With Lunar New Year flower demand reaching its peak, Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has recorded 23 seizures of illegally imported orchids since 1 January – more than double the tally for the same period last year. Most of the contraband was intercepted at land boundary checkpoints, prompting customs and the AFCD to mount joint patrols and public-education drives in the run-up to the holiday.
Orchids are controlled under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and can only cross borders with the proper permits. Jenny Lau Yuen-yung, an endangered-species protection officer, told reporters on 8 February that traffickers are exploiting higher tourist footfall and the resumption of cross-boundary tour buses to conceal commercial-scale shipments inside luggage holds. The biggest haul so far involved 480 Phalaenopsis plants with a market value of HK$240,000.
Offenders face penalties of up to HK$10 million and ten years’ imprisonment, but enforcement agencies admit that prosecutions are difficult if travellers claim ignorance. Customs has therefore stationed bilingual officers at Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to hand out leaflets in Mandarin, Cantonese and English explaining the permit rules.
![Hong Kong customs steps up border checks after 23 orchid-smuggling cases in one month]()
For travelers who want to be absolutely certain they have the right paperwork in place—whether that means a visa, a customs declaration or the specialised CITES permits required for orchid transport—VisaHQ can simplify the process. The agency’s Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) offers step-by-step guidance, online application tools and personalised support, helping both individual tourists and corporate assignees avoid costly compliance missteps.
The crackdown has implications for corporate mobility programmes that rely on seasonal expatriate moves. Relocation specialists warn that household shipments – particularly personal effects sent by unaccompanied baggage services – will be subject to intensified inspections this month. Companies are advised to brief assignees on prohibited plant and animal items to avoid clearance delays and fines.
Looking ahead, officials say they will review the possibility of introducing an electronic licensing system that integrates with mainland customs databases, reducing paperwork for legitimate orchid growers while making it harder for smugglers to recycle forged paper permits.
Orchids are controlled under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and can only cross borders with the proper permits. Jenny Lau Yuen-yung, an endangered-species protection officer, told reporters on 8 February that traffickers are exploiting higher tourist footfall and the resumption of cross-boundary tour buses to conceal commercial-scale shipments inside luggage holds. The biggest haul so far involved 480 Phalaenopsis plants with a market value of HK$240,000.
Offenders face penalties of up to HK$10 million and ten years’ imprisonment, but enforcement agencies admit that prosecutions are difficult if travellers claim ignorance. Customs has therefore stationed bilingual officers at Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to hand out leaflets in Mandarin, Cantonese and English explaining the permit rules.
For travelers who want to be absolutely certain they have the right paperwork in place—whether that means a visa, a customs declaration or the specialised CITES permits required for orchid transport—VisaHQ can simplify the process. The agency’s Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) offers step-by-step guidance, online application tools and personalised support, helping both individual tourists and corporate assignees avoid costly compliance missteps.
The crackdown has implications for corporate mobility programmes that rely on seasonal expatriate moves. Relocation specialists warn that household shipments – particularly personal effects sent by unaccompanied baggage services – will be subject to intensified inspections this month. Companies are advised to brief assignees on prohibited plant and animal items to avoid clearance delays and fines.
Looking ahead, officials say they will review the possibility of introducing an electronic licensing system that integrates with mainland customs databases, reducing paperwork for legitimate orchid growers while making it harder for smugglers to recycle forged paper permits.
