After obtaining the Hong Kong permanent resident identity card, you can apply for a Hong Kong passport.

There are a total of 233 countries and regions in the world, and the Hong Kong passport allows visa-free access to 168 countries or regions, including Canada, Finland, Japan, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Sweden, and many others.

1. Does having both Hong Kong permanent residency and a mainland household registration constitute "dual nationality"?

According to the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China, Chinese citizens lose their Chinese nationality upon acquiring foreign nationality; however, it is not clear legally whether mainland residents lose their household registration upon obtaining Hong Kong permanent residency.

In practice, relevant authorities have not made a clear statement on this, nor have I heard of any cases where the public security department has canceled the household registration of mainland residents due to obtaining Hong Kong permanent resident status.

Then someone might ask, why must some people give up their mainland household registration when applying for permanent residency? This is actually related to the Home Return Permit.

2. Is there a necessary relationship between applying for Hong Kong permanent residency and canceling the mainland household registration?

The answer is no relationship! In fact, applying for a Hong Kong SAR passport and canceling the mainland household registration are also unrelated. However, after obtaining the Hong Kong permanent resident identity card and the Hong Kong SAR passport, if you want to apply for a Home Return Permit, then there is a relationship!

The Home Return Permit, officially known as the Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents to Travel to Mainland China, is issued by the Exit and Entry Administration of the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China. It is a document for residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region with Chinese nationality to travel to mainland China, equivalent to the Hong Kong and Macao Pass in mainland China.

3. To apply for a Home Return Permit, you need to first cancel your mainland household registration and hold the cancellation proof to apply for the Home Return Permit.

If you do not apply for a Home Return Permit and only apply for and obtain the Hong Kong permanent resident identity card and the Hong Kong SAR passport, you do not need to provide the cancellation proof of the household registration.