Hong Kong Lists 22 Countries Whose Citizens Qualify for Special Immigration Facilitation

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  • Hong Kong has launched a new immigration facilitation scheme targeting citizens from specific regions across the globe
  • The scheme covers 22 countries across three major regional blocs, with staggered rollout dates for different groups
  • Citizens from Gulf and Central Asian nations are also included, with their access set to begin on a later date

Hong Kong has introduced a new immigration scheme that grants easier entry arrangements to citizens from 22 countries, in a move that signals a deliberate push to strengthen ties with select regions of the world.

The Hong Kong Immigration Department officially launched the Immigration Facilitation Scheme for Invited Persons on 18 March 2025. The programme is designed to offer more convenient immigration procedures for eligible visitors arriving in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and covers nationals from countries across Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and the Gulf.

Hong Kong mentions the nationalities qualified for an immigration facilitation. Photo credit: Getty ImagesSource: UGC

Which countries are covered under the scheme?

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The 22 countries eligible for the Hong Kong facilitation scheme are:

1. Brunei Darussalam

2. Cambodia

3. Indonesia

4. Laos

5. Malaysia

6. Myanmar

7. Philippines

8. Singapore

9. Thailand

10. Timor-Leste

11. Vietnam

12. Kazakhstan

13. Kyrgyzstan

14. Tajikistan

15. Turkmenistan

16. Uzbekistan

17. Bahrain

18. Kuwait

19. Oman

20. Qatar

21. Saudi Arabia

22. United Arab Emirates

All 11 ASEAN member states are included in the initial rollout, with Timor-Leste joining the scheme from 26 October 2025. The five Central Asian countries and all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states are scheduled to gain access from 1 October 2026.

Hong Kong: What timeline means for travellers

The phased implementation means that not all 22 nationalities will benefit from the scheme at the same time. Citizens from Southeast Asian nations have been able to access the facilitation arrangements since the scheme's launch in March 2025, while those from Central Asia and the Gulf region will need to wait until October 2026 before the new procedures apply to them.

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Hong Kong's Immigration Department has not publicly outlined the specific benefits of the facilitation arrangements in detail beyond describing them as providing "more convenient immigration arrangements" for invited persons from the listed countries.

Full details of the scheme are available on the Hong Kong Immigration Department's official website.

In a similar report, Legit.ng published that Hong Kong announced 98 countries whose citizens are eligible for 90-day visa-free entry.

Hong Kong names sectors work visa fee

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Hong Kong announced its expanded scheme, which allows foreign professionals in 17 sectors to carry out work-related activities in the city for up to 14 days without an employment visa.

The programme has already helped more than 56,000 non-local professionals take part in over 9,500 activities, and its latest expansion adds social welfare experts. Find out who qualifies and what the change means.