Hong Kong’s Immigration Department has moved quickly to tackle the long queues that have re-emerged for travel documents as the peak winter travel season collides with a record surge in passport demand.
Starting this coming Saturday (January 31) and the following Saturday (February 7), the Immigration Tower in Wan Chai and all seven branch offices will stay open from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. – effectively adding 14 extra service hours across the network. The department has waived the normal quota and booking requirements for the two special service days, so walk-in applicants can file or collect passports, Re-entry Permits and visas without advance reservations. Morning sessions (9 a.m.-12 noon) will operate as usual.
Principal Immigration Officer Yeung Suk-yee told local media that applications hit 900,000 in the first half of the current financial year – already higher than the full-year total of 2019, the last pre-pandemic benchmark. Online appointment slots at several district offices have been fully booked for weeks, prompting complaints from residents planning Lunar New Year trips or urgent business travel.
![Hong Kong Immigration Department extends weekend service hours to clear passport backlog]()
Travelers who prefer to avoid potential wait times entirely can turn to VisaHQ, which offers online passport renewal tracking, visa application management, and courier hand-off services tailored for Hong Kong residents and corporate mobility teams. The company’s local portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) lets users submit forms, upload documents and secure expedited processing slots without leaving their desks, providing a convenient back-up during peak demand surges.
The extended hours are designed to move an additional 10,000 passport files in two weekends and to relieve pressure on weekday counters. Collect-and-go kiosks in Wan Chai, which normally issue documents in under two minutes, will also remain open into the evening. Immigration says it will decide whether to add more “special service” days after monitoring Saturday traffic and queue-length data in real time.
For companies moving staff in and out of Hong Kong, the temporary measure should reduce last-minute passport renewal bottlenecks and help ensure talent on assignment can travel on schedule. Mobility managers are advised to remind employees that same-day collections will be on a first-come, first-served basis and that peak volumes are expected after 4 p.m.
Starting this coming Saturday (January 31) and the following Saturday (February 7), the Immigration Tower in Wan Chai and all seven branch offices will stay open from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. – effectively adding 14 extra service hours across the network. The department has waived the normal quota and booking requirements for the two special service days, so walk-in applicants can file or collect passports, Re-entry Permits and visas without advance reservations. Morning sessions (9 a.m.-12 noon) will operate as usual.
Principal Immigration Officer Yeung Suk-yee told local media that applications hit 900,000 in the first half of the current financial year – already higher than the full-year total of 2019, the last pre-pandemic benchmark. Online appointment slots at several district offices have been fully booked for weeks, prompting complaints from residents planning Lunar New Year trips or urgent business travel.
Travelers who prefer to avoid potential wait times entirely can turn to VisaHQ, which offers online passport renewal tracking, visa application management, and courier hand-off services tailored for Hong Kong residents and corporate mobility teams. The company’s local portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) lets users submit forms, upload documents and secure expedited processing slots without leaving their desks, providing a convenient back-up during peak demand surges.
The extended hours are designed to move an additional 10,000 passport files in two weekends and to relieve pressure on weekday counters. Collect-and-go kiosks in Wan Chai, which normally issue documents in under two minutes, will also remain open into the evening. Immigration says it will decide whether to add more “special service” days after monitoring Saturday traffic and queue-length data in real time.
For companies moving staff in and out of Hong Kong, the temporary measure should reduce last-minute passport renewal bottlenecks and help ensure talent on assignment can travel on schedule. Mobility managers are advised to remind employees that same-day collections will be on a first-come, first-served basis and that peak volumes are expected after 4 p.m.
