The Individual Visit Scheme was first introduced in four Guangdong cities (Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Foshan) on 28 July 2003 as a liberalisation measure under the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement. The Scheme allows residents of these cities to visit Hong Kong in their individual capacity.
The coverage of the Scheme has expanded since implementation. The Scheme is now implemented in 59 Mainland cities, including -
- Whole Guangdong province (all 21 cities)
- Beijing
- Shanghai
- Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi (Jiangsu)
- Hangzhou, Ningbo, Taizhou (Zhejiang)
- Fuzhou (municipal district), Xiamen, Quanzhou (Fujian)
- Tianjin
- Chongqing
- Shenyang, Dalian (Liaoning)
- Jinan (Shangdong)
- Chengdu (Sichuan)
- Nanchang (Jiangxi)
- Changsha (Hunan)
- Nanning (Guangxi)
- Haikou (Hainan)
- Guiyang (Guizhou)
- Kunming (Yunnan)
- Shijiazhuang (Hebei)
- Changchun (Jilin)
- Hefei (Anhui)
- Zhengzhou (Henan)
- Wuhan (Hubei)
- Xian (Shaanxi)
- Qingdao (Shangdong)
- Taiyuan (Shanxi)
- Hohhot (Inner Mongolia)
- Harbin (Heilongjiang)
- Lhasa (Tibet)
- Lanzhou (Gansu)
- Xining (Qinghai)
- Yinchuan (Ningxia) and
- Urumqi (Xinjiang)
Under the Scheme, Mainland residents in the above 59 cities with permanent household registration are eligible to apply for the relevant exit endorsement from the relevant Mainland authorities.
The endorsement is valid for three months or one year and good for one or two visits to Hong Kong. The endorsement holder can stay in Hong Kong for not more than seven days on each visit. Eligible applicants may apply for a new endorsement once the current one has expired or has been used up. There is no quota on the number of endorsements to be issued.
For more details on the application for the endorsements in various provincial and city public security authorities, please refer to the websites below -
