The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is an amazing and futuristic autonomous territory that will make for one of the best places to spend your holidays, further your education, or start a business. As a Nigerian citizen, you will require a visa to travel to Hong Kong. The visa requirements are not really different from other countries.
If you’re going as a student or on a business trip, you might find it easier to get your application approved. For tourists, there are more considerations to take note of especially when it comes to vaccination. To get the visa, you will have to search for a Chinese consulate in your area and apply for your visa. But first, you will have to meet the requirements below.
Hong Kong Visa Requirements for Nigerians
To get your visa to Hong Kong approved, you will be required to provide the following information
- Visa Application Form– Completed application form for Hong. This will have to be completed and duly signed by the applicant before being submitted.
- Passport Photo– Provide a passport-sized that must be no older than 6 months.
- Passport Copy– A clear scan copy of the Nigerian passport with the information pages that has a signature will be required. You will have to provide the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details, passport issue, and expiry dates. Your Nigerian passport must be valid for six months beyond the expiry date of the Visa.
- Employment Letter– if you’re employed, you will have to provide a letter from your employer on the company letterhead, stating that a leave of absence was granted. The purpose, duration of the trip, and that you will be returning to your current job should be stated in the letter.
- Bank Statement– You will be required to submit your current bank statement for the latest 6 months. You will be required to provide an income tax return (ITR) report.
- Student– If you’re a student, you will have to submit an official letter from your school indicating that you are in good standing and that you’ve registered for the upcoming semester. You might be required to provide proof of payment of school fees. This should be included but it is usually optional.
- Retired– If you’re retired, then attach proof of your retirement fund along with your application.
- Travel Itinerary– This refers to a travel reservation to and from Nigeria in your name. This does not refer to a ticket. The embassy recommends that you do not purchase flight and hotel tickets until the visa is approved. Buying actual tickets before the visa is approved might could cause you to lose money especially if the reservation doesn’t follow through, your flight is delayed, canceled, or worse, the visa request is denied. You can always get the best hotel and flight itinerary within minutes after the approval of your visa.
- Invitation Letter– If you were invited by the country, a company, or your family and friends, you will have to provide a letter of the invitation and state their relationship with you. The letter should contain, the purpose of your visit, the length of your stay, where you will be staying, and if the person will be paying for your stay. If the said person will be making provisions for you, you will have to provide proof of their funds.
How to Apply For Hong Kong Visa From Nigeria
You will have to obtain the Hong Kong visa application form and the Declaration form online. Print out the hard copy. You can also get the form from the office of the Consulate General Chinese Embassy.
- Fill in your details in the form and sign.
- Complete the Declaration form
- Attach your relevant documents
- When done, you will have to submit the visa application form and the documents personally to the Chinese Consulate in Lagos. Your application will be sent to the Hong Kong Immigration Department for processing and approval.
- You might be required to come for an in-person interview at the Chinese Consulate.
5 Things to Know Before Moving to Hong Kong
- Expensive but smaller hotel rooms
Staying in Hong Kong is very expensive and if you’re not on the right budget, you might have to turn home sooner than you expected. The limited land has caused a sky-high property price. While this shouldn’t be a problem if you’re getting the five-star treatment, you will find that the rooms are not spectacularly spacious even though they cost a lot more than other countries.
- The main language is Cantonese
While you will come across many people that speak English, the main language of all residents is Cantonese. It won’t be a bad idea to brush up your fluency in the language before getting your visa.
- Public transportation is best
While you will find owning a car to be the best thing when it comes to transportation in certain countries, you will find that you can get even better service with public transportation in Hong Kong. It’s public transportation has an extensive network with cheap and clean services. You will find that the train is the fastest way to travel.
- Many, many restaurants and bars
Foodies will love this region. Hong Kong could be a paradise for foodies looking for cheap, filling, and cheerful meals that they will never forget. Hong Kong has one of the highest per-capita concentrations of eateries with 1 restaurant available for every 300 people.
- A/C everywhere
Hong Kong is humid all-year-round so you will find most places with air-conditioning to prevent issues like mold and excessive sweating. This means every indoor space is freezing cold. If you’re not used to such living conditions, you might want to consider taking a cardigan or scarf with you when traveling. This will come in handy when you’re on public transportation or on indoor public areas.