that are needed; such a set reduces the risk of a repeat visit.

If the slip is lost, the Hong Kong Immigration Department issues a free replacement: Extension Section, 5/F Administration Tower, Immigration Headquarters, 61 Po Yap Road, Tseung Kwan O, New Territories. That will take additional time.

Step 6. Submitting in person at the visa centre

First check into a hotel for the whole period of your stay, and only then hand in your passport. The passport stays at the visa centre until the day of collection. What remains with you is a copy of the personal data page and the receipt — the collection slip used to pick the passport up.

Who comes to the centre: preferably the whole family, so that no questions arise. In DCP China's experience one adult can bring the documents for the whole family — the Chinese version of the centre's rules allows submission through a representative if the applicant is exempt from giving fingerprints (the centre may ask for a letter of authorisation for the representative), and the exemption for short-term visas has been extended until 31 December 2026. The English version of the rules, however, speaks of submission in person, so you should not count in advance on submitting on behalf of everyone — check with the centre.

Address: Unit 304, 3/F, Causeway Center, 28 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.

Document submission and payment: on working days from 09:00 to 15:00, except public holidays. Before travelling, check the current hours and public holidays.

Bring with you:

• the original passport;
• the Visa Application Certificate with the barcode;
• the full printed application form;
• the printed photograph, 33 × 48 mm;
• the original documents listed in the instructions for your category;
• the Landing Slip and a copy of it;
• any additional documents requested during the online review.

The passport stays at the centre while the visa is processed. The visa fee and the service fee are paid on the day of the in-person submission.

Timing and fees

For this guide we use one clear reference point: Express — 860 HKD for a single-entry visa at the general published rate (the visa fee and the service fee together). The official processing time for this option is 3 working days after the in-person submission.

The cost may differ depending on nationality, visa category and the number of entries. Before paying, check the current table of fees. If the amount in the online system or on the receipt differs from the table, go by the amount generated by the visa centre for that particular application.

Same-day processing is not available. Come for the passport on the date and at the time stated on the receipt; the Chinese version of the procedure also allows collection within two weeks of that date, on working days from 09:00 to 17:00. In one of the cases described, the passport was ready before the appointed time, but you should not count on early release.

Step 7. Returning to mainland China: the NIA Arrival Card

Once the passport is back and the new visa has been checked, you can get ready to return to Shenzhen. Before Chinese immigration control, fill in the Arrival Card if it is required in your case.

• Fill it in from a phone
• Fill it in from a computer

This is a free official National Immigration Administration form for entry into mainland China. It does not replace the visa and has nothing to do with the Hong Kong Landing Slip. In practice it takes about five minutes to complete, but leave a time buffer and follow the current prompts in the service. The NIA also warns about fake paid websites.

A step-by-step walkthrough with screenshots of every screen is in a separate guide: China Arrival Card: how to fill it in.

Every crossing counts as a separate entry

Before travelling, check the Entries field in the visa. Any passage through immigration control when entering mainland China counts as the use of one entry — regardless of how long the stay lasts. When a person leaves mainland China and returns to Hong Kong, the current period of stay comes to an end.

• If the visa is single-entry, it cannot be used again after such an entry and the subsequent exit: the permitted entry has already been used up.
• If the visa is double-entry or multiple-entry, you can return only while the visa is still valid and unused entries remain. A new crossing starts a new period of stay under the terms of the visa; it is not a continuation of the previous one.
• For a new entry, fill in a new Arrival Card if it is required. A card prepared for the previous crossing does not replace the details of the new entry.

Do not plan an extra trip back to Hong Kong without checking the Entries, the validity of the visa and the conditions of the next entry.

Before you leave the collection counter, check the name, the passport number, the validity, the number of entries and the permitted duration of stay in the visa. If you find a mistake, speak to a member of the centre's staff immediately.

Common mistakes

• Confusing the Landing Slip with the Arrival Card: the first confirms entry into Hong Kong, the second is filled in before entering mainland China.
• Not checking the number of Entries: even a short entry uses up one permitted entry, and leaving ends the current period of stay.
• Submitting the application from Shenzhen without an explanation letter and not uploading the Landing Slip immediately after entry — the application comes back with the status to be modified and a day is lost.
• Waiting for the centre's reply inside the account and not checking email: the reason for a return and the Visa Application Certificate arrive by email.
• Travelling to Hong Kong without the whole family, or leaving belongings at the clinic: the visa is placed in each person's passport, and everyone needs the exit record.
• Handing the passport in at the visa centre before checking into a hotel.
• Not translating the birth certificate, the medical report or the disability certificate.
• Attaching the passport of the accompanying parent only and forgetting the second parent's document.
• Printing only a single sheet after online approval and not bringing the full application form.
• Treating 860 HKD as a fixed price for every applicant, when the final amount depends on nationality and the parameters of the visa.
• Planning same-day collection or arriving earlier than the time on the receipt, relying on someone else's lucky case.
• Buying the return journey without any margin for an additional request or a delay.

Official sources

• Chinese Visa Application Service Center Hong Kong — the online procedure and timings
• Visa centre — Online Application FAQ: application statuses and the explanation letter
• Visa centre — the same Online Application FAQ in the Chinese version
• Visa centre — FAQ: can the online application be submitted from mainland China
• Visa centre — the same question in the Chinese version of the FAQ
• Visa centre — the whole submission procedure, from registration to passport collection (Chinese version)
• Visa centre — exemption from fingerprint collection until 31 December 2026
• Visa centre — visa categories, including S2
• Visa centre — basic documents and Landing Slip
• Visa centre — photograph requirements
• Visa centre — fees in HKD
• Visa centre — Entries, validity and Duration of Each Stay
• Visa centre — address and opening hours
• Hong Kong Immigration Department — Landing Slip
• Hong Kong Immigration Department — e-Channel Services for Visitors
• Hong Kong Immigration Department — entry requirements
• NIA — Arrival Card for a phone
• NIA — Arrival Card for a computer

Visa rules, fees and opening hours change. Check them again on the official websites before travelling. This article does not replace the decision of the visa centre or individual advice.