Hong Kong Identity Card

Hong Kong Identity Card
The front of HK permanent (smart) ID card
The reverse of HK permanent (smart) ID card (with the right of abode in Hong Kong)
Issued by	Hong Kong
Type of document	Identity card
Purpose	Identification
Eligibility requirements	Residence in Hong Kong, person over 11 years of age
Cost	Registration: free Renewal: free Replacement (lost, destroyed, damaged or defaced): HK$370 Replacement (alteration of particulars): HK$460

The Hong Kong Identity Card (Chinese: 香港身份證, abbreviation: HKID, ID card) is an official identity document issued by the Immigration Department of Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card (Chinese: 香港永久性居民身份證) is a class of HKID issued to Hong Kong residents who have the right of abode (ROA) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. According to the Registration of Persons Ordinance (Cap. 177), all residents of age 11 or above who are living in Hong Kong for longer than 180 days must, within 30 days of either reaching the age of 11 or arriving in Hong Kong, register for an HKID. HKIDs contain amongst others the name of the bearer in English, and if applicable in Chinese. It does not expire for the duration of residency in Hong Kong.

The use of identity documents has a long history in Hong Kong, starting with manually filled paper documents, to the smart card introduced on 23 June 2003.

Before 1949, people could move freely into and out of Hong Kong (then a British colony), and China (then Republic of China). Hong Kong residents who held Republic of China citizenship were not registered. In 1949, when the Government of the Republic of China retreated to Taiwan and the People's Republic of China was established on the mainland, the Hong Kong Government began to register Hong Kong residents to issue compulsory identity documents. These measures were put into practice to halt the large influx of refugees from Communist China and control the border with mainland China. The registration was completed in 1951. Although registration was compulsory for all residents, people were not required to carry their documents with them at all times when out in public.