The
Hong Kong Basic Law
The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China is a national law of China that serves as the organic law for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Comprising nine chapters, 160 ...
classifies residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region () as either permanent residents or non-permanent residents. Hong Kong residents have rights under the Basic Law including
freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...
,
freedom of movement
Freedom of movement, mobility rights, or the right to travel is a human rights concept encompassing the right of individuals to travel from place to place within the territory of a country,Jérémiee Gilbert, ''Nomadic Peoples and Human Rights' ...
and
freedom of religious belief.
Permanent residents
Hong Kong permanent residents have the
right of abode in Hong Kong
Right of abode in Hong Kong entitles a person to live and work in the territory without any restrictions or conditions of stay. Someone who has that right is a Hong Kong permanent resident. Foreign nationals may acquire the right of abode after ...
and the right to vote in elections for the
Legislative Council and the
District Council. It is also the ''
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
''
citizenship
Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection".
Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...
status in Hong Kong because most of citizen rights are associated with the right of abode. However, Hong Kong permanent residents are not entitled to a
Hong Kong passport or stand for office in some
Legislative Council constituencies, unless they are also naturalised
Chinese citizens.
Under the Hong Kong Basic Law, permanent residents are:
#
Chinese citizens born in Hong Kong before or after the establishment of the
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
;
# Chinese citizens who have ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than seven years before or after the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region;
# Persons of Chinese nationality born outside Hong Kong whose parents are permanent residents listed in categories (1) and (2);
# Persons not of Chinese nationality who have entered Hong Kong with valid travel documents, have ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than seven years and have taken Hong Kong as their place of permanent residence before or after the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region;
# Persons under 21 years of age born in Hong Kong of those residents listed in category (4) before or after the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; and
# Persons other than those residents listed in categories (1) to (5), who, before the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, had the right of abode in Hong Kong only.
The status of permanent resident was first introduced into Hong Kong law on 1 July 1987 when it replaced Hong Kong
belonger status
Belonger status is a legal classification normally associated with British Overseas Territories. It refers to people who have close ties to a specific territory, normally by birth or ancestry. The requirements for belonger status, and the righ ...
in the Hong Kong
Immigration Ordinance
The Immigration Ordinance is Chapter 115 of Hong Kong's Ordinances. It regulates the immigration issues of Hong Kong, such as Right of Abode, immigration control and enforcement of illegal immigration by Immigration Department.
Introduced in 1 ...
Cap 115.
Non-permanent residents
Non-permanent residents of Hong Kong are persons qualified to obtain
Hong Kong Identity Cards (HKID) but have no right of abode. According to the ''Registration of Persons Ordinance'' (chapter 177 of the ''Laws of Hong Kong''), all residents of age 11 or above who are living in Hong Kong for longer than 180 days must, within 30 days of either reaching the age of 11 or arriving in Hong Kong, register for an HKID.
Non-permanent residents do not qualify for a Hong Kong passport but can obtain a
Document of Identity to travel if they are unable to obtain a national passport or travel document from any other country.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hong Kong Residents
*Residents
Residents
Residents