Carrying a pocket knife in Hong Kong

[Mark II]

Hi. My wife and I are moving to Hong Kong in a few weeks and I thought it prudent to ask something before I arrive. You see, I usually carry a small pocket knife (swiss army) here at home, and was wondering if there would be any problem doing the same in HK. Would anyone have any knowledge or insight? Thanks.

[Star Gazer]

so long as you don't conspicuously carry it, and you don't look like you're looking for a fight.... it should be okay.

[KnowItAll]

As far as I can remember, you cannot carry something that is spring loaded ... (not sure what the technical term is). Also not sure if there is a restriction depending on the size of the blade.

[Star Gazer]

i think it's the fan blade too

[Mat]

out of curiosity, why would you need to carry a small pocket knife ?

[PDLM]

There's no problem per se with carrying a Swiss army knife around. Obviously if it can be shown that the bearer has criminal intent then that's different. The list of prohibited weapons (Schedule to Cap 217 Weapons Ordinance) is:

PROHIBITED WEAPON

Chinese-style throwing dart
Gravity knife
Gravity-operated steel baton
Knuckleduster whether spiked or not and with or without blade
Chinese-style fighting iron
Spring-loaded steel baton
Any knife the blade of which is exposed by a spring or other mechanical or electric device
Any bladed or pointed weapon designed to be used in a fashion whereby the handle is held in a clenched fist and the blade or point protrudes between the fingers of the fist

[jayinhongkong]

I'm a little bit of a knife aficionado. Swiss Army Knives are fine (I carry a Victorinox Huntsman every day), even locking ones.

Why do I carry one every day? Swiss Army Knives are extremely useful. I actually use the scissors in my SAK more than any other tool, although I have used the screwdriver and blade on occasion too, as well as the toothpick. Nice to have around just in case. My mom got her ATM card stuck in the wrong slot on the machine once, and some guy used the blade on his SAK and a Band-aid to extricate the card. My brother, who witnessed it, was awestruck. He carries a SwissCard everywhere now.

It's entirely up to an officer's discretion. If you're carrying a 13.5" long double-edged dagger, then you might just have issues if you're stopped. As long as the knife is reasonable, you're ok. I take a machete out into the woods when I'm hiking and it's never been an issue. Then again, I've never been stopped with it. Tactical/fighting knives are more of an issue.

Definitely avoid any kind of automatic knife/balisong/push dagger. They are all illegal to possess, whether you're at home or not.

[PerryCo]

Do not carry the knife on you when entering Hong Kong, or in your carry on baggage. Pack it in your checked bags. If it is scanned by security, they can take it away from you. As for carrying it around on your person, probably not a good idea to show it to anyone. Knives are like guns, they are not popular.

I lost a pocket knife to airport security, and it was a very special single blade, about 9cm open, and had historical value. But I forgot it was in my carry on, and should have been in the checked bag. They took it and I never got it back. It was handed down to me from my dad, who carried it during the Pacific War, and so the special meaning.

Good luck.

[lulumay]

Knuckleduster whether spiked or not and with or without blade

what the heck is a knuckleduster?

[via]

what the heck is a knuckleduster?

Brass knuckles, also sometimes called knuckles, knucks, brass knucks or knuckle dusters, are weapons used in hand-to-hand combat.