Government lifts vaccination requirement for arriving non-Hong Kong residents from overseas

The Hong Kong Government has lifted the requirement for non-Hong Kong residents from overseas places  coming to Hong Kong to be fully-vaccinated , starting tomorrow, February 6. However, the pre-departure testing requirement for inbound persons from overseas places or Taiwan will be maintained for the time being.

In a statement published on Feb 3, the Government said it considered that there is room for the complete lifting of the vaccination requirement for inbound non-Hong Kong residents.

It added that the overall epidemic situation in Hong Kong has continued to stabilize, and the total number of cases has not rebounded. This happened despite the drastic increase in the number of inbound persons. Moreover, inbound persons have not exerted additional pressure on the local public healthcare system.  

Presently, inbound persons from the Mainland, Macao or Taiwan are not required to be vaccinated. This means that starting February 6, no inbound travelers will be subject to any vaccination requirement, regardless of where they come from before coming to Hong Kong.

The Government will gazette the relevant specification notice under the Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation (Cap. 599E) to effect the above measures. “The Hong Kong Government prepared 500,000 free air tickets to welcome tourists from every part of the world to come to Hong Kong”, Mr. Lee announced during the ceremony.

Last Thursday (February 2), the Chief Executive John Lee, senior officials and other guests officiated the launch ceremony for the “Hello Hong Kong” campaign to unveil a series of events to tell the world the good stories of Hong Kong and to promote the city’s business opportunities, cultural attractions and tourism experiences. In addressing the ceremony, Mr. Lee said that this is the perfect time for tourists, business travelers and investors from near and far to come to Hong Kong.