[Aritaurus]

I know this question has been asked a million of times. I have been approved for my Hong Kong Identity card with the Right to Land. When I receive this card, will I be able to go through the Hong Kong immigration checkpoints via those electronic gates where they have the card readers and the fingerprint scanners ? Is this only for Permanent Identity Card holders ?

My temporary Hong Kong Identity card says "RO" -- implicating that I have the Right to Land and that I am born overseas.

[PDLM]

I think you'll be able to use the e-channel. Starting from September Immigration is even giving lots of non-Permanent ID card holders (i.e. people on Employment, Dependent etc.) the right to use the e-channels as well. (But Employment/Dependents etc. have to go through the manual channel until ImmD puts a stamp in their passport allowing them to use the e-channel.)

[Aritaurus]

Right to Land is somewhat like a permanent resident status. Do you know if my Hong Kong Identity card will say " Hong Kong Permanment Identity Card " on the front ? If I can use the e-channel, that will be convinient. I know that there are usually three types of lines at the Hong Kong immigration checkpoints -- Foreigners, Hong Kong Residents and Hong Kong Permanent Residents.

When I left the airport, I went to the Hong Kong resident line and I presented my passport with a sticker saying I have the right to land in Hong Kong. Other people I saw using the line were people on working VISA or dependant VISAs.

[PDLM]

And now a fourth: e-channel which can be used by all Permanent Residents and a rapidly increasing number of non-permanent residents who have been authorised to do so. I guess the plan eventually is that everyone who holds a HKID card will use the e-channel. There is still one manual channel for permanent residents, but hardly anyone uses it.

I used e-channel for the first time recently, and it is so much quicker than the non-permanent resident manual process and I have never seen a queue at e-channel.

[Aritaurus]

Just one other question, as for non-Permanent ID cards, do these need to be renewed every couple of years ?

[PDLM]

No - the ID cards remain valid as long as the underlying visa is renewed. Once you cease having a valid visa then the ID card becomes useless (although there is no obligation to turn it in).