Customs: what you can and cannot bring into Hong Kong

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.

Can I bring an e-cigarette, heated tobacco or herbal cigarettes?#

No. The Department of Health's Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office (TACO) says no one may import them, including arriving travellers, whatever the quantity and even for personal use. This covers e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, herbal cigarettes, heat sticks and e-liquid. A parcel bought online and posted to Hong Kong counts as an import by the buyer. A vaping product given by an overseas doctor or pharmacist to help you quit smoking is not exempt.

Passengers in transit at the airport who do not pass through immigration are exempt. TACO lists the import penalty as HK$500,000 and 2 years in prison on summary conviction, or HK$2,000,000 and 7 years on indictment.

Can I bring my own medicine into Hong Kong?#

The Drug Office says medicines in the personal baggage of a person entering Hong Kong, carried by that person and in a reasonable quantity for personal use, may be exempted from the import licence. Medicine containing a dangerous drug is the exception and needs approval first (next answer).

The Department of Health issues no import licences to the public for personal medicines sent by post or by any means other than the traveller's own baggage. For a long stay, the Drug Office advises checking whether your medicine is registered in Hong Kong and asking a local doctor or pharmacist about the same medicine or a substitute.

Do I need approval to bring in a medicine that contains a dangerous drug?#

Yes. The Drug Office says any visitor, including a visitor in transit, who wants to bring in for personal use a medicine containing a dangerous drug defined under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Cap. 134) must first get written approval from the Drug Office. Its Chinese page adds that the approval must be obtained before the visit to Hong Kong.

Once all required documents are received, processing normally takes 10 working days. Approval enquiries go to the Drug Office on 2572 2068 or pharmgeneral@dh.gov.hk. No official page we opened gives an application form, a fee, how long an approval lasts, or what happens to a traveller who arrives without it.

What must the doctor's letter say, and what do I carry?#

The Drug Office says the doctor's letter that supports the application must give: the doctor's full name and medical registration number; the clinic's name and address; the date of issue; the patient's full name and residential address; for each controlled medicine, its name, dosage form, strength and total quantity; and the doctor's original signature.

The Drug Office links a sample letter (PDF) but does not say it is compulsory. It says the traveller should carry both the doctor's letter and the Department of Health's written approval on entry and during the stay. The letter supports the application; the approval is a separate document.

Which medicines are controlled?#

The Drug Office gives examples by control category. Ibuprofen is a Part 1 poison, sold under a pharmacist's supervision. Amlodipine and metformin are prescription-only poisons. Amoxycillin is an antibiotic. Diazepam and phentermine are dangerous drugs. Antibiotics and dangerous drugs are also prescription-only. The dangerous drug list changes: all analogues of etomidate and carisoprodol were added from 18 July 2025.

Customs lists maximum possession penalties: a Part 1 poison, HK$100,000 and 2 years; antibiotics, HK$30,000 and 12 months; a dangerous drug, HK$100,000 and 3 years on summary conviction.

Can I bring Chinese medicine into Hong Kong?#

Customs says importing proprietary Chinese medicines and 36 types of Chinese herbal medicines listed in Cap. 60A needs an import licence from the Department of Health. The requirement may be exempted when they are in your accompanied personal baggage in a reasonable quantity for personal use. The Chinese Medicine Regulatory Office page does not repeat that exemption. It confirms the licence control and a penalty for unlicensed import of HK$500,000 and 2 years.

It describes the 36 as 31 herbs in Schedule 1 plus 5 in Schedule 2, such as processed Radix Aconiti. Its enquiry line is 2319 5119.

Can I bring CBD products into Hong Kong?#

No. The Narcotics Division says cannabidiol (CBD) has been a dangerous drug under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance since 1 February 2023. A government release of 31 January 2023 says travellers must not bring CBD and its products into Hong Kong from abroad. Customs says this includes food or drinks, and tells the public to check labels for the words CBD or THC.

No official page we opened gives a THC or CBD level below which a product is allowed, or lists cosmetics, oils, gummies or hemp products as allowed. Trafficking, which includes importing, carries a maximum of life imprisonment and a HK$5 million fine; possession, 7 years and HK$1 million.

Is it an offence to have vape products in a public place?#

Yes, since 30 April 2026. TACO says possessing "specified" products in a public place is an offence: capsules, e-liquids, heat sticks and herbal cigarettes, not the device itself. Up to 5 capsule units or 5 mL, 100 heat sticks or 100 herbal cigarette rolls, non-commercial, carries a HK$3,000 fixed penalty. More, or commercial, is prosecuted, with a maximum fine of HK$50,000 and 6 months in prison.

The Department of Health release of 29 April 2026 says "any person" and lists no exemption for visitors. A Department of Health statement of 30 April 2026 says no additional restrictions are imposed on tourists.

When did the vape import ban start?#

Official pages differ. A Department of Health release of 29 April 2026 and the TACO FAQ say the bans on import, sale and commercial possession have applied since 30 April 2022. The TACO page on alternative smoking products says importing is prohibited under the Import and Export (Amendment) Ordinance 2023.

A Customs release of 6 January 2023 gave the maximum penalty for import and commercial offences as HK$50,000 and 6 months, under the Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021. No page we opened states when the current import offence and its higher penalty began.

Can I bring chewing tobacco or snuff?#

Customs says importing smokeless tobacco products is prohibited under the Smokeless Tobacco Products (Prohibition) Regulations (Cap. 132BW), and that no duty-free concession applies to them. A Food and Environmental Hygiene Department release of 12 July 2024 defines the product as tobacco intended to be taken orally, including chewing tobacco and moist snuff, but not dry snuff taken by inhalation. It gives a maximum fine of HK$50,000 and 6 months in prison.

No official page we opened says whether a small personal quantity counts as import, or gives any allowed quantity.

How much cash can I bring in or take out?#

Customs states a duty to declare, not a limit. Cash and bearer negotiable instruments (notes, coins, travellers' cheques and similar) worth more than HK$120,000 (or foreign equivalent) must be declared through the Red Channel when you arrive at a specified control point. Arriving elsewhere or leaving Hong Kong, you must disclose, and declare a large quantity, when a Customs officer requires. An adult must declare for an accompanying person under 16 they know carries a large amount. Airport transit passengers not passing immigration are exempt.

A first breach can in some cases be settled by paying HK$2,000. Other cases are prosecuted, up to HK$500,000 and 2 years in prison.

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.

Items to declare go through the Red Channel; Customs says the Green Channel counts as declaring that you carry none. Penalties depend on each item's law. Failing to declare liquor or tobacco above the concession is an offence: HK$5,000 where it can be settled (from 19 September 2025), or up to HK$2,000,000 and 7 years for tobacco if prosecuted.

Is there a limit on bringing baby formula into Hong Kong?#

We found no official page with a limit or licence rule for bringing powdered formula into Hong Kong. Customs lists powdered formula among commonly found controlled items, but its Controlled Imports page has no formula section.

The limit Customs states is for leaving Hong Kong. Since 1 March 2013, unlicensed export of powdered formula for children under 36 months is prohibited. A person aged 16 or above who has not left Hong Kong in the last 24 hours may carry up to 1.8 kg net in accompanied baggage. Different rules apply if you left within the last 24 hours. Offenders face HK$500,000 and 2 years in prison.

Can I bring a pet or animal products into Hong Kong?#

Not without permission in advance. AFCD says dogs and cats must not be brought in, or transhipped or in transit, without a Special Permit; birds and other pets need one too. Dogs and cats must come as manifested cargo, not as baggage. Fighting dogs listed in the Dangerous Dogs Regulation and their crossbreeds cannot be imported.

Customs says no one may import an animal, carcass or animal product without an AFCD permit under the Rabies Ordinance; AFCD does not control skin or feathers unless from dogs, cats or endangered species. Endangered animals and plants, alive or dead, with parts or derivatives, need an AFCD licence under Cap. 586.

Which knives and self-defence items are banned?#

The Police say it is illegal for residents, visitors and transit passengers to carry prohibited weapons under the Weapons Ordinance (Cap. 217), in hand or hold luggage. Examples are gravity knives, knuckledusters, steel batons and any knife whose blade is exposed by a spring or other mechanical or electric device.

Arms that need a Police licence under Cap. 238 include electric stun guns, tear gas, aerosols containing noxious liquid, gas or powder (for example dog repellents), and crossbows over 6 kg draw weight. Possession without a licence is liable on indictment to HK$100,000 and 14 years in prison. No Police page we opened says which ordinary knives may be carried.

Can I ride an e-scooter in Hong Kong?#

The Transport Department says using electric mobility devices (electric scooters, unicycles, hoverboards, skateboards, electric bicycles) on carriageways, footpaths or cycle tracks may be an offence under the Road Traffic Ordinance (Cap. 374), and that currently any use may be illegal. A government reply to the Legislative Council on 5 June 2024 says it is long-standing policy not to register or licence them, so use on roads, including footpaths, is treated as driving an unlicensed motor vehicle.

The page addresses use, not bringing a device into Hong Kong. It also warns of battery fire risk.

What could you not confirm?#

No official page we opened says: whether a kirpan or other religious blade may be carried; whether named ADHD drugs, or sleep medicines such as zopiclone, are dangerous drugs; whether CBD may come in on a doctor's note or in transit; brand names for banned vapes; what counts as a "public place" for vapes; or which ordinary knives are allowed. Whether proposed e-scooter rules have become law is also unconfirmed.

Partly confirmed: a Department of Health release of 20 April 2026 calls clonazepam a dangerous drug and zolpidem a Part 1 poison, but concerns local sale, not travellers. The Drug Office gives 2572 2068 for approval enquiries.

Explore the connections#