Naturalisation as a Chinese national in Hong Kong: forms ID 874, 875 (2026)

If you are applying for naturalisation as a Chinese national in Hong Kong, the form you need depends on age: ID 874 for applicants aged 18 or over, and ID 875 for applicants under 18. Both are issued by the Hong Kong Immigration Department, and the split is stated on the department's official pages for ID 874 and ID 875, as at October 2026.

Everything below comes from those official form pages and from the department's guide page ID 874A.

Which form applies to me: ID 874 or ID 875?

Age is the dividing line between the two Hong Kong forms (ID 874 for applicants aged 18 or over, ID 875 for applicants under 18); the department also directs overseas applicants to a separate pair of forms.

ID 874 — Application for Naturalization as a Chinese National (For persons aged 18 or over): 4 pages, 283 KB, bilingual Chinese and English.
ID 875 — Application for Naturalization as a Chinese National (For persons aged under 18): 4 pages, 295 KB, bilingual Chinese and English.

Both documents run to four pages, so the age split changes who signs and what is asked, not the length of the paperwork. In a household filing together, each person submits a separate form: suppose two parents and a 15-year-old apply at the same time — the parents each file ID 874, the child files ID 875.

Do I need to read the guide ID 874A first?

Yes. Both form pages instruct applicants to read ID 874A before completing the form, and the instruction is identical on the ID 874 and ID 875 pages, so an under-18 application is prepared against the same guide as an adult one.

ID 874A, "A Guide for Applicants – Naturalisation as a Chinese National", runs to 18 pages (480 KB, Chinese and English). The department describes its contents as information on eligibility for naturalisation as a Chinese national and on the application process. The eligibility criteria themselves are not summarised on the form pages, so they have to be read in the guide.

One distinction worth keeping straight when you are planning across several applications: the separate guide ID 869A, which covers change of nationality, also addresses the consequence of an application for change of nationality in relation to the right of abode in the HKSAR. ID 874A is described in terms of eligibility and process only. Those are different applications, and the guides are not interchangeable.

What if I am applying from outside Hong Kong?

The Hong Kong series is not the one used abroad. The ID 874 and ID 875 pages both direct overseas applicants to a different pair of forms:

Applicant	Overseas form	Guidebook
Aged 18 or over	ID 922	ID 922A
Aged under 18	ID 923	ID 922A

The same 18-year-old threshold carries into the overseas series, and both age groups read the same guidebook, ID 922A. The ID 874 and ID 875 pages direct overseas applicants to ID 922 and ID 923 but do not set out those forms' contents, so treat the overseas route as a separate track rather than a variation of ID 874 and ID 875.

How does naturalisation differ from the other Chinese nationality applications?

Naturalisation is one of four application types the department handles under Chinese nationality. Filing the wrong one is the common error, because the form numbers sit close together.

Application	Applicants aged 18 or over	Applicants under 18	Guide for applicants
Naturalisation as a Chinese national	ID 874	ID 875	ID 874A
Change of nationality	ID 869	ID 870	ID 869A
Renunciation of Chinese nationality	ID 877	not listed separately	ID 877A
Restoration of Chinese nationality	ID 878	not listed separately	ID 878A

Renunciation and restoration appear on the department's pages as single forms without an age-based version, unlike naturalisation and change of nationality, which each have an adult and a minor form. Renunciation (ID 877) and restoration (ID 878) are two pages each; the naturalisation forms are four.

Where does a completed form go, and is fax accepted?

Completed ID 874 and ID 875 forms go to the Nationality Sub-section of the Immigration Department, at 2nd Floor, Administration Tower, Immigration Headquarters, 61 Po Yap Road, Tseung Kwan O, New Territories. The department lists the same address for submission by mail and in person.

Fax is not accepted. That is stated on both pages, and it applies to the naturalisation forms as it does to the other nationality forms on the department's site.

What is not on these pages

The form pages and the ID 874A guide page publish no fee, no processing target and no supporting-document checklist. Government charges and any timetable should be confirmed against the department's current published information. This is general reference material about published forms and procedures, not advice on an individual case; for a specific situation, the guide ID 874A and the department's current official pages are the authority, alongside qualified professional advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which form do I use for naturalisation as a Chinese national in Hong Kong?

Use ID 874 if you are 18 or over and ID 875 if you are under 18, according to the Immigration Department's official form pages. Both forms are four pages long and come in Chinese and English versions. Each applicant files separately, so a family applies on more than one form.

Do I have to read ID 874A before filling in the form?

Both the ID 874 and ID 875 pages tell applicants to read the guide for applicants ID 874A first. The guide is 18 pages and covers eligibility for naturalisation as a Chinese national and the application process. The under-18 form points to the same guide as the adult form.

I live outside Hong Kong. Can I still use ID 874 or ID 875?

No. The ID 874 and ID 875 pages direct overseas applicants to ID 922 if they are 18 or over, or ID 923 if they are under 18. Both overseas forms are read with the guidebook ID 922A.

How is naturalisation different from change of nationality?

Change of nationality uses ID 869 for adults and ID 870 for under-18s, with guide ID 869A, which also covers the effect of an application on the right of abode in the HKSAR. Naturalisation uses ID 874 and ID 875 with guide ID 874A, which the department describes in terms of eligibility and process. They are separate applications with separate forms.

Is there a separate form for a child who is renouncing or restoring Chinese nationality?

The department's pages list a single form for renunciation (ID 877) and a single form for restoration (ID 878), each with its own guide, ID 877A and ID 878A. No age-specific version is listed for either, unlike the naturalisation and change-of-nationality forms.

Can I fax a completed ID 874 or ID 875?

No. Both pages state that fax is not accepted. Completed forms go by mail or in person to the Nationality Sub-section at Immigration Headquarters in Tseung Kwan O.