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Is anyone aware of a company in Hong Kong that provides the service of you authorising them to pick up official documents for you and then forwarding them on to another location? I need someone to pickup my HKID and send it to my home country!

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Anyone got hints for banks that accept walks in for opening accounts?

HSBC want more paperwork (some kind of official stamp from the US HSBC on the statement). Citibank want 200K for a non-resident.

Bank of China rejected.

If you are coming from a country with HSBC, you should begin an acc there. The relationship, especially if you have a Premier status will help you to open an acc in HK without having to maintain any min balance. StanChart is the second option. For Citi, try getting a statement with your name and HK addr and you can enjoy a lower min of HK$10k

Update : My authorised representative picked up my ID without issue.

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@ledrewy Just saw this post about HSBC. I have an HSBC Premier account in Malaysia. From your message this should help my chances to get an HSBC account in HK as a non-resident? How about getting an HSBC account in Singapore? Thinking I should leverage my HSBC Premier account in Malaysia more.

@bryanlum888 Yes, you can ask your Relationship Manager to help you get the Int?l Banking Unit to open an acct for you in HK, and Singapore.

Thanks @ledrewy I'll my relationship manager to help me with this.

@bryanlum888 If u are StanChart Priority Banking cust in Msia, u could get your RM to help u get Priority Banking in HK too, just like HSBC

@ledrewy I don't have a standard charter account yet in Msia but will look into it. I may focus on getting bank accounts in Singapore instead since my funds do relate to Crypto. I've read HK banks frown upon crypto.

Question I'm hoping someone can answer. My wife has an HKID but we both live in Malaysia. Since we just got married, is there any way for me to get an HKID, thus being able to open my own bank account?

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Heading to HK around Friday, 22nd Feb for a few weeks if anyone is around. Finally planning on opening some bank accounts with my HKID.

@simon, any recommendations for a Sim card in HK? Main use is for SMS 2FA for banking so long validity / cheap preferred. Cant seem to find anything that lasts longer than 180 days though. China Mobile 1 card 2 numbers seems OK.

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@burrup.lambert You can get a China Mobile (HK-sim). Its MyLink phone app allows you to refill and extend the expiry date. But you can?t use it beyond Greater China (Including Macau and Taiwan).

@ledrewy oh darn. I definitely need one that can be used in other countries. Is that just China Mobile specifically?

@burrup.lambert Most prepaid sim don?t allow roaming beyond the national borders. I need one too if you found any :)

CMHK have roaming enabled SIM cards, I?ve used one in dozens of countries. CSL SIM cards also work globally.

If you plan to use them for data, I?d recommend getting a Supreme Global postpaid SIM instead (easy to do if you have a HKID).

It?s around 100 USD per month and includes 20GB of global LTE data. Not a bad deal if you can?t get a Google Fi SIM.

Smartone basic plan 79hkd a month charge on card

Works worldwide even China and is good as proof of address with banks....

Voice only is 68hkd montly

For those of you living or traveling in China I confirm Tor orbot app routes WhatsApp for free and seems stable so far

@ggiampieri Do you need HKID for this plan?

Thanks @ggiampieri. @simon, once you have a HK licence (10 year validity) and you change address / notify the Transport Department / Licencing Office either by submitting the TD559 (Change of Address form) or via the GovHK Change of Address online service, are you required to get a new licence? My plan was to apply for a drivers licence on Monday with my AirBnB address and Monex Boom statement as proof of address, then once I have a virtual address (not bothering to get one until I get some bank accounts open) and change it to that, but if I have to refile paperwork in person, get a new licence only after just getting the original one etc. I'll wait. Trying to cram as much into this trip as I can. Application form for drivers licence says processing time is 5 working days. On other fronts, I applied for a personalised Octopus card today, hopefully it arrives at my AirBnB before I leave (10 working days processing time). Monday (depending on Simons reply), I'll apply for a drivers licence (requires home country licence, HKID, passport, proof of address). Going to try use Monex Boom statement but it that doesn't work I'll try open some bank accounts first and use statements from that as proof of address, OR, subscribe to a mobile phone plan as discussed above and use that. Ended up getting a China Mobile sim card (prepaid) with the 4G/3G Data & Voice Roaming option. Took about 6 attempts into different Circle K's and 7/11's to find one but got there in the end. Working a treat currently. Using it with my fairly new One Plus 6, didn't even know it had dual sim! *Random tip for young players.* I use Signal as my SMS application. It is however tied to a mobile phone number, in my case my SIM 1 number. When I got my new China Mobile sim I put it in SIM 2 and turned off SIM 1. I then went to test the number by sending myself an SMS and it failed, and it also failed when trying to send to other HK mobile numbers. This is ofcourse because Signal is tied to SIM 1 and the SIM 1 number. To send messages from my China Mobile number (SIM 2), I had to download another SMS application like Google Messages and use that. *Long story short, for dual sim phones if you deactivate your SIM card that is tied to Signal you can continue to message other Signal users (encrypted) but you can't use Signal to send SMS (unencryped) (can not be changed it settings). You'll have to use another SMS application.* Applied for an AEON JAL credit card as well, I put my status as "Retired", was not required to provide employment details, will see if that flies. Technically I'm "unemployed" right now but I didn't want to put that down, and I didn't really want to outright lie and say I was Employed and put the details of my old employer in Australia even though the details would only be a few months old. I'm not sure if I could do that anyway as the Employer Address it wanted was a HK address. Will see. More updates to come.

I think so @ledrewy , I think proof of HK address is only beneficial if you have a HKID, otherwise you'd be seen as a non-resident and subject to those account requirements, high minimum deposits etc. Simon might know more. I was lucky enough and did Simons Working Holiday Visa trick for HK before I turned 31. He does mention though that ANY visa that grants you the right to work grants you the right to a HKID, so maybe have a look if there is another way for you if you don't have one.

@burrup.lambert I don't think so. HK drivers license do not usually show any address.

A HKID is usually required when applying for a post-paid phone plan as they do a soft pull on your Transunion file (which is tied to your HKID number).

Interestingly, as part of the government's push to become a digital society KYC rules have been modernized and some HK banks are now allowing online applications for their products. If you have a HKID and some credit history, you can now apply for credit cards online and receive approval instantly (or within a few hours depending on the bank). I expect most banks to support online applications at some point in the near future not to mention the new digital banks that will soon receive their banking licenses.

This is a great development that will make it super easy for us to get new cards and open new bank accounts.

No hkid, just show up at causeway bay branch and you can do it. I used the revolut to do recurring

Just use your airbnb address and you are done. You can then use it for citibank

Dah Sing Bank has some decent cards, especially the United MileagePlus MasterCard https://www.dahsing.com/html/en/digital/e_express_application_service.html

5 HKD = 1 mile and Dah Sing is known to waive the annual fee if you call

@ggiampieri Did Citi open your account as a resident account? I know of some people who opened accounts with local addresses and were then charged non-resident fees due to the lack of HKID.

I didn't open the account, but was told that should be enough. So probably it isn't. But you can use that address proof to open accounts in South east asian countries

@ggiampieri Do you mean Smartone at Causeway Bay branch or Aeon?

Smartone near time Square

Very interesting. It should make things a bit easier if it follows through as you said.

Had some success today with regards to applying for a HK drivers licence. Transport Department *did not* accept my Monex Boom statement as Proof Of Address as it wasn't a bank (they list on the website what documents are supported, I thought I would try Monex Boom statement anyway). *They did however accept* a bank statement *from Australia* with my HK address on it. The clarify the process: When you go to the Transport Department with the form and supporting documents you are submitting the *application*. If all the documents are good you'll be handed a letter that says come back between X and Y date, the earliest X will be is 5 working days from submitting the application. For e.g. I handed mine back in today, Monday, the earliest I can go back is Monday next week. Y looks to be about 1 month after X, after that your application is cancelled. When you go back (earliest 5 working days) you need to take the letter plus all your original documentation, passport, HKID etc, you will be told this. This is when you find out if the application was successful, it it was, then you'll receive your licence on the spot and pay the fee, *the licence does not get sent to any address*. I don't think there will be any issues. Will post update on Monday next week when I go back. See #banking for bank opening update.

Got my personalised Octopus card today (Saturday), my last outstanding HK item.I'll give it to Hong Kong, if they say 3 working days, it'll day 3 working days, if they say 5, it'll take 5, if they say 10, it'll take 10.

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Hi guys! I've an offshore company, i didn't do accountability, i'm going to do it soon. But I realized one of my customer (french) paid me with his paypal account, which is to his HK company. Will I lose my "offshore status" because of this ? Thanks !

What is the minimum salary requirement to obtain a work permit in HK? I mean, if I were to set up a new co in HK.

There is no minimum salary requirement but your salary should be ?appropriate? for the type of work you do (in line with what other people in similar positions get).

Thanks, @simon. Is it feasible to hire myself as an employee with the minimum salary to qualify a work permit while minimising the stay in HK to under 60 days per year to qualify for the tax free status (personal)? I wish to maintain my tax residency in another country with territorial tax?

If I understand correctly, you want to get a HK work permit but live in another country?

Yes, @simon. I know this doesn?t make sense but how else do I establish that the HK co has employee?

You could hire yourself and your employment income will indeed be exempt if you spend less than 60 days per fiscal year in HK. I'm not sure you will be considered a local employee, however, if you live and work abroad (even if you have a local work permit).

Thanks for your feedback, @simon.

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@simon Happen to have much experience with Macau? I have a friend trying to send money to BOC Macau however they use a 18 digit account number. Transferwise says they only support FPS but it's an issue because HK has 3 digit branch codes + 6-9 digit account number. Transferwise has apparently said the transfer should count as local transactions but not all Macau banks accept them but can't say which. Any other ideas on transferring funds to Macau?

Macau is not part of FPS so I doubt it will be possible to send a transfer there using it.

Can your friend open an account in HK?

He does not have an account and is not a resident there.

His gf is a Macau resident and citizen however. Can Macau residents/citizens open bank accounts in HK as locals? Not too sure of the HK, mainland, Macau intricacies!

As a Macau citizen / resident I imagine that it will be fairly easy to open a HK account (although she will have to be careful not to choose a bank that has high non-resident fees).

Thanks!

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Any ideas for manufacture spending a HK Amex @simon while not located in HK? I'm trying to figure out how to do it. I can't add an Amex to Curve, AliPay HK, or Revolut. The only bills I pay out of HK are for Jumpstart and it isn't that often.

@burrup.lambert Do you have business transactions you can fund with the AmEx? Or accounts you can top up? Prepaying memberships, domain names etc can also work.

The idea was to try and charge the card locally in HKD to avoid the (at least) 2% foreign currency fee.

There are some sites that will let you choose the billing currency (most travel sites, Netflix etc) and many do not charge a forex fee.

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Anyone handle or know someone who does company incorporation in Macau? Looking for advice. Thanks.

@simon?

@burrup.lambert It seems that you can do it via the IPIM (a government run portal): https://www.ipim.gov.mo/en/services/one-stop-service/notary-service-for-company-registration/

Thanks. I'll have a look!

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Any advantage of having a company in Macau ?

No CFC rules.

so you mean residency in macau is advantage because of CFC?

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@julianmb - fancy seeing you here!? :laughing:

Hey @brent Good to see you here :slightly_smiling_face:

@simon. Do you know if an expired temporary HKID which you get from say the Working Visa still works at the airport to go through the automated gate? I thought about trying it next time I'm passing through but I don't want to gate to eat my expired card, or for it to call an official and then he confiscated the expired card. Super quick to go through gate when using your card.

It won?t work if your visa is expired. You can get a frequent visitor sticker added to your passport if you want to continue using the automated gates.

@simon - what are your thoughts on the potential removal of HK's status and the other geo-political games that are going on at present? I mean, HK won't disappear overnight, but it certainly makes for interesting times. My take is it'll hurt the US and HK more than China... kinda seems like the US is going to (yet again) shoot itself in the foot.

It?s too early to assess what impact such a move would have on HK but it?s fair to say that the city?s long-term future isn?t looking very bright at the moment. Its economy relies very much on its autonomy from the mainland and its trade relationships with other countries (not to mention its perception as a safe haven).

China is in a pretty bad spot at the moment, most of its major trade partners are looking at ways to move their supply chains out of the country and reduce bilateral relations to a minimum. There are even talks of subsidies being offered to companies moving out of the country / to ?friendlier? countries (India, Mexico and SE Asia stand to gain a lot from this).

Yes, I suspect SE Asia will benefit massively from this. I have been contemplating setting up a base in SG (which after living in HK all those years - although more on/off in recent times - doesn't appear to be that expensive, or perhaps I've been desensitised given what I used to spend monthly in HK :laughing: ).......

HK is definitely more expensive than Singapore, especially for stuff like food and entertainment. It?s also closer to, arguably, more interesting weekend getaway destinations.

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Yes, HK is doomed. But I'll wait to see what is mainland plan for HK, they might want to pump money or give it advantages so it would look better after the NSL. If not, the social unrest problems in HK are going to be worse over the time

@julianmb Do you plan to stop banking there? I?m currently considering my options, for the medium/long term.

Stop banking in HK? No way, I'll probably convert everything to USD in a US bank located in HK like Citibank to stay away from trade war problems

I'm in two minds about HK - one is that it might be best to stay away from now on, the other says that there may be some coming deals (companies with strong cashflow but selling for pennies on the dollar) -- buy when there's blood on the street and all that -- however, it may take decades to realise any real value from said assets.

I still have hope that CCP will pump money into HK. If not I think we are going to have more social unrest because the increasing unemployment

Probably allowing mainlanders to spend more money when coming to HK

When they open the borders

@julianmb - for sure, I think that's a real possibility... but the HKMA is already so well capitalised that the HK government could institute a bunch of programs themselves (without Beijing's direct involvement)...

That's what they are doing now. Low taxes, giving 9k HKD per month to employers

Best method to send money from HK to China at the moment? ~500k rmb

That should be easy, Bank transfer ?

My offshore claim just get approved after one year and half of paperwork ?

If someone wants the contact of the company who managed this just let me know.

@sylvain156 wow nice! how is the process?

@sylvain156 Congrats - but this is exactly why I prefer to incorporate elsewhere... the paperwork/time is enough to put me off!

All banks have told me I can't send RMB to china unless its a to a self named account in China (which is what I am not doing). and the cap is 120k rmb per day even for that method

Your accountant have to make a lot of paperwork, and you've to answer to many questions. It took me in total about 5 days work (including doing my accountability). It's for 3 years of activity.

And cost about 6.000?

"The lawmaker also urged the government to introduce new taxes - such as on capital gains, luxuries and dividends - to bridge the gap between rich and poor and to replenish its reserves."

With countries poor from corona, what do you guys think chances are that they actually try to attempt this?

I mean with all the protests and china stuff, it already seems they are slowly losing competitiveness as a major financial hub. Introducing a capital gains tax would just seal the deal and not leave much reason for many to be here?

It?s a slow march into irrelevance? these ?taxes? will probably make the place uncompetitive, but time will tell..

I think Singapore will be the winner at the end of the day...

Agree, SG seems to be poised to just slowly gobble it up

Introducing a capital gains tax in HK is probably the ultimate final blow

hi guys. I heard some people, who has a company in HK, and who live in a country with a territory taxation (thailand...) has a trick to don't pay tax in HK. They send the money from the company to their personal account, and declare this as salary. The salary isn't taxed in HK, it's taxed in thailand. Because thailand doesn't tax offshore income (on a certain way) they are able to don't have tax. They don't even do offshore claim. They pay tax in HK only on the portion of their income which isn't sent as salary. So they send 90% of their benefits as salary, and they pay tax on the 10% that they didn't send. My accountant tell me it's not possible to do that, we should do offshore claim. But my friends actually do that, and their accountant says it's ok. Some of you know that?

@sylvain156 Thailand isn?t a territorial taxation country, any income generated while in the country will be liable to tax (regardless of origin). If you run a HK company from Thailand, it will also be liable to tax in Thailand (Thai corporation tax). The only exception is foreign-sourced income that isn?t remitted to Thailand, during the year it was generated in. Foreign-sourced income is income generated while outside the country, or from sources located outside the country (for example, rental income from a property located in New Zealand). As for your example, in HK tax is only paid when local income is generated. If you do not conduct any business in HK, you?ll pay no tax there (regardless of whether you file an offshore claim).

Thanks @simon. ***A resident of Thailand is liable to pay tax on income from sources in Thailand as well as on the portion of income from foreign sources that is brought into Thailand *** They don't bring their "salary" to Thailand, they send it to Singapore.

But Thailand will not ask anything and will not create any problem. My interrogation is more about if hk will accept that we don't pay taxes on the salary we're sending from the hk company to our personal bank account in sg.

The salary isn?t from foreign sources, however, if the work was performed while in Thailand. As for HK, you will not pay any taxes there if you have no local income.

Thailand isn?t likely to give you any issues for non-compliance but that will change when they join CRS in 2022. If your plan is to stay there long term, I?d recommend compliance to avoid future issues.

As for HK, you will not pay any taxes there if you have no local income. >> They will trust us when we'll say "we don't do local business", we don't have to do the offshore claim, to prove we're offshore?

You may have to provide evidence if you claim offshore income but this shouldn?t be difficult if you have no local operations (passport copies showing stamps, utility bills etc are usually sufficient).

Ok, so it's so much more efficient to do that, and don't do the offshore claim...

@sylvain156 the tax lawyers i spoke with in thailand all basically told me they?ll never be able to enforce the laws and not worry about it. crazy stuff. @simon interesting about CRS in thailand, i wonder how that will impact all the expats there now working remotely hiding :smile:

@simon "The only exception is foreign-sourced income that isn?t remitted to Thailand, during the year it was generated in." Is there a workaround for remitting the money regularly in a delay of one year? Is it every calendar year? E.G In 2021 I can remit the money I've generated in 2019 and not be taxed?

Sure, but that only works if the income wasn?t generated in Thailand. For example: income from work performed outside the country, rental income from properties located abroad etc.

Oh, I see. So no loophole for ecom store owners over there haha

@simon if a non-resident US citizen owns 49% of a HK company is it good enough to avoid CFC qualification? I understand CFC rules apply automatically if the US Shareholder of a foreign corporation owns 50% of the said corporation. Then the idea would be to use FEIE to pay a 100K yearly salary tax free, and carry forward earnings to defer taxation. In the latter example would GILTI provisions apply as well? This is all a bit confusing. Thanks!

@cutepetthings Assuming the other 51% is owned / controlled by non-US citizens / residents, no CFC taxation will be triggered in the US. GILTI also doesn?t apply in cases such as this (where there isn?t any US operations). Do note that to qualify for the FEIE, you need to either spend most of your time abroad or be able to pass the bona fide residency test.

@simon thanks for the clarification, and yes full time abroad for FEIE. For the choice of structure I initially went for a UK LLP but I read that earnings can?t be retained, and that a pass through would mean a full reintegration of non- distributed earnings into US personal income! So it looks like a corporation is the best choice. What are your thoughts?

Is there a reason for the HK company, as opposed to another jurisdiction?

yes, for the territorial taxation system, easy bank/payment processor availability and integration as well as relaxed remittance rules fro tax purposes. I'm open to other ideas if you have any!

There are no remittance rules in HK, you can bring in all overseas profits tax-free. Banking / payment processing is a real pain, however, with few options and high fees compared to what you are used to in the US. There?s also the issue that most payment processing services will convert your settlements to HKD, costing you an extra 2-3% (Stripe HK, for example, only supports HKD settlements). A workaround would be to setup a US LLC, owned by the HK company, and use it for payment processing / banking (this will not usually create a US tax liability, assuming there is no US ECI).

thanks for the feedback on HK payment processing/banking. Above the 100K FEIE, what do you recomment to structure a tax efficient payment of remaining earnings. I was thinking of carrying them forward and using the HK structure to acquire assets or invest without triggering US tax. Any thoughts?

That?s not a bad idea, although if you will do that I recommend using a separate entity for the active part of your business (such as the US LLC I mentioned) so as to shield your HK company from business liabilities.

This ultra nationalist stuff is really going nuts

thank you!

Hi ! Anyone managed to get a loan for a HK LTD company to finance inventory? Note that I am not a HK resident.

@frederic.scheffer I'd say your chances are slim to none, and slim has left town!

I think this depends on the age of your business and track record. I think its a waste of time to apply if your company is less then 3 years old, but if you can show a 3 years track record with good profits and a business plan, I think your chances are good.

@twinorita any idea which bank might agree? Business is 6 years old and good track record

Sorry cannot really help with that

Thanks anyways!

Anyone in HK currently? @simon did you make it back to HK, or you left for good now?

@brent I?m currently in Dubai. I don?t plan to travel back to HK anytime soon, not until they drop the quarantine requirement.

Yeah, don't blame you...

Are you in HK at the moment?

Nope - still in Singapore. Heading to Taipei next weekend. Once settled in Taipei, I need to plan a trip to HK, but not really wanting to go through 3 weeks of quarantine either :laughing:

Yeah especially as the quarantine now has to be completed in a hotel (and probably in a miniature room). Can?t Airbnb a house in the NT with a lawn / pool anymore

Yeah, it's a bit crap.

Wow, @brent lots of traveling for you haha.

Yeah HK, and the 3 week quarantine is off putting.

@michael Yeah, I was going crazy not travelling and honestly the two week quarantine in some places doesn't bother me. Allows me to get settled, spend time in a reasonable hotel, slam through a ton of work etc.

I'm also hoping that they restart the HK <-> SG travel bubble in the next month or so.... can then just bounce between them...

I guess it?ll depend on what happens in the 2-3 weeks after CNY. If case numbers stay low, the bubble might happen (it?ll believe it when I see it though)

I need to come to HK before I become tax resident in Australia, but the three weeks quarantine in a cage hotel doesn't look fun

@julianmb If you have a real chance of a tax liability in Australia then 3 weeks quarantine in HK is a much better deal imo. But if you're just stuck in AU with no ties and no plan to stay then I'd say risk is pretty low

No bank, job, phone bill or rent

Yeah, don't you need to do less than 183 days a year in AU @julianmb?

Also, as you're married and your wife is a tax resident, make sure that that doesn't count as "ties to Australia" -- the bastards will get you on that

Yes, that's the problem, I'll be more than 183 days

I'm sure they will try to get me with that. But what are they going to do ? There is no tax information agreement with HK

Yeah...low risk. Why don't you head to SG first, instead? You can get into SG under the Air Travel Pass scheme. Then, when the SG <-> HK travel bubble opens (and it looks like it will open in the coming month or so as case numbers plummet in HK) you can get into HK without the need to quarantine...

That's really good !!!

But that means I can be in SG under tourist visa or just for transit ?

Yeah man, just a visitor.

I've done it twice already.

Was there from September - December (flew in from NZ), and again just recently, before heading to Taiwan (where I am now).

You take a covid test on arrival, and then have to self-isolate at a hotel of your choice and wait for your results. Normally you have results within 6 hours.

This is a nice back-door into HK, once the bubble is up.... but SG isn't a bad place to hang out in, for a month or so before hand..

@julianmb When did you leave HK? Wasn't it around October?

Yes, mid october

Ok, so basically 4 months.

Damn, @brent is the man, jet setting.

@michael lol - someone has to. Honestly, travelling during Covid has been great (and I realise I'm quite fortunate to be travelling). Quiet airports, no queues. Flights always on time (or leave early).

Flights always on time, or leaving early?! Who would have guessed! hope that stays the same when things open back up.

Haha - one can dream :laughing:

So....looks like we're going to get the bubble from May 26th @simon..... lets see if it actually manages to start this time. I'm booked to fly to HK on June 18th.

@simon, how does the credit score work in HK again? I just went to obtain my credit score from Transunion and you can't do it if you only have Amex Cards (which I do). I can't download the HK Amex app either as it is region locked to the HK Google Play store.

@burrup.lambert Any card you have in HK, tied to a HKID, will report to your HK credit profile. This includes AmEx cards. A credit score will be generated every month based on this history and that is what HK lenders use to determine creditworthiness, in addition to the usual stuff (employment history, history with the bank etc).

Thanks. What are the ways to view the credit score?

You can use Transunion?s online portal, you can also request a copy in the mail. The other ways have all been blocked since the hacking scandal back in 2019

Yeah.

Decided just to bite the bullet and head to Hong Kong in a few days time.

Going to quarantine at Kerry Hotel. Could be worse.

Be like my 4th time in actual quarantine :laughing:

Oh man, again?

It was expected from SG side?

I've a few things to do in HK, been putting it off for ages. But it's ok, I pretty much live out of hotels anyway

I know @felix - really does suck.

?Singapore residents returning to the city state would be subject to seven days of home observation upon arrival.? Ok, but that?s not too bad.

I think everyone else is now on 21 days SHN in SG

Yeah.

btw. @simon, where are you at the moment? Back in HK?

I?m in Bangkok for the week, will fly to London next weekend

How are things in BKK @simon?

Pretty bad, the city is in lockdown with most things closed or nearly so. Restaurants operate at 25% capacity, for example

Damn.

I am in Thailand, Phuket and its a freaking ghost town. But at least restaurants are open.

That?s really bad to hear. I thought Phuket is pushing a vaccination program to open up the island from July on, @taylorwalkerllc

They are (I was there for the past few weeks and all workers at my resort were vaccinated) but at this point it?s anyone?s guess if they will actually open quarantine-free in July.

Just went through all the bio-security theatre at HKIA. Singapore was way, way more efficient. Went through at least 6 different stations (after being tested) handing over different forms/scanning QR codes/downloading apps/getting some stupid tracking wrist band lol...... Still, not too bad as there weren't that many of us on the flight and happy that it wasn't too burdensome, just interesting comparing the different approaches. In New Zealand you literally hop off the plane, go through immigration and then get herded onto a bus to your hotel..

@brent Same in Thailand, the airport arrival process was surprisingly efficient and well organised. How?s the quarantine at your hotel? Can you go out of your room?

Nope, not allowed out lol. It's not too bad. Am staying at Kerry Hotel.

However, one interesting thing was after going through all that bio-security theatre, Immigration acted like right a**holes. They probed all of us coming from SG who didn't have an HKID (myself, some Aussies, Brits, Singaporeans -- all travelling on passports that'd normally get us 90-180 days) asking what we did for work, who we know in Hong Kong (and please provide their HK IDs - for *everyone* you know), why are we travelling during a pandemic, outbound tickets (and they were even calling their airlines) etc... First time I've experienced that. Even going into Singapore during this pandemic, SG Immigration were super chill.....

Did you notice if HK residents were allowed to use the e-Gates?

No, looked like they had to go via the resident immigration desks. I believe (but don't quote me on this) immigration are carefully looking at passports to determine travel history over the past 14-21 days.

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing

That makes sense. Hopefully HK reopens without quarantine at some point this year, I have some business to take care of there and I?m not keen to go through another quarantine.

Yeah, fair enough..

If anyone needs a HK mobile number, I?ve found a way to get one remotely (and a real one, not virtual). You need an esim enabled phone though. Go to the link below and order a global plan (or one that covers the country you?ll activate the esim in), follow the instructions in the email they send you and you?ll have your number within a few minutes. As a sidenote, the plans aren?t bad and could also be useful to those who need an alternative to Fi. https://www.three.com.hk/prepaid/DIY/en/offer/travel

(the prices are in HKD, 7.75 HKD = ~1 USD)

Nice one. My next phone is definitely going to be eSIM. I'm still manually swapping SIMs, luckily they have all worked so far in the countries I needed them.

Hong Kong just recently (in the past week or so) opened up vaccination to foreign non-residents who might be in the city temporarily on business or as a tourist. Just had my first jab of Pfizer a couple of days ago. Free of charge. Very professional, orderly and well organised. Was in and out in about 30 minutes tops (they make you wait 15minutes after receiving the jab to ensure that any immediate reactions are picked up).

I was hesitant (and kinda still am), but given we don't know much about the long term effects of Covid (and the long term effects of the vaccine too), I thought the price was worth paying to continue travelling and for reduced quarantine... time will tell I guess.

Had my second Pfizer jab about 1.5 months ago. It?s all good. No crazy things happening, nothing is different to a HepaA vaccination. Glad you got it!

@brent Did you get a vaccination card?

@simon - yep, sure did.

Hong Kong is opening up for fully vaccinated non-residents starting mid-August, just seven days' quarantine when you get a serology antibody test beforehand, oh and six PCR tests after you arrive: > For medium-risk places, only Hong Kong residents and fully vaccinated non-Hong Kong residents are allowed to board flights for Hong Kong. All inbound travellers are required to comply with stringent quarantine measures and repeated testing. > [?] > Travellers who have been fully vaccinated and hold a positive result proof of a serology antibody test issued by a laboratory recognised by the Hong Kong Government within the past 3 months must present both a vaccination record and a recognised serology antibody test result proof at boarding. They are subject to a further shortened quarantine period. Relevant quarantine arrangements are as follows: > (a) Undergo compulsory quarantine for 7 days in a DQH; > (b) Undergo 2 tests during compulsory quarantine; > (c) Self-monitoring in the subsequent 7 days; and > (d) Undergo compulsory testing on the 9th, 12th, 16th and 19th days of arrival in Hong Kong. > [?] > In view of the latest situation, the Government expects that the second phase of serology antibody testing arrangements will be implemented in mid-August, where self-paid serology antibody testing service for inbound travellers will be provided at the airport. Implementation details of the relevant arrangements will be announced later. https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202108/03/P2021080200985.htm Exception: if you have been to any of > Brazil, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa and the United Kingdom > [?] > on the day of boarding for/arrival in Hong Kong or during the 21 days before that day (https://gia.info.gov.hk/general/202108/03/P2021080200985_373718_1_1627924428682.pdf)

Thank you fos sharing!

So, just some other interesting news in Hong Kong. I applied for a 2 month extension, citing Covid, that I couldn't get into my country of Citizenship (New Zealand), want to setup a company...etc etc (oh, and I got a lecture from Immigration about "you cannot do any work whatsoever", implying that he knew that I was probably working online remotely...._*yeah, whatever mate*_). Immigration still took a tough stance and only gave me a month and said that it won't be extended again, but I could just leave and come back. Honestly, the process in Singapore was waay easier (online and approved within a few hours and they were much more reasonable).

Hong Kong has become worse every year for the last 3 years. When we applied back then for the employment visa of a Chinese national it took 6 months and only was approved because our agent knew someone at the immigration.

What?s your plan after the month? Visa run to Dubai?

I think I'll head to Taiwan (still got an ARC for Taiwan), do my quarantine stay at the Marriott and then fly back to Singapore :slightly_smiling_face:

@brent maybe no need anymore for the dtour to Taiwan

@felix yep! No need for a detour. This is great.