[BettyInToronto]

Happy Holidays!

My husband & I will be retiring in HK in abut 5-6 years. We will be visiting again in September 2008 and all our friends are telling my husband to get his HKID for permanent residence during that visit. (They all have done the same during their recent visits.) I believe I cannot apply as I am not Chinese and will be there on a Dependent Visa.

Why would he/we get our HKIDs so far in advance? What is the advantage?

I do see some advantage of having it before we actually arrive due to the fact that I have read here that some people have experienced problems arriving with only a one-way plan ticket which is what we will want to do.

Any help to clarify this for me would be muchly appreciated.

[BettyInToronto]

I hate to reply to my own posting to get it bumped to the top of the page... but I posted this between Christmas and New Years and cannot belive no one here has any advice. I know that collectively you guys know the answer.

I thought maybe everyone was off for the holidays and now that you are back..I can get some advice.

[Aritaurus]

Wow, I'm sorry to hear that no one has replied your thread yet.

I'm in a similar situation like yours. I currently reside in Canada and I plan to move to Hong Kong permanently after I'm done my undergradute studies in Toronto. I established my permanent residency back in 2006 and I do go back to Hong Kong once in a while for visits anywhere from a few weeks to a month.

The only real advantage I see in getting your HKID beforehand is that you won't have to go through the trouble of filling in departure and entry cards when you go through immigration. You can also use the e-channel immigration gates which scan your thumbprints for expedited immigration clearance. If you come in as a visitor , the waits can be quite long depending on your time of arrival.

[HKChigger]

Originally Posted by Aritaurus

Wow, I'm sorry to hear that no one has replied your thread yet.

I'm in a similar situation like yours. I currently reside in Canada and I plan to move to Hong Kong permanently after I'm done my undergradute studies in Toronto. I established my permanent residency back in 2006 and I do go back to Hong Kong once in a while for visits anywhere from a few weeks to a month.

The only real advantage I see in getting your HKID beforehand is that you won't have to go through the trouble of filling in departure and entry cards when you go through immigration. You can also use the e-channel immigration gates which scan your thumbprints for expedited immigration clearance. If you come in as a visitor , the waits can be quite long depending on your time of arrival.

Tourists can also only stay 90 days which means visa runs at your time/expense if your proper ID/Visa's are not issued in the first 90 days.