The Home Return Permit (港澳同胞回鄉證, 港澳同胞回乡证, abbreviation 回鄉證, 回乡证) is a national identity document issued to Chinese Citizens from Hong Kong and Macao as the entry permit to mainland China. It is issued by Public Security Bureau of Guangdong province through China Travel Service sub-branches in Hong Kong and Macao.
A home-return permit constitutes a proof of Chinese citizenship. However, not all Chinese citizens in Hong Kong or Macao have a home return permit. They do not have a home return permit because they did not apply for it or the Chinese Goverment refused to issue the permits for them. Some prominent politicians in Hong Kong, such as Emily Lau and Leung Kwok Hung, are denied from application for the permit, for they are considered as anti-Beijing. Without the permit, they are denied from entering the mainland China. However, those politicians are Chinese citizens under Chinese Nationality Law and they are eligible for a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) passport (HKSAR passports are issued to Chinese citizens with Hong Kong permanent residency only). They are not denied from obatining a HKSAR passport (for travels to overseas, and unofficially speaking, Taiwan) issued by the Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Government. Chinese Citizens holding a Hong Kong SAR passport cannot use their SAR passport to enter the Chinese Mainland.
Unlike a compulsory Hong Kong identity card, application for a home return permit is voluntary.
Many, but not all, residents of Hong Kong are British Nationals (Overesas) (BN(O)) and a small number of British Citizens (BC). See British Nationality Law for details. The Chinese Government does not recognise those British passports (BN(O) and BC) issued to Hong Kong residents of Chinese origin. They cannot use their BN(O) or British Citizen passports to enter the Chinese Mainland before and after the handover. However, some 'pro-United Kingdom' Hong Kong politicians, such as Margaret Ng, Emily Lau, attempted (and insisted) to use their British Citizen passports to enter Mainland China due to their reluctance to recognise their Chinese identity. They were occasionally issued a Chinese visa (impling that the Chinese Government recognises their British citizenship). However, these cases are quite rare.
Besides BN(O)s, BCs and Chinese citizenship, many Hong Kong residents obtained overseas citizenship like Australia, Canada and United States. Officially speaking, if they do not make a declaration of change of nationality at the Immigration Department of Hong Kong, they are regarded as Chinese citizens, in Hong Kong, Macao and Mainland China by the Peoples' Republic of China. (but not in Taiwan, by the Republic of China). In this case, they should use their home-visit permits to enter mainland China, instead of their foreign passports. This imply that they are still Chinese citizens. However, some such Chinese citizens with foreign citizenships use their foreign passports to enter mainland China and they are issued the Chinese 'in error'. The issue of whether these dual nationals can enjoy foreign consular protection in the mainland China remains controversial. The Chinese Government claims that such nationals CANNOT enjoy foreign consular protection even they entered China with their foreign passports. However, the foreign governments may claim that those dual citizens CAN enjoy foreign consular protection even they entered China on their home return permits.
Note that not all Hong Kong BN(O) and BC passports are Chinese Citizens. Such non-Chinese Citizen holding BN(O)s or BCs need a PRC visa prior to their travel to the Mainland. Home return permits are held by Chinese Citizens.
Before the handover of Hong Kong in 1997, permits issued resembles a passport (though the Chinese Government never recognise it as a passport) and the Chinese authorities stamps on such permits upon entering and exiting the Mainland. After handover, such cumbersome permits became a small national ID card, which can be put into wallets. The measure faciliates travels to the Mainland.
Similarly, residents of mainland China are required to apply an exit endorsement to visit Hong Kong and Macao (and other countries).
See also
- Passport
- Visa
- Lo Wu
- Foreign relations of Hong Kong
- British Nationality Law
- Chinese Nationality Law
- Dual Nationality
External links
- Division of Exit and Entry Administration, Department of Public Security, Guangdong
- Declaration of change of Nationality, Immigration Department, Hong Kong SAR
- Explanations of some questions by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress concerning the implementation of the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
- Home return permit application, China Travel Service, Hong Kong (in Chinese BIG5)
- [Straw urged to rescue reporter held by Chinese for 'secrets' theft, Telegraph
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