Help in your language

Is there a free phone interpreter for languages other than Chinese and English?#

Yes. The Home Affairs Department (HAD) lists free telephone interpretation lines at two support centres: CHEER, run by Hong Kong Christian Service in Kwun Tong, and HOPE, run by International Social Service, Hong Kong Branch. HAD says they give ethnic minorities a centralised telephone interpretation service for using public services. Its enquiry line for the support centres is 2835 1747.

The HAD page was last revised on 5 October 2026. It prints no hours, no booking rule and no statement on who may call. The numbers for each language are in the next two sections.

Which CHEER number do I call for my language?#

HAD lists one free telephone interpretation number per language at the CHEER Centre in Kwun Tong.

Bahasa Indonesia 3755 6811. Nepali 3755 6822. Urdu 3755 6833. Punjabi 3755 6844. Tagalog 3755 6855. Thai 3755 6866. Hindi 3755 6877. Vietnamese 3755 6888.

Bengali is not on the CHEER list; HAD lists it under HOPE. The numbers are as printed on the HAD page, last revised on 5 October 2026, when we checked on 25 October 2026.

Which HOPE number do I call for my language?#

HAD lists seven free telephone interpretation numbers under the HOPE Centre, run by International Social Service, Hong Kong Branch.

Bahasa Indonesia 3009 9001. Bengali 3009 9002. Hindi 3009 9003. Nepali 3009 9004. Punjabi 3009 9005. Tagalog 3009 9006. Urdu 3009 9007.

Bengali is on the HOPE list only. Thai and Vietnamese are on the CHEER list only. The page was last revised on 5 October 2026. Where these numbers ring is described differently by two sources: see the next section.

Is the HOPE phone line in Wan Chai or at the new interpretation centre?#

Two sources describe HOPE differently, and no page we read says how they relate.

HAD (revised 5 October 2026) lists the seven HOPE interpretation numbers under the HOPE Centre in Wan Chai (5188 8044 or 2836 3598). International Social Service, the operator, describes a separate HOPE Interpretation and Translation Service Centre in Tai Wo Hau, Kwai Chung, with one number, +852 3009 9010; its page is undated. A Government feature of 9 July 2026 says that centre opened in December 2025 and works in seven languages, most of them free of charge.

We cannot say whether both sets of numbers reach the same team.

What language does 999 answer in?#

The Government says the 999 Emergency Call Centres currently provide response services in Cantonese, Putonghua and English (written reply to the Legislative Council, 6 May 2026). The Police keep no breakdown of 999 calls by the caller's language.

The reply does not say that a caller in another language is passed to an interpreter inside the 999 centre. It lists other measures instead: smartphone calls send the caller's location to the centre (Advanced Mobile Location, introduced 2023), and the HKSOS app (2024) offers nine picture categories with one-tap connection to the 999 centre, with location.

What happens if I report to the Police in another language?#

The Government points to project TRANSLINK, launched by the Police in 2016. Designated telephones in police-station report rooms are linked by three-way conference call to interpreters of subvented organisations, for people reporting in person or by telephone. Since April 2025 (TRANSLINK 2.0), uniformed frontline officers can use it through Police smart devices.

The language count differs between Government texts. The Legislative Council reply of 6 May 2026 says nine common non-ethnic Chinese languages and names none. A Hong Kong Police Force document (PDF created 4 June 2026) names eight: Urdu, Nepali, Punjabi, Hindi, Bahasa Indonesia, Thai, Tagalog and Vietnamese.

Where are hospital interpreters and the 18111 hotline languages covered?#

In the health guide, so they are not repeated here. Hospital interpretation, with the Hospital Authority's language list, hours and sign language, is set out there: see the health guide. The languages of the 18111 Mental Health Support Hotline are there too: see the health guide.

This guide covers the other places where language help is listed: the HAD phone lines, the Police, Government websites, the Equal Opportunities Commission, schools, work, consulates, halal food and places of worship.

What language help does the Police Force say it provides?#

A Police document (PDF created 4 June 2026) lists these measures. Every report room has a Language Identifier poster in 25 languages. Custody forms and notices, including the custody search form and the notice to persons in custody, are translated into 25 languages. The Police Community Liaison Assistant scheme runs in 13 police districts, with assistants proficient in languages such as Urdu, Thai, Indonesian or Hindi. In custody the Police provide religious texts, a prayer-direction sign and special diets. For interpreters at a report room, see the TRANSLINK section.

Does the Fire Services Department say anything about other languages?#

No. The Fire Services Department page on what to say when calling for fire or ambulance asks callers to stay calm, dial 999, state the location, give a contact number, state the nature of the incident or injury, and answer the questions asked. It says nothing about interpretation or other languages, and we found no Fire Services Department page that does. The languages the 999 centres answer in are in the 999 section above.

What are the support service centres for ethnic minorities?#

HAD says the Government funds non-profit organisations to run ten Support Service Centres for Ethnic Minorities: CHEER (Kwun Tong), HOME (Yau Ma Tei, with a Sham Shui Po sub-centre), HOPE (Wan Chai), LINK (Kwai Chung), ONE (Tuen Mun), the TOUCH sub-centre (Tung Chung), a Yuen Long Town Hall centre, DREAM (Kowloon City) and IDEA (Sha Tin).

Each has its own enquiry number on the HAD page. All provide tailor-made services, including language classes, after-school tutorials, youth activities, integration programmes, counselling and referral. The page was last revised on 5 October 2026.

Does one support centre or two offer telephone interpretation?#

Official pages disagree. GovHK's article "Embracing Social Inclusion" (last revised January 2026) and the Yearbook 2024 say one centre offers telephone interpretation. The HAD page (revised 5 October 2026) names two, CHEER and HOPE. A Government reply of 17 June 2020 named CHEER only.

All of these are official sources. This guide gives the HAD numbers because it lists the numbers, and reports the difference rather than choosing between the pages.

Which languages are Government websites available in?#

GovHK (gov.hk) is offered in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, English and eight other languages: Bahasa Indonesia, Hindi, Nepali, Punjabi, Tagalog, Thai, Urdu and Vietnamese. The language menu was on the pages we opened on 25 October 2026.

The 1823 enquiry service website offers the same eight (page last reviewed 13 October 2026). The page does not state phone hours or whether calls can be taken in those languages.

The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau publishes its racial equality checklist and annual interpretation statistics in Chinese, English and the same eight.

Do I need a certified translation of my documents for a Hong Kong government application?#

It depends on the agency. The Immigration Department (ImmD), on its Transfer of Endorsement page, says a document not in Chinese or English must come with a Chinese or English translation certified as a true translation by a sworn translator, court translator, authorized public translator, certified translator, expert translator or official translator. Other agencies set their own rules.

The Judiciary's Apostille Service page, for documents used abroad, does not mention translation. No official page we found says who may translate a Hong Kong certificate into another language for use abroad.

Where do I find information on race discrimination in my language?#

The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) says the Race Discrimination Ordinance (Cap. 602) protects against discrimination, harassment and vilification on the ground of race (race, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin), in areas including employment, education, goods, services, premises, elections and clubs. Victimisation is also unlawful.

The EOC's "Information in Other Languages" page offers ten: Bahasa Indonesia, Bengali, Hindi, Nepali, Punjabi, Sinhala, Tagalog, Thai, Urdu and Vietnamese. It also has videos about complaint and conciliation, and an equal-opportunities glossary in eight of the languages (not Bengali or Sinhala).

Does the Labour Department have job-seeking information in my language?#

The Labour Department's publications page lists an employment services guide for ethnic minority job seekers in English and nine languages, and a leaflet, "Easy-to-use Employment Services", in Chinese, English and nine other languages. The languages include Hindi, Nepali, Urdu, Tagalog, Thai and Vietnamese. Bengali is not among them.

For foreign domestic helpers, the department says an interpreter will be arranged free of charge where necessary when a helper asks for conciliation or files a complaint. It says the helper may bring their own, and that a complaint in another language may take longer. See the domestic helpers guide.

What help does the Education Bureau give non-Chinese speaking families?#

The Education Bureau (EDB) says the Government ensures equal opportunity in school admission for all eligible children, including non-Chinese speaking (NCS) children, in public sector schools regardless of race. It says it provides education services for NCS students and supports their early adaptation and mastery of Chinese.

EDB's NCS page lists leaflets in English, Chinese and up to eight other languages. The kindergarten policy leaflet and the K1 admission arrangements for 2027/28 are in Bahasa Indonesia, Hindi, Nepali, Tagalog, Thai, Urdu, Punjabi and Vietnamese. Placement help is in the last section.

Can the Judiciary, a consulate or a volunteer interpret for me?#

Official pages say little. The Hospital Authority's interpretation page says that, besides its contractor, interpretation can come from freelance interpreters of the Judiciary Administration (including Chinese dialects), the relevant embassy or consulate (except for sign language) or volunteers. That is a hospital arrangement; see the health guide.

The Protocol Division says that as at 26 June 2026 Hong Kong has 63 Consulates-General, 49 Honorary Consulates and 8 Officially Recognised Bodies, with contact details on each consulate's own site. We found no consulate page describing interpretation.

Who certifies halal food in Hong Kong?#

Not the Government. In a Legislative Council reply of 31 January 2024 it said the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department does not handle halal certification, and that the Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong provides it for many restaurants. The Yearbook 2024 says the Trustees inspect and issue certificates for halal food in Hong Kong, Macao and parts of the Mainland.

The 2026 Policy Address (paragraph 357) says the Hong Kong Tourism Board will extend its restaurant halal certification funding scheme to the end of 2027.

How many halal-certified restaurants are there?#

Official counts differ, so each needs its date and source. A question quoted in the 31 January 2024 Legislative Council reply gives an HKTB figure of "80-odd" at the start of 2024. Government replies of 4 December 2024 and 30 April 2025 say about 100 at the beginning of 2024, more than 130 by December 2024 and more than 170 by mid-April 2025.

The 30 April 2025 reply also says 61 hotels and five attractions and MICE venues held CrescentRating Muslim-friendly ratings. That is a rating, not a religious certificate. We found no 2026 count; see the last section.

Is there an official list of mosques and other places of worship?#

No official page we read says so. We found no Home Affairs Department or other Government page listing places of worship, prayer rooms or opening hours for visitors. The Yearbook 2024 gives summaries of each faith community, and says the Islamic Community Fund Trustees announce festival dates including Ramadan. No official page we read states mosque visiting rules or opening hours. This guide lists no venues.

Are there prayer rooms at Hong Kong International Airport?#

Yes. The Airport Authority Hong Kong's Prayer Rooms page says the non-denominational prayer rooms can be used at any time and are for common use. They have a directional (qibla) sign, and some rooms have a foot-cleaning basin. The page lists five rooms in Terminal 1 and one in Terminal 2, six in total. The page is undated. We do not list the rooms here; the page does.

What we could not confirm#

Hours: HAD prints none for the phone lines or who may call. CHEER's own undated page says its phone service runs 8am to 10pm Monday to Sunday except public holidays (operator page, partly verified). HOPE hours: not confirmed.

Latest halal count found: over 190 restaurants (Financial Secretary, 13 October 2025; partly verified), no 2026 count.

Mosques: the Yearbook 2024 says the Trustees manage five mosques (partly verified); other sources differ.

Not read: EOC complaint steps and interpreters; consulate interpretation; HKTB Muslim travel pages; Police interpretation data; current EDB placement help (page last revised 1 July 2019).

Explore the connections#