Hong Kong immigration offices in 2026: where residence, right of abode and travel document filings happen
Status-related filings in Hong Kong are concentrated in one building: the Administration Tower, Immigration Headquarters, 61 Po Yap Road, Tseung Kwan O, New Territories. According to the Immigration Department's "Offices in Immigration Headquarters" official page as of October 2026, right of abode filings sit on the 3rd floor, extension of stay on the 5th floor, travel document applications on the 2nd floor and travel document issue on the 1st floor — all inside that single tower. This article is general orientation for planning which counter you are heading to; it is not an assessment of any individual's immigration position, and where deadlines, status or travel are at stake the department's current published information and qualified professional advice should govern your decision.
Where exactly is the Immigration Headquarters, and is everything in one building?
Every status-related section listed on the department's headquarters page shares the same address: Administration Tower, Immigration Headquarters, 61 Po Yap Road, Tseung Kwan O, New Territories. Only the floor changes, which is why a filing trip is mostly a question of which lift bank you need.
The department publishes a general enquiries hotline (2824 6111), a general fax line (2877 7711) and a general enquiry e-mail address for the headquarters. Officers are stated as available for enquiries on weekdays from 8:45 am to 5:15 pm and on Saturdays from 9:00 am to noon, closed on Sundays and public holidays.
One timing point matters for clients flying in: most status sections keep weekday-only hours. The counters with Saturday morning service are the Information and Liaison Section, the Travel Documents and Nationality (Application) Section and the Travel Documents (Issue) Section.
Which floor handles my residence filing?
The sections below are the ones that handle residence, admission and status questions at headquarters. Each is listed with the same weekday pattern — 8:45 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday, closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
| Section | Floor | Working hours |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Entitlement Section | 7th Floor | 8:45 am – 5:00 pm (Mon – Fri) |
| Employment and Visit Visas Section | 7th Floor | 8:45 am – 5:00 pm (Mon – Fri) |
| Quality Migrants and Mainland Residents Section | 6th Floor | 8:45 am – 5:00 pm (Mon – Fri) |
| Extension Section | 5th Floor | 8:45 am – 5:00 pm (Mon – Fri) |
| Other Visas and Permits Section | 5th Floor | 8:45 am – 5:00 pm (Mon – Fri) |
| Admission of Labour Section | 4th Floor | 8:45 am – 5:00 pm (Mon – Fri) |
| Foreign Domestic Helpers Section | 4th Floor | 8:45 am – 5:00 pm (Mon – Fri) |
| Right of Abode Section | 3rd Floor | 8:45 am – 5:00 pm (Mon – Fri) |
| International Co-operation Section (Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit) | 9th Floor | 8:45 am – 5:00 pm (Mon – Fri) |
The practical routing rule is the section name itself. If your application form, acknowledgement or correspondence names the Extension Section, you go to the 5th floor; if it names the Right of Abode Section, the 3rd floor; if it names the Certificate of Entitlement Section, the 7th floor. The department maintains these as separate counters, so the paperwork you hold is the most reliable indicator of the floor.
For clients who are abroad when something goes wrong, the Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit sits on the 9th floor and publishes a separate 24-hour hotline (1868).
How do right of abode and certificate of entitlement filings differ in routing?
The department lists two distinct counters: the Right of Abode Section on the 3rd floor and the Certificate of Entitlement Section on the 7th floor. Both run 8:45 am to 5:00 pm on weekdays and close at weekends and on public holidays.
Because the two are listed separately, the certificate being sought is the routing key. A filing that the department handles under the Certificate of Entitlement Section belongs on the 7th floor; a filing handled under the Right of Abode Section belongs on the 3rd floor.
Identity cards are a separate track. Once eligibility for a permanent identity card has been verified, the card replacement itself can be routed through the self-service kiosks or a Registration of Persons Office rather than the right of abode counter — the department's kiosk service explicitly covers replacement of a permanent identity card for persons whose eligibility has been verified.
Where are travel documents applied for and issued?
Travel documents are split across two floors, and the split is between applying and collecting.
The Travel Documents and Nationality (Application) Section is on the 2nd floor, open 8:45 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Friday and 9:00 am to 11:30 am on Saturday. It accepts applications for HKSAR travel documents — HKSAR passports, Documents of Identity for Visa Purposes and Re-entry Permits — issues Re-entry Permits, and accepts Chinese nationality related applications. Appointments for travel document applications can be made by telephone or online.
The Travel Documents (Issue) Section is on the 1st floor with the same hours. It issues HKSAR passports and Documents of Identity for Visa Purposes, and it was relocated to Tseung Kwan O on 11 June 2024. Collection follows the period and office stated on the Collection Notice issued by the department; unless a further notice arrives, collection is at the office selected in that notice.
For collection only, the Personal Documentation Collection Kiosk on the Upper Ground Floor and 1st Floor runs far longer hours: 8:45 am to 10:00 pm Monday to Friday and 9:00 am to 10:00 pm Saturday.
Do I need an appointment, and how far ahead can I book?
For extension of stay, the department publishes a 24-hour appointment booking service at gov.hk/esbooking and a telephone booking hotline, 2598 0888. Non-mainland students can use that service to submit extension of stay applications at the Extension Section; mainland students book through the same service for the Quality Migrants and Mainland Residents Section.
The booking mechanics are worth knowing before you plan travel:
- You can select an appointment within the next 24 working days following the day you book.
- A group appointment covers a maximum of four people at the same time interval, and all group members must attend together.
- An appointment can be changed or cancelled; when changing, the new day must be at least one working day later than the day you make the change.
- Subject to quota availability on the day, an applicant may also attend in person and obtain a quota tag before the application is processed.
Separate 24-hour booking channels are published for identity card registration (gov.hk/icbooking) and for submitting HKSAR travel document applications (gov.hk/tdbooking), both reachable on the 2598 0888 hotline. Application status can be checked without travelling: a 24-hour status enquiry hotline (3160 8663) and the gov.hk/immdstatusenquiry service cover applications other than travel documents, with a separate gov.hk page for travel document application status.
What can I do at a self-service kiosk instead of a counter?
The Personal Documentation Submission Kiosks handle identity card and passport applications without an appointment, which is often the fastest route for clients who already hold a valid card.
Identity card kiosks sit on the 3rd floor during daytime hours (8:45 am – 4:30 pm weekdays, 9:00 am – 11:30 am Saturday) and on the Ground Floor in the evening (4:30 pm – 10:00 pm weekdays, 11:30 am – 10:00 pm Saturday). To use one for an identity card, a person must be aged 18 or above and hold a valid locally issued smart identity card. The covered applications are replacement of an adult identity card on reaching 18 while holding a card issued for ages 11 to 17, replacement with a permanent identity card after eligibility has been verified, and replacement of a lost identity card. Invalid identity cards cannot be used at the kiosks, and if registered particulars need to change at the same time, the appointment route through a Registration of Persons Office applies instead.
For an HKSAR passport at a kiosk, the applicant must be a Chinese citizen, a permanent resident of the HKSAR and a holder of a valid Hong Kong permanent identity card. Kiosks do not cover replacement of a passport that is lost, damaged, defaced or unavailable for applicants aged below 18, nor applications involving amendment of personal particulars — those go to a counter at the Travel Documents and Nationality (Application) Section or an Immigration Branch Office.
There is also a one-stop kiosk route that combines an identity card replacement and an HKSAR passport application in the same session, subject to the same conditions above. Collection of either document can then be handled at the collection kiosks.
Beyond headquarters, the department's "Address and Working Hours of Offices" page lists seven Immigration Branch Offices — including the Hong Kong Island Travel Documents Issuing Office, East Kowloon, West Kowloon, Sha Tin, Fo Tan, Tuen Mun and Yuen Long — and six Registration of Persons Offices, including a Tseung Kwan O Office. Their individual addresses and hours are published on that page.
What happens to headquarters services in a typhoon or rainstorm?
Severe weather arrangements are published by the department and are worth checking before any flight-and-filing plan built around a fixed date.
If Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 or higher is issued outside office hours, services are suspended while the signal is in force at all public offices and self-service kiosks at Immigration Headquarters, and also at births, deaths and marriage registries, Immigration Branch Offices and Registration of Persons Offices. If the signal is issued during office hours, services continue until everyone present has been served. The same suspension applies while a post-super-typhoon "extreme condition" announcement is in force.
In general, services resume two hours after the signal or announcement is cancelled. If it is cancelled within two hours before closing, services remain suspended for that day. Where resumption would fall inside the lunch break of branch offices, Registration of Persons Offices or the registries, services resume at 2:00 pm. A Black Rainstorm Warning Signal issued outside office hours suspends services under the same resumption arrangement; issued during office hours, services continue until closing. The department directs the public to radio and television announcements for the latest position.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Right of Abode Section open on Saturdays?
No. The Right of Abode Section on the 3rd floor operates 8:45 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Friday and is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Only the Information and Liaison Section, the Travel Documents and Nationality (Application) Section and the Travel Documents (Issue) Section publish Saturday morning hours.
Which floor submits an extension of stay application at headquarters?
Extension of stay applications go to the Extension Section on the 5th floor, open 8:45 am to 5:00 pm on weekdays. Appointments are available through gov.hk/esbooking or the 2598 0888 hotline, with a booking window of the next 24 working days.
Where do I collect an HKSAR passport?
Collection follows the office and period stated on the Collection Notice issued by the department. The Travel Documents (Issue) Section, which issues HKSAR passports and Documents of Identity for Visa Purposes, is on the 1st floor and relocated to Tseung Kwan O on 11 June 2024.
Can I apply for a passport and replace my identity card in one visit?
Yes, through the one-stop Personal Documentation Submission Kiosk, if you are 18 or above, hold a valid locally issued smart identity card, are a Chinese citizen, are a permanent resident of the HKSAR and hold a valid Hong Kong permanent identity card. Lost, damaged or defaced passport replacements and any change of personal particulars must go to a counter at the 2nd floor section or an Immigration Branch Office.
What happens to my appointment if a No. 8 typhoon signal is raised?
Services at headquarters offices and self-service kiosks are suspended while the signal or an "extreme condition" announcement is in force, and generally resume two hours after cancellation. If cancellation comes within two hours of closing time, services stay suspended for that day.
Where do quality migrants and mainland residents file?
The Quality Migrants and Mainland Residents Section is on the 6th floor, open 8:45 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Friday. Mainland students can book extension of stay appointments through the same 24-hour booking service used by the Extension Section.