No visa required for Hong Kong passport holders

No visa required for Hong Kong passport holders to enter Singapore, ICA clarifies

Hong Kong passport holders do not need a visa to enter Singapore, contrary to rumours circulating online, Singapore authorities clarified on Thursday (Nov 21).

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said it is aware of false information circulating on WhatsApp chat groups and social media platforms that Hong Kong passport holders are required to apply for visas before entering Singapore.

The visa requirement only applies to Document of Identity holders in Hong Kong, ICA said.

The Document of Identity is a travel document issued to Hong Kong residents who are unable to obtain a passport.

“There is no change to the existing visa policy for both Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) passport and Document of Identity holders,” ICA said.

“We urge the public not to spread such rumours.”

Singapore's Consulate-General in Hong Kong issued a similar statement on its Facebook page on Monday, saying there has been no change to the country's visa-free policy for Hong Kong passport holders.

Hong Kong has suffered nearly six months of increasingly violent protests and unrest that began over a now-shelved Bill to allow extraditions to China, which revived fears that Beijing was slicing into the city's freedoms.

China has blamed foreign powers, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, of stirring up trouble in the former British colony.

ICA’s comments came a day after it was reported that a Hong Kong restaurant owner had been repatriated and banned from Singapore after he organised a public assembly without a permit.

Mr Alex Yeung, who is known for his anti-protest videos on YouTube, is said to have organised a gathering on Oct 11 "for interested persons to share their views on the current protests in Hong Kong".

Source: CNA/ec(cy)