Many people want to obtain Hong Kong identity, one important reason is to get a Hong Kong passport.

Some may not be very clear, the Hong Kong passport allows visa-free access to 168 countries or regions worldwide! Having a Hong Kong passport means you can travel spontaneously, and it serves as a springboard for many overseas businesses, offering multiple advantages.

After obtaining a 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 of them, including Canada, Finland, Japan, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Sweden, and many others.

Although due to the pandemic, it is not possible to travel spontaneously as before, it would be great to have a passport that allows spontaneous travel, visa-free access to multiple countries, and long-term stays when there are urgent work matters! And the Hong Kong passport can do that!

Can one hold both Hong Kong residency and mainland household registration at the same time?

Many who come for consultation often ask: Is it possible to hold both Hong Kong residency and mainland household registration at the same time? Does holding both Hong Kong permanent residency and 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 departments 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 do some people have to give up their mainland household registration when applying for permanent residency? Actually, it is related to the Home Return Permit.
Is there a necessary relationship between applying for Hong Kong permanent residency and canceling mainland household registration?

The answer is no! In fact, applying for a Hong Kong SAR passport and canceling 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 it becomes related!

The Home Return Permit, officially known as the Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents to Travel to and from the Mainland, 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 used by residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region, who hold Chinese nationality, to travel to the mainland of China, equivalent to the Hong Kong and Macao travel permit in the mainland.

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