Government Departments in Hong Kong are very accessible, if a little long on red tape! All the usual areas are covered - Transport, Immigration, Agriculture and Fisheries and so on, and information on all sections can be found at www.gov.hk - an excellent site. Also worth browsing is www.isd.gov.hk.
Please check:
Office hours are generally Monday-Friday,
9:00am-5:30pm and Saturday, 9:00am-1:00pm, although some banks & government
departments no longer open on Saturdays. However, many expats find they have to
accommodate time differences in dealing with other countries and may work much
longer hours. On the upside, many retail outlets and other services (such as
utilities) are open until much later than their European & American
counterparts. The main commercial district is Central, bordering from Star
Ferry to the North, Pacific Place to the East, Caine/Kennedy Roads to the South
and Sheung Wan to the West. Many regional offices and local headquarters can
also be found in Wanchai, North Point and Western areas, and also in Kowloon
districts of Tsim Sha Tsui and the newer Kowloon West.
The currency used is Hong Kong Dollars. Since 1983, the Hong Kong Dollar has
been linked to the US Dollar at an exchange rate close to HK$7.8. Three banks
are allowed to issue notes – HSBC, the Bank of China
and the Standard
Chartered Bank. The highest denomination is HK$1,000 and the
smallest coin is 10 cents. ATM machines are widely-used and installed in all
commercial areas. Banks are generally open from 9:00am – 4:30pm, Monday-Friday,
and with some branches open 9:00am-12.30 on Saturday, closed on Sundays and all
statutory public holidays. Credit cards are widely used and accepted. The local
direct debit card is known as EPS – Electronic Payment System; and the use of
stored credit, Octopus cards – originally issued for transport use only, is
becoming much more widespread as a debit card. Other electronic services such
as Mondex are less accepted.
Application for a work permit needs to be made by
your employer in advance of your arrival, and the process can be quite slow and
cumbersome, although this is being addressed by a special Government Department
called Invest Hong Kong - www.investHK.gov.hk,
who may be able to assist if an impasse is reached. Given the current
unemployment situation, employers have to establish the necessity for importing
foreign labour to the SAR.
Once you have a work permit, you apply for a Visa, which usually lasts for two
- three years and is then renewable. Once the Visa has been given to the
employee it also covers his immediate family. Newly arrived spouses are allowed
to work in Hong Kong on their dependants' visas. After living in Hong Kong
continuously for seven years you can apply for a Permanent Resident's visa,
after which you will have right of abode in Hong Kong, with no further visa
required.
Every resident over the age of 11 years must carry a Hong Kong Identity Card at
all times, know as a HKID. It bears your photo, a thumb print is registered
and there is an electronic chip on the card. You must apply at the Registration
of Persons office in Immigration Tower, North Wanchai, within 30 days of your
arrival. You will be required to bring certain information such as birth
certificate, passport and photos - check first to confirm current requirements
on the web page www.immd.gov.hk/immd. You can make an appointment for ID application by going
to www.isd.gov.hk.
