Hong Kong Certificate of Identity
Encyclopedia
Certificate of identity
A certificate of identity, sometimes called an alien's passport, is a travel document issued by states to stateless persons residing within their borders and foreign nationals who are unable to obtain a passport from their state of nationality. Some states also issue certificates of identity to...
(CI) was a formal travel document
Travel document
A travel document is an identity document issued by a government or international treaty organization to facilitate the movement of individuals or small groups of persons across international boundaries...
and passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
, issued by the Hong Kong Government's Immigration Department
Immigration Department
The Immigration Department of the Government of Hong Kong is responsible for immigration control of Hong Kong. After the People's Republic of China assumed sovereignty of the territory in July 1997, Hong Kong's immigration system remained largely unchanged from its British predecessor model...
until June 30, 1997 (See transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong
Transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong
The transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, referred to as ‘the Return’ or ‘the Reunification’ by the Chinese and ‘the Handover’ by others, took place on 1 July 1997...
). It is no longer possible to possess a valid CI as a travel document, as all CIs have expired by 30 June 2007, though most CI holders should be eligible to hold the HKSAR Passport
HKSAR Passport
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Passport is issued to permanent residents of Hong Kong who are citizens of the People's Republic of China...
.
Eligibility
Certificates of Identity were issued to Hong Kong permanent residents who did not hold and could not obtain any valid travel documents for overseas travel. Normally, CIs were valid for ten years.Since establishment of the HKSAR on 1 July 1997, no more Certificates of Identity were issued. Those already issued remained valid for travel until expiry (which may pass beyond 30 June 1997; as CIs were valid for a maximum of 10 years), none of which past 30 June 2007.
CI were not used to enter Mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
or Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
.
CI and PRC citizenship
Most (but not all) former CI holders were solely People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
(PRC) citizens. Many of them were immigrants from mainland China who had acquired the right of abode in Hong Kong. They did not co-hold any type of British nationality (See British nationality law and Hong Kong
British nationality law and Hong Kong
British nationality law as it pertains to Hong Kong has been unusual ever since Hong Kong became a British colony in 1842. From its beginning as a sparsely populated trading port to today's cosmopolitan international financial centre of over seven million people, the territory has attracted...
for details pertaining to various kinds of British nationalities). Before the handover, they were not eligible for any kinds of PRC passports. The PRC only issued Home Return Permit
Home Return Permit
A ‘Home Return Permit’ , also referred to as a ‘Home Visit Permit’ or ‘China Back Home Pass’ , is the colloquial name for the national identity document officially known as the Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents issued to PRC citizens who are permanent residents of Hong Kong...
for them to enter mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
only. If they did not choose to acquire British nationality through naturalisation, they could apply for the CI as a travel document from the colonial Hong Kong Government.
After the handover, all Hong Kong permanent residents with PRC Citizenship are eligible to apply for a Hong Kong SAR passport.
Endorsements on CIs
On July 1, 1987, the concept of "right of abodeRight of abode issue, Hong Kong
The right of abode in Hong Kong is the right to legally reside in Hong Kong and was governed by rules both under British and Chinese administration. As the People's Republic of China stood to resume sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, the nationality of Hong Kongers as well as their right of abode...
" was introduced in Hong Kong legislation. A modified Hong Kong Certificate of Identity was introduced to ensure that Certificates of Identity would be acceptable for the purpose of international travel both before and after the handover of Hong Kong. These documents contain an endorsement showing that “the holder has the right of abode in Hong Kong”.
To ensure Certificate of Identity will be acceptable for the purpose of
international travel and for the return to HK after 30 June 1997,
the British and the Chinese Government have agreed that the Certificate of Identity contain the following endorsement:
Acceptance and visa-free access
Countries that allowed Hong Kong Certificate of Identity holders to visit without visas:- South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
: 30 days - PalauPalauPalau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
: no specific limit of stay (subject to final decision made by immigration officer, on individual merit) - Netherlands AntillesNetherlands AntillesThe Netherlands Antilles , also referred to informally as the Dutch Antilles, was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of two groups of islands in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao , in Leeward Antilles just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sint...
/ ArubaArubaAruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
: 14 days - Northern Mariana IslandsNorthern Mariana IslandsThe Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...
: 1 month - SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
: 30 days
After the HKSAR was established, a number of countries have ceased to accept CI's at different times. Those not yet eligible for HKSAR passports would recourse to the Document of Identity.
However it is no longer possible to possess a valid CI as a travel document, because all CIs have expired by 30 June 2007.
Front cover
"The present Certificate is issued for the sole purpose of providing the holder with identity papers in lieu of a national passport. It is without prejudice to and in no way affects the national status of the holder. If the holder obtains a national passport this Certificate ceases to be valid and must be surrendered to the issuing authority or nearest British Consulate, High Commission or Passport Office for cancellation and return to the Holder."Back cover
1. This Certificate of Identity remains property of the Hong Kong government. It will normally be cancelled if the holder obtains a national passport or other travel document.2. Certificates of identity are normally valid for ten years from date of issue, but may be made valid for shorter periods in certain circumstances.
3. The holder may return to Hong Kong without visa, provided the Certificate is valid.
4. The holder is advised to obtain visas for any country he wishes to visit or pass through.
5. Should the holder take up residence in a country or territory outside Hong Kong application should be made
to the competent authorities of this country of residence for a new travel document.
6. The issue of this certificate does not confer a right on the holder to the protection of British diplomatic or consular representatives abroad, nor does it exempt the holder from the provisions of the Hong Kong Immigration Ordinance Chapter 115.
7. The Certificate is a valuable document and should not be altered in any way or allowed to pass into the possession of an unauthorised person. If lost or destroyed, a report should immediately be made to the issuing office or to the nearest British Consulate, High Commission or Police Office, as well as to the local police.
These notes apply to the following version of the Certificate of Identity:
I.D. 67 (Revised) in 1980.
Other forms of documents used in Hong Kong
- British National (Overseas) passportBritish National (Overseas) passportThe British National passport is a British passport for the holders of the nationality British National . It is mainly held by residents of Hong Kong from 1987.-Physical appearance:...
- British Dependent Territories Citizen passport
- Hong Kong SAR passport
- Document of IdentityDocument of IdentityThe Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Document of Identity for Visa Purposes is a biometric travel document issued by the Hong Kong Immigration Department to residents of Hong Kong who are unable obtain national passports...
- Hong Kong Re-entry PermitHong Kong Re-entry PermitHong Kong Re-entry Permit are issued to Hong Kong residents by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for travel to the mainland China and Macau Special Administrative Region.-Eligibility:...
- Other passports of other countries
See also
- Refugee Travel Document
- 1954 Convention Travel Document1954 Convention Travel DocumentA 1954 Convention travel document is a travel document issued to a stateless person by a signatory to the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons...
- Nansen passportNansen passportNansen passports were internationally recognized identity cards first issued by the League of Nations to stateless refugees.-Origins:Designed in 1921 by Fridtjof Nansen, in 1942 they were honored by governments in 52 countries and were the first refugee travel documents...
- Japan Re-entry PermitJapan Re-entry PermitThe Japan Re-entry Permit is a travel document similar to a Certificate of Identity, issued by Japan's Ministry of Justice.There is also a stamp-type Japan Re-entry Permit , which is pasted into a passport or other travel document.-Eligibility:...