Hong Kong Identity Card Photo: Taken at the Registration Office — When You Still Need 29 x 35 mm Prints

For a Hong Kong identity card most people do not bring a photo at all. The Immigration Department explains that applicants book an appointment, go to a Registration of Persons Office, and at the registration booth scan their thumbprints and take the photograph before an interview with the assessment officer. “Upon taking photograph, the applicants have to conform to the specifications as set out in the photograph requirements page.”

Who registers and how long it takes

• All Hong Kong residents aged 11 or over (including those permitted to stay more than 180 days) must register for an identity card, unless exempted or excluded.
• Appointments are booked on the Internet (GovHK), with the Immigration Department mobile app or by phone.
• Processing usually takes 5 working days; the card can usually be collected the next working day after processing.
• Registration is free; replacing a lost, destroyed, damaged or defaced card, or one with changed particulars, costs a fee.

When you supply printed photos

What the photo must not show

The Immigration Department’s identity card FAQ says the photo must show the full frontal face with clear facial features. Not accepted, among others:

• hair across the eyes or eyebrows;
• head coverings such as hats or headbands;
• ornaments such as earrings that obscure the ear or face;
• reflection on a frame or tinted lenses, or a frame across the eyes or eyebrows;
• coloured contact lenses and overdone make-up;
• a face not centred, an exaggerated expression, or tilted eyes.

Need the 29 x 35 mm prints for an overseas application? See our Hong Kong identity card photo page.