Crossing the border, customs and paying in Hong Kong
What you can bring across, which crossings are open, how to get home late, and how to pay for transport. Each answer states what the official page says and the date we checked it.
Sources checked ·
How much alcohol and tobacco can I bring into Hong Kong?#
Customs says each incoming passenger aged 18 or above may bring in, for their own use and free of duty, 1 litre of liquor stronger than 30% alcohol by volume, plus one tobacco choice: 19 cigarettes, or 1 cigar or 25 grams of cigars, or 25 grams of other manufactured tobacco. The tobacco items are alternatives, not a total. These quantities date from 1 August 2010.
A Hong Kong ID card holder must have been outside Hong Kong for 24 hours or longer. Cross-boundary drivers and people carrying goods for trade get no concession. The page does not say how liquor at 30% or below is treated.
What else must I declare or avoid carrying across?#
Customs says a reasonable amount of fruit, vegetables and fully cooked meat or seafood for your own use is generally not controlled. Fresh meat, poultry, eggs and milk are import-controlled, and rice is licensed unless it is up to 15 kg for your own use or as gifts in your luggage.
Carrying more than HK$120,000 in cash or bearer instruments (or the foreign equivalent) must be declared through the Red Channel. The Drug Office says medicine containing dangerous drugs needs written approval first, with a doctor's letter; it normally takes 10 working days.
Can I bring an e-cigarette, heated tobacco or herbal cigarettes?#
No. The Department of Health's Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office says no one may import them, including arriving travellers. This covers e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, herbal cigarettes, heat sticks and e-liquid. A Department of Health release of 29 April 2026 dates the ban to 30 April 2022. The listed import penalty is up to HK$500,000 and 2 years in prison.
Since 30 April 2026, possessing these products in a public place is also an offence. Up to 5 capsule units or 5 mL, 100 heat sticks, or 100 herbal cigarettes carries a HK$3,000 fixed penalty. More is prosecuted. The release says "any person" and lists no exemption for visitors.
Which border crossings are open, and when?#
Two crossings run 24 hours: Huanggang and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port. The Immigration Department lists Lo Wu 6:30 am to midnight, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line 6:30 am to 10:30 pm, Shenzhen Bay 6:30 am to midnight, Man Kam To 7:00 am to 10:00 pm, and Express Rail West Kowloon 6:30 am to 11:30 pm.
Sha Tau Kok clearance is suspended until further notice. Road-based Lok Ma Chau passenger clearance has been suspended since 12 October.
Caveat: the Immigration page ends with the date 27-10-2026, after our check on 24 October, which we cannot explain. Confirm on the day.
How do I get back from Huanggang late at night?#
Huanggang opened on 12 October 2026 and clears passengers 24 hours. The Transport Department's page (undated, checked 24 October) lists these overnight routes from the Port:
KMB bus NB73 to Sha Tin Town Centre, 11:30 pm to 5:30 am, HK$22.6. Minibus 79S to Tin Shui Wai, 12:00 am to 6:30 am, HK$14.6. Minibus N44B to Tuen Mun Ferry Pier, 11:00 pm to 6:30 am, HK$15.7 (HK$21.7 from midnight). Minibus 616S to Mong Kok, 11:05 pm to 6:30 am, HK$28.5.
Five coach routes also run round the clock.
What if I cross at Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau or Shenzhen Bay late?#
Check the last departure, not only the closing time. The Transport Department lists East Rail trains leaving Lo Wu until midnight (to Admiralty) and 12:30 am (to Hung Hom); the control point closes at midnight. At Lok Ma Chau Spur Line the control point closes at 10:30 pm, and trains leave the station until about 10:55 pm.
From Shenzhen Bay, buses B2 (Yuen Long) and B3 (Tuen Mun) and minibus 618 (Tin Shui Wai) leave until about 12:20 am. B3A stops at 11:35 pm. The page lists no overnight routes there.
Which phones can carry an Octopus for visitors?#
Octopus says an iPhone X or later, or an Apple Watch Series 3 or later, can use the Octopus App for Tourists. It works with a non-Hong Kong Mastercard, UnionPay or Visa card in Apple Pay, a non-Hong Kong Mastercard linked to the app, the e-CNY App or Weixin Pay. The maximum stored value is HK$3,000 and the minimum top-up is HK$100.
A Huawei phone can use Huawei Wallet Octopus for tourists if the Huawei Account is registered to Chinese Mainland, Macao or Singapore; it can be topped up with UnionPay cards. For other Android phones, see the last section.
Which physical Octopus cards can a visitor buy?#
Octopus sells a Tourist Octopus for HK$39 and a Tourist Octopus China T-Union Card for HK$42. Both come with no stored value, so top up before you ride. If you refund the remaining value, the card is deactivated and its price is not returned. The T-Union card holds up to HK$3,000, plus RMB 1,000 on its Mainland side.
At the airport, T-Union cards are sold at any 7-Eleven and most MTR Customer Service Centres; the plain Tourist Octopus is sold at Hung Fook Tong only. T-Union cards are also sold at the Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau MTR counters.
How does an On-Loan Octopus work, and what does returning it cost?#
An On-Loan Octopus carries a HK$50 refundable deposit. Initial value is HK$150 for an adult and HK$50 for a child (3 to 11) or elder (65 and over). Octopus says a handling fee of HK$11 or 1% of the remaining value, whichever is higher, applies if any one of these is true: remaining value above HK$1,000; returned within 90 days of issue; or five or fewer payments made.
On-Loan cards are not sold at the Airport, Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau MTR stations. Buy a sold card or use a phone there.
Can I pay for the MTR with a bank card or QR code?#
MTR says contactless Visa, Mastercard and UnionPay credit, debit or prepaid cards work at designated gates, as do payment-enabled phones and watches. UnionPay debit cards are not accepted. The fare equals the Adult Octopus fare, with no concessions. It is not available on Light Rail or MTR Bus. Use the same card to enter and exit. Overseas banks may add a foreign transaction fee.
QR payment works at heavy rail gates with AlipayHK EasyGo, Alipay Transit QR Code, UnionPay App MTR Transit QR Code and WeChat Transit QR Code. QR fares are not refundable.
Sources & data2
How do I pay for a taxi?#
Cash is still accepted. The government said on 15 March 2026 that passengers may keep paying in cash.
From 1 April 2026, every taxi driver must offer at least two e-payment types: one QR code means, such as AlipayHK, WeChat Pay HK or BoC Pay, and one non-QR means, such as Octopus, credit cards or FPS. The driver chooses which, and stickers on the window show them. A given taxi may therefore not take your foreign credit card. Look at the stickers before you set off.
Are Uber-style ride-hailing apps legal in Hong Kong now?#
This is based on Transport Department announcements and may change. The Road Traffic (Amendment) (Ride-hailing Service) Ordinance 2025 has been mostly in force since 3 August 2026; the rest takes effect on 22 August 2027. The Transport Department says a lawful ride needs a permitted vehicle, a permitted driver and a platform with a ride-hailing service licence.
The department invited platforms to apply on 28 August 2026, with applications closing at noon on 30 October 2026. That release does not say any platform has been licensed. Check the Transport Department's announcements before relying on an app.
Will my home mobile wallet work in Hong Kong?#
Official pages confirm little. What is confirmed: MTR gates accept AlipayHK EasyGo, Alipay, UnionPay App and WeChat transit QR codes, though the page does not say whether your own overseas wallet app works; and every taxi must offer one QR payment means.
We found no official or operator page saying whether Weixin Pay works at ordinary Hong Kong shops for visitors. Before you travel, check your wallet provider's Hong Kong guidance, and ask at the shop.
What could you not confirm?#
We could not confirm: whether arrival halls, hotel rooms or vehicles count as a "public place" for the e-cigarette offence; the stored-value cap on a physical On-Loan card; whether Android phones other than Huawei have a visitor route (Octopus's Android page is silent on overseas cards); Octopus or bank-card acceptance on buses, minibuses, trams and ferries; and Weixin Pay at shops.
Partly confirmed only: Heung Yuen Wai hours (7:00 am to 10:00 pm, one source); overnight airport buses NA and N35 serve the HZMB port, with no times or fares read; and no licensed ride-hailing platform had been announced by 24 October.