As of 2026, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport holders have visa-free or visa on arrival access to 174 countries and territories, ranking the passport 13th in the world according to the Henley Passport Index. It is ranked 11th by the Global Passport Power Rank.
The official figure provided by the Hong Kong Immigration Department of countries and territories granting visa-free access to Hong Kong SAR passport holders was 175 as of 2 February 2026. (However, this figure excludes countries and territories which are not officially recognised by the People's Republic of China, such as Kosovo (visa free for up to 90 days within any 6-month period), Taiwan (de facto e-Visa) and Somaliland (visa required), territories deemed to be under Chinese rule, such as Mainland China (The Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Resident) and Macao (visa free for up to 1 year), as well as UN observer states, such as Palestine (no additional visa condition than that of Israel's, ETA-IL grants visa free access for up to 90 days) and Vatican City (no additional visa condition than that of the Schengen Area's, visa free for up to 90 days within any 180-day period).)
Due to the one country, two systems policy, the Government of Hong Kong can make a visa-waiver agreement for Chinese residents of Hong Kong with other countries. As a result of both bilateral visa abolition agreements (e.g. between Hong Kong and Russia) and unilateral decisions to grant visa exemptions (e.g. Myanmar), HKSAR passport holders enjoy visa exemptions and simplified visa procedures to a large number of destinations worldwide. Whilst the visa exemptions are mostly only for short trips for pleasure or on business, a number of countries extend the visa exemption to short stays involving paid activities (e.g. Belgium and Luxembourg).
HKSAR passports are available to Chinese citizens who are also permanent residents of Hong Kong and hold a valid Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card, many of whom also hold a British National (Overseas) passport by virtue of their previous status as British Overseas Territories citizens.
Visa requirements for holders of normal passports traveling for tourist purposes:
Visa requirements for Chinese citizens of Hong Kong for visits to various territories, disputed areas, partially recognised countries and restricted zones:
Holders of an APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) travelling on business do not require a visa to the following countries:
<sub>1 - Up to 180 days</sub><br /> <sub>2 - Up to 90 days</sub><br /> <sub>3 - Up to 90 days in a period of 180 days</sub><br /> <sub>4 - Up to 60 days</sub>
Permanent residents with Chinese nationality (holders of HKSAR passport / BN(O) passport) are required to apply for a Mainland Travel Permit to enter Mainland China, to the exclusion of all other documents.
The card must be used in conjunction with a passport and has the following advantages:
Permanent residents of Hong Kong, residents holding a Document of Identity for visa purposes, and residents who have the right to land or is on unconditional stay in Hong Kong, all aged 11 and above are eligible to use the e-Channel Service at all control points run by the Hong Kong Immigration Department, provided that their biometric identifiers have been enrolled with Department.
In addition, HKSAR passport holders who intend to travel as tourists, are in general eligible to use the automated border control systems (eGates) when arriving in (or departing from) the following countries:
<sub>* - Automated system enrollment eligibility is limited only to certain categories of travellers.</sub>
<sub>1 - First-time visitors are required to enrol on their first visit and can only use the automated gates on their subsequent visits.</sub>
<sub>2 - Use of the E-Gates is only valid when departing from the country and when the traveller is aged 16 & above.</sub>