Hong Kong’s status as EU visa-exempt territory unchanged

Screenshots of the viral posts.

News Brief

An X post published June 22, 2024 claims that the European Union will abolish the visa-exempt policy for Hong Kong passport holders starting June 2025. It also states that Hong Kong passport holders traveling to Europe will need to apply for additional visas from 2025 onwards. The post includes a screenshot of a South China Morning Post article headlined “Hong Kong visitors to EU will need travel authorisation from next year.”

Similar claims have been circulating on various social media platforms, such as X, YouTube and Weibo.

Fact-checking

The SCMP article, published June 19, 2024, actually states that the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) will be introduced as early as the start of 2025. Visitors from 60 visa-exempt territories, including Hong Kong, will need travel authorization.

Izabella Cooper, the ETIAS central unit division’s media and outreach team leader from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, told SCMP that the system is designed to screen out any potential risks posed by travelers. Cooper added that the use of ETIAS would not complicate travel to Europe for people from visa-exempt territories. Travelers can apply for the authorization online in about a few minutes. Cooper said, “The ETIAS is a completely different system. In order to obtain a visa, you need to go to a consulate and apply for it. A visa is a longer procedure because consulates are involved. It costs more … and you only obtain a visa for a limited amount of time. An ETIAS will be valid for three years for multiple entries.”

Thomas Gnocchi, ambassador and head of the Office of the European Union to Hong Kong and Macau, told SCMP, “The visa-free regime of Hong Kong is not being changed whatsoever. What we are trying to do, the purpose of our office, is to increase people-to-people exchanges with Hong Kong.”

According to the official ETIAS website, the travel authorization system is an entry requirement for visa-exempt nationals travelling to any of the 30 European countries, including Austria, Iceland, France and Germany. It will take effect in the first half of 2025. The travel authorization is valid for up to three years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. Visitors with a valid ETIAS travel authorization can enter and stay in the abovementioned European countries for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Applicants will be asked to provide personal information, travel document details, travel and stay information for countries requiring ETIAS, and any records of criminal convictions, past travels to war or conflict zones, and recent repatriations. The application fee is seven euros (about 61 Hong Kong dollars).

Therefore, Hong Kong is still one of the visa-exempt territories of the EU. The ETIAS travel authorization is an entry requirement for visitors from all these territories, including Hong Kong. In other words, Hong Kong is not the only territory that need travel authorization to enter the EU.