Latest Quarantine Advisories for Travellers:10 FAQs

1. What are the health quarantine arrangements for inbound travellers? What are the specified conditions imposed on inbound travellers?
2. What is the quarantine period?
3. Would I be allowed to leave Hong Kong earlier so that I can return to my home country?
4. What is meant by “fully vaccinated”? What are the COVID-19 vaccines recognised by Hong Kong?
5. For persons who have received mixed doses of vaccination overseas, are they regarded as “completed a COVID-19 vaccination course”?
6. If I am arriving at Hong Kong in the night time, can I omit the hotel reservation for the first day?
7. What tests are accepted as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based nucleic acid test for COVID-19?
8. If I transit via Hong Kong without entering Hong Kong, would home quarantine measures applied to me?
9. What is the arrangement for “Test and Hold”?
10. How to apply for the Return2hk Scheme / Come2hk Scheme?

1. What are the health quarantine arrangements for inbound travellers? What are the specified conditions imposed on inbound travellers?

   For details, please refer to this webpage.

2. What is the quarantine period?

   The date of arrival in Hong Kong is Day 1 and the quarantine period will last from Day 1 to 23:59 of the last day of compulsory quarantine (i.e. Day 7 or Day 14).

3. Would I be allowed to leave Hong Kong earlier so that I can return to my home country?

   No. The Government has to emphasise that self-discipline and community solidarity in fighting against the disease are of utmost importance. Any person concerned who leaves the dwelling place without permission may commit a criminal offence. The penalty upon conviction is imprisonment and a fine.

   The Government will ensure the persons under compulsory quarantine stay at the premises by spot checks, telephone calls and via monitoring of the status of electronic device, etc.

4. What is meant by “fully vaccinated”? What are the COVID-19 vaccines recognised by Hong Kong?

   Fully vaccinated means the suggested dosage has been administered in accordance with the relevant guidelines of a COVID-19 vaccination course at least 14 days prior to arrival at Hong Kong.

   In general, completing the vaccination course involves receiving two doses of CoronaVac vaccine OR two doses of Comirnaty vaccine, except for persons previously infected with COVID-19, who are to receive one dose of vaccine. For inbound travellers aged 12 to 17 (on the scheduled day of arrival), they may be deemed to have completed the COVID-19 vaccination course after receiving one dose of Comirnaty vaccine. The 14th day after a person has completed a COVID-19 vaccination course is counted by taking the next day after the person received all of the recommended dose(s) of COVID-19 vaccine as the 1st day.

   For example, for a person who has not been infected with COVID-19 previously and received the last recommended dose of COVID-19 vaccine on 10 May 2021, the "1st day" would be 11 May and the "14th day" would be 24 May. This person can be considered "fully vaccinated" starting on 24 May.

   For persons arriving at Hong Kong whose vaccines were administered outside Hong Kong, apart from the COVID-19 vaccines already recognised for use in Hong Kong, other vaccines included on this list are also accepted: Click here for the “ List of COVID-19 Vaccines Recognised for Specified Purposes”.

5. For persons who have received mixed doses of vaccination overseas, are they regarded as “completed a COVID-19 vaccination course”?

   According to the regulation, “For individuals who received COVID-19 vaccines in places outside of Hong Kong and have received the recommended doses as stipulated in relevant guidelines, they will also be regarded to have completed the vaccination course...”. If there is documentary proof issued by the healthcare institution or a relevant government authority presented together to show clearly that the relevant health authority officially recommended mix doses of the two vaccinations and stipulated in relevant guideline, it can be regarded as acceptable. Nevertheless, the vaccine(s) have to be included on the list of vaccines recognised for this purpose as published on the Government's COVID-19 thematic website.

   For a Group A traveller who holds vaccination records issued by the authorities or recognised institutions of more than one place (i.e. completed his/her course of vaccination by receiving separate doses at different places), if the vaccination record of the last dose is “a recognised vaccination record”, it will be regarded as compliant with the relevant requirement.

6. If I am arriving at Hong Kong in the night time, can I omit the hotel reservation for the first day?

   Under Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation (Cap. 599H), a relevant Overseas/Taiwan traveller must provide a confirmation in Chinese or English of room reservation in a hotel in Hong Kong for 7 nights or 14 nights starting on the day of the arrival of the relevant traveller in Hong Kong before boarding a flight to Hong Kong. The inbound travellers concerned who fail to produce the relevant specified documents will be refused to board the flight.

   Example: if a traveller is subject to 7-night requirement: regardless of his/her time of arrival, the relevant traveller should have a hotel reservation for 8 Days 7 Nights starting on the day of arrival. If he/she arrives Hong Kong on 1 Janurary (Day 1), his/her hotel reservation should start from 1 January until 8 January (i.e. Check-in date on 1 January and check-out date on 8 January).

7. What tests are accepted as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based nucleic acid test for COVID-19?

   Laboratories and healthcare institutions may use different terms which are equivalent to PCR-based nucleic acid test. The following are common acceptable terms for "PCR-based nucleic acid test": "Polymerase chain reaction" ("PCR"), "reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction" ("RT-PCR"), "real-time PCR", "real time RT-PCR", "quantitative PCR", "qPCR", "quantitative RT-PCR", "qRT-PCR", "TrueNAT" and "CBNAAT".

8. If I transit via Hong Kong without entering Hong Kong, would home quarantine measures applied to me?

   Quarantine measures are only applicable to persons who enter Hong Kong. The quarantine requirement does not apply to transit passenger who arrives at the Hong Kong International Airport or enters the waters of Hong Kong solely for the purpose of leaving Hong Kong and, while in Hong Kong, does not pass through immigration control.

9. What is the arrangement for “Test and Hold”?

   Inbound travellers arriving Hong Kong via the Hong Kong International Airport will be required to proceed to the Department of Health (DH)’s Temporary Specimen Collection Centre (TSCC) set up in the restricted area of the Airport for COVID-19 testing immediately upon arrival. They will need to stay at the TSCC or any other place as designated by the DH to wait for test results. If their test results are negative, they will be allowed to go to the quarantine place to continue the compulsory quarantine until completion. If their results are positive, the travellers will be transferred to hospitals or Government's isolation facilities for isolation and treatment; close contacts of positive cases will be quarantined at Government's quarantine facilities, designated quarantine hotels or other premises as arranged by the on-site Government staff.

10. How to apply for the Return2hk Scheme / Come2hk Scheme?

    Please visit the thematic website of Return2hk Scheme / Come2hk Scheme.

For more FAQs, please refer to this webpage.

Last revision date : 30/06/2022