‘Just queue and wait’: Hong Kong grapples with massive number of applications for passports, mainland China travel permits
- There were 195,077 passport applications last month alone, more than triple the monthly average in 2018
- China Travel Service has no available slots over the next four months to handle mainland travel permits
At the Immigration Department’s West Kowloon office in downtown Tsim Sha Tsui on Friday afternoon, dozens of people waited in line to enter, as more arrived.
With the crowd thickening around him, a security guard said repeatedly: “It doesn’t matter if you have an online booking. If you are here to deal with your passport, you have to get in the queue.”
A woman standing in line with her daughter said they were there to collect the teenager’s new passport but gave up when they realised how long they would have to wait.
“The department said it was ready to collect, so we came, lined up outside and got a ticket,” she said. “But once we got inside, we were told it would be another three hours. Why do we need to wait this long just to collect a document? How is this possible?”
A man who left the office with his new passport told the Post it was his second attempt, after leaving in frustration several days earlier.
Hong Kong immigration and visa agencies have been packed with people eager to renew their passports since the city’s borders reopened fully in February.
Those heading overseas need Hong Kong passports that are valid for at least six months, while those travelling across the border must have mainland travel permits.