How to authorise someone to collect my Hong Kong ID card in 2026

Yes, someone else can collect your Hong Kong identity card for you. According to the Hong Kong Immigration Department's "Identity Cards" Frequently Asked Questions page (as of October 2026), you authorise a representative by notifying the registration officer at the time you apply and completing Form ID678, the authorisation form for collection of an identity card or travel document. The split matters: you must apply for the card in person, but collection can be handed to someone else.

What Form ID678 is, and what it covers

Form ID678 is the Immigration Department's authorisation form for collecting an identity card — or a travel document — on another person's behalf. You complete it, and your representative presents it when collecting the card.

The Department also accepts your own written authorisation instead of the form. Either way, one condition applies: the signature on Form ID678 or on your written authorisation must be the same as the signature you signed on the application form. That single requirement is the most common reason a collection is refused at the counter.

Who can collect the card for you

The representative must have attained 18 years of age. The FAQ page sets an age requirement and nothing further — it does not require the representative to be a relative, and it does not require any prior registration of that person beyond what you write on the authorisation.

What the representative must bring on collection day

At the counter, your representative needs three things:

Their own valid proof of identity — a Hong Kong identity card, a passport, or a Hong Kong Re-entry Permit.
Your acknowledgement of application for an identity card, the slip issued when you applied.
The completed Form ID678, or your written authorisation, signed to match your application form signature.

Collection has to happen within the period specified on that acknowledgement. Have your representative check the slip before going, and keep it with the authorisation.

How to set the authorisation up, in order

Tell the registration officer when you apply that you will not collect the card yourself.
Complete Form ID678, or write your own authorisation.
Sign it exactly as you signed the application form.
Hand your representative the signed form and your acknowledgement of application for an identity card.
Have the representative attend the Registration of Persons office in person during the collection period shown on the slip.

Can the representative use a self-service collection kiosk instead

The Immigration Department has installed 10 Personal Documentation Collection Kiosks at the Immigration Headquarters in Tseung Kwan O, and services there are appointment-free. The authorised-collection procedure described on the Department's FAQ page is written for collection from a Registration of Persons office; the page does not set out a kiosk procedure for representatives. Treat counter collection as the route the Department confirms.

If you are outside Hong Kong when the card is ready

Being abroad does not remove the in-person requirement for the application itself. The Department states that applicants must apply for a new smart identity card in person, and that authorisation covers collection only.

For people still holding an old-form smart identity card, the replacement deadline runs from return, not from the invalidation date: those absent from Hong Kong should replace the card within 30 days of returning. The appointment booking system currently offers a 96-working-day booking window, so a booking can be made before you fly. Old-form smart identity cards issued before 26 November 2018 were invalidated in two phases in 2025 — cards held by people born in or after 1970 became invalid on 12 May 2025, and cards held by people born in 1969 or before became invalid on 12 October 2025. An invalid identity card is not accepted for immigration clearance; you need a valid travel document to enter or leave Hong Kong, and an invalid card presented on arrival has to be surrendered.

Failing to apply within a specified call-up period without reasonable excuse is an offence under section 7B(3) of the Registration of Persons Ordinance, carrying a fine of $5,000 if prosecuted. Absence from Hong Kong is listed as an example of a reasonable excuse, and applicants relying on it are required to declare the reason upon registration. Where an immigration officer has ordered a replacement after an invalid card was surrendered and the order is not followed, the offence falls under regulation 19(4) of the Registration of Persons Regulations and carries a fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for 2 years.

One point worth checking if you hold permanent resident status but not Chinese nationality: if you have been absent from Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than 36 months since you ceased to have ordinarily resided there, your right of abode in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region may be affected. Under the law, a person who loses the right of abode automatically acquires the right to land, which allows free entry to live, study or work in Hong Kong without restriction.

If you cannot attend at all because of age or health

A different route exists. Under the Registration of Persons Regulations, the aged, the blind and the infirm who satisfy a registration officer that attending in person would injure their health, or the health of others, are not required to register or to apply for the issue or renewal of an identity card. People in Hong Kong in those categories apply for a Certificate of Exemption, and the application can be made in writing by you or by a representative such as a family member. Residents not living in Hong Kong are not required to register for an identity card, so they are not required to apply for the certificate.

Note that a Certificate of Exemption is not a travel document — travel still requires a valid passport or re-entry permit.

Why authorisations fail at the counter

Three problems account for most refusals: the representative is under 18, the signature on the authorisation does not match the signature on the application form, or the acknowledgement of application is missing. A fourth is quieter — arriving after the collection period printed on the acknowledgement. Check all four before your representative leaves for the office.

This article is general information about published Immigration Department requirements and is not legal advice for your circumstances; confirm the current position on the Department's own pages or with a qualified professional before you rely on it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my representative have to be 18 or over?

Yes. The Immigration Department requires the authorised representative to have attained 18 years of age. The FAQ page sets no other condition on who may be appointed.

Can I use a signed letter instead of Form ID678?

Yes, the Department accepts either the completed Form ID678 or your own written authorisation. In both cases the signature must match the one you signed on the application form.

Can the same person also submit the application for me?

No. Applicants must apply for a new smart identity card in person, according to the Immigration Department. Authorisation covers collection of the card, not the application or the biometric and verification steps that go with it.

How long does my representative have to collect the card?

Collection should take place within the period specified on the acknowledgement of application for an identity card. The Department does not publish a single fixed window, so read the date on your own slip.

Is there a fee for authorising someone to collect my card?

The Department's FAQ page lists no fee for the authorisation itself. Separately, no fee is charged for an identity card issued to new arrivals or to people reaching the age of 11 or 18, while fees are payable for replacement due to loss, damage, destruction, defacement or alteration of personal particulars; the page does not state those replacement amounts.

I applied at the Kwun Tong office — where does my representative collect?

The Registration of Persons – Kwun Tong (Temporary) Office ceased operating on 26 October 2025. Applicants who applied there and have yet to collect their cards must collect them at the Registration of Persons – Tseung Kwan O Office.

Can a representative collect my card while I am still overseas?

Only after you have applied in person, since an application cannot be made through a representative. If you are abroad holding an old-form smart identity card, you apply within 30 days of returning to Hong Kong, and the representative collects the new card afterwards.