What you need to enter Hong Kong with a French passport

Authorisation system

Visa exemption up to 90 days (own border control, separate from mainland China)

Hong Kong is part of China, but as a Special Administrative Region it has its own immigration and customs controls. Working, studying or staying longer than permitted requires a visa; a work-based residence permit can be processed from within the territory, but you may not work until it is granted, and doing so can lead to detention and removal. Travelling between Hong Kong, Macao and mainland China means a full passport and customs check in each direction, and mainland China requires its own visa or exemption.

Required documents

• A valid passport. Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives six months' minimum validity and warns that airlines usually refuse boarding with less; the UK Government says one month after departure. Six months is the safe choice.
• A passport with unofficial souvenir stamps from tourist sites in other countries is invalid for entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao: do not let anyone stamp it.
• Travellers connecting in Hong Kong for South-East Asia must also carry the visa for their final destination and six months' validity.

Transit rules

It is prohibited to bring in e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, herbal cigarettes and their devices, including in personal luggage, and since 30 April 2026 it has been illegal to carry an e-cigarette in a public place even if it is not in use; transit passengers who do not pass through immigration are exempt. CBD is classed as a dangerous drug and all cannabis products, including CBD oils, creams and foods, are illegal. Stun guns, sharp objects and martial arts equipment cannot be carried at the airport. In typhoon season, when the Observatory raises signal 8, shops and offices close and flights may be cancelled.