Activate visa by leaving Hong Kong

[HKChigger]

It continues, but there may be a "delay" because they had to request and wait for your references.

[PDLM]

Obviously they just carry on. But each time they ask for something more it adds about 2 weeks to the process (plus however long it takes you to respond).

[geo-seb]

Dependant visa and I had to leave. This was discussed before on another topic! Seems the visas issued can be different for some strange and unknown reason.

It depends on whether you applied for your visa as an extension of stay or not (5th floor vs. 7th floor in immigration tower). If you use the extension of stay approach, you don't have to leave and re-enter Hong Kong to activate the visa.

[helskarm]

When I entered HK the guy from immigration never activated my working visa and instead by mistake granted me the regular 90 days stay here. When I got to immigration to get my ID they first said I had to leave HK again to get my working visa activated, I refused this and asked if there were some other option and they then told me they could also activate my working visa inside the immigration tower. Had to wait for an hour or so, but then I did not have to waste a day going to Shenzhen or Macau….

I guess this is not a standard option, but immigration here is very helpful for as long as you have a reason to your actions.

[krypton]

Picking up this old post. Need to activate a dependent visa and it requires exiting and entering in HK. Would have done the Macau run but looking for options that would save wasting a day. Is there really no way to just exit and enter immigration to fulfill this requirement?

[Claire ex-ax]

Picking up this old post. Need to activate a dependent visa and it requires exiting and entering in HK. Would have done the Macau run but looking for options that would save wasting a day. Is there really no way to just exit and enter immigration to fulfill this requirement?

Fast ferry to Macau, walk through Immigration, turn back round and pass through the gates again, fast ferry back to Hong Kong. It's a couple of hours not a day.

[Nep]

yeah...can be done in the morning and you are sorted before lunch.
just make sure to buy the tickets early...there can be alot of people going especially on weekends.

If you are really adventurous you can try exiting immigration, pay somebody a couple of dollars for him to lead you back to the incomming hall and then enter through immigration again.

[chingleutsch]

So remember to fasten your seatbelt!

[MandM!]

If you can enter China then you can do it that way too via Lo wu or lok ma chau mtr stations. I am not sure but has anyone tried to enter the ferry terminal then instead of going to Macau (and after HK immigration) just skip the boat and go back into HK like you are an arriving passenger using your visa? I think the airport runs the same way.

[MandM!]

I can't remember where I activated mine the first time, but I think I went to China and did not even leave the terminal to China and simply went straight to the immigration back to HK. So I wonder if you can do this at the ferry or airport, and just forfeit the ferry ticket.