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Whether you need a Hong Kong visa depends on your passport. The Hong Kong Immigration Department lists UAE passports at 30 days visa-free, and many other passports at 14 to 180 days. Indian passports need a free online pre-arrival registration first. Nigerian, Bangladeshi, Nepali, Sri Lankan and Ghanaian passports need a visa. We check yours and file whatever it needs.
Start with the passport, not the residence
Hong Kong does not treat UAE residents as one group. A UAE residence permit does not move you onto any list, so a banker from Cairo and a nurse from Manila in the same Dubai building can have different rules.
The department's table, which it says it updated in , gives these for common Dubai passports:
| Passport | Hong Kong rule |
|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | 30 days visa-free |
| Philippines | 14 days visa-free |
| Indonesia | 30 days visa-free |
| Egypt | 90 days visa-free |
| Kenya | 90 days visa-free |
| USA | 90 days visa-free |
| British citizens | 180 days visa-free |
| India | 14 days visa-free, with pre-arrival registration |
| Nigeria, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Ghana | Visa required |
Source: Hong Kong Immigration Department, visit visa and entry permit requirements, checked . Visa-free means a visit only. You need adequate funds for the stay and, unless you are going on to mainland China or Macao, a return or onward ticket.
Indian passport: the pre-arrival registration
India is the one big Dubai passport with an extra step. Before you can use the 14-day visa-free route, you register online with the Immigration Department. The department says it is free of charge, valid for six months, and lets you make several 14-day visits during that time.
Three points trip people up:
- The passport must be valid for at least six months.
- The signed notification slip only works with the exact passport you registered. A new passport or changed details cancels the registration.
- The slip is not a visa. It does not let you work, start a business or study.
This is a job we do quickly. Send the passport page and we fill in the form to match it letter for letter, which is where most errors come from.
If your passport needs a visa
Nigerian, Bangladeshi, Nepali, Sri Lankan and Ghanaian passports must hold a visa for any purpose, including a transit stop. British and American passports do not need one for a short visit, but anyone who wants to stay beyond the visa-free period must apply before flying.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Ordinary visit visa | HK$330 |
| Transit visa | HK$170 |
| Processing, Immigration Department | Normally four weeks from the last document |
| Result | An e-Visa you download or print |
Source: Hong Kong Immigration Department fee tables and visit/transit page, checked . The fee is in Hong Kong dollars as the department publishes it.
The department decides every file on its merits and can refuse even a complete one. It looks at whether your reasons are genuine, whether you have enough funds to stay without working, and whether your passport lets you return home.
Where the file goes from Dubai
Since , ordinary passport holders in Dubai who need a Hong Kong visa apply through the Chinese Visa Application Service Center at Wafi Mall, Umm Hurair 2. The centre's own notice, dated , says a visa can normally be collected on the fourth working day. It adds that this stretches if the case goes on to the Hong Kong government for approval, and that the centre charges its service fee on top of the visa fee.
Indian passport holders are the exception: the Immigration Department says their visit visa applications go to it directly, not to a Chinese mission.
So you will see two timelines, four working days at the centre and four weeks at the department. Plan on the longer one for first-time applicants, and book flights only after the e-Visa arrives.
What Dubai agencies charge
The Dubai agency prices we found mix two different products, the free Indian registration and the visa itself, so there is no fair range to show. Ask any agency whether a quote includes the government fee, the centre fee and its own fee.
Documents the department asks for
The Immigration Department's list for a visit visa includes:
- The application form ID 1003A, completed and signed.
- A recent photo fixed to the form.
- A copy of the passport data page and any re-entry visa.
- Bank statements and proof of employment, such as a leave letter or salary slips.
- Flight itinerary, and proof of the leisure visit such as a tour receipt or itinerary.
- Proof of the next destination after Hong Kong, such as an itinerary.
A sponsor in Hong Kong, either a company or a resident aged 18 or over who knows you, helps the department but is not required.
Why files are held or refused
- Funds that look too small for the trip.
- Flights that do not match the dates on the form.
- A visit that is really work, such as paid meetings or a job interview.
- An Indian registration made on one passport and a trip on another.
- Gaps in the paperwork, because the department does not start until every document is in.
How it works with us
Send your passport copy and your dates on WhatsApp or through the form here. An adviser reads the department's table for your passport and tells you plainly if you can fly as you are. If you hold an Indian passport, we complete the registration with you. If you need a visa, we build the file, book your slot at the Wafi Mall centre and track it until the e-Visa is issued. You get one total price in writing before you pay anything. DubaiVisaDesk.com is a private visa service and the Hong Kong Immigration Department makes the decision.
Visa fees are not refunded by the department after a refusal. Before you pay, your adviser spells out what part of our price, if any, would come back.
More Asia trips from the UAE
Heading on to the mainland? Read the China visa for UAE residents page, since Hong Kong's rules do not carry over. Compare with the Singapore, Thailand and Japan pages, or open the list of visa-free countries for UAE residents and all visas from Dubai.
Official sources
- Hong Kong Immigration Department, visit visa and entry permit requirements: the table by nationality.
- Hong Kong Immigration Department, pre-arrival registration for Indian nationals: free, six months, 14 days per visit.
- Hong Kong Immigration Department, visit and transit visas: processing, documents, e-Visa.
- Hong Kong Immigration Department, fee tables: HK$330 and HK$170.
- Chinese Visa Application Service Center Dubai, notice on Hong Kong and Macao visas: where Dubai applicants apply.
