Hong Kong's police certificate is never handed to you — the CNCC goes by registered mail straight to the consulate or immigration authority that asked for it.
Overview
Hong Kong's police clearance system has a design feature that surprises everyone: the Certificate of No Criminal Conviction (CNCC), issued by the Hong Kong Police Force, is never given to the applicant. It is provided solely in connection with applications to other jurisdictions — visit, student or residence visas, or child adoption — and is dispatched by registered mail directly to the relevant consulate, immigration authority or government authority, normally within four calendar weeks if no conviction data is held. The fee is HK$283, and applications run through the HKPF Online Applications Platform (es.police.gov.hk), which handles submission, payment, status checks and the booking of fingerprinting at the CNCC Office or nine designated police stations; since 1 January 2026 applicants outside Hong Kong must also use the online platform (postal and representative submission ceased), and from 30 March 2026 eligible applicants can complete the procedure without submitting fingerprints at all. In the other direction, moving TO Hong Kong generally requires no police certificate: the Immigration Department relies on a 'clear criminal record' declaration and its own checks rather than certificates. Verified against police.gov.hk, info.gov.hk and immd.gov.hk as of June 2026.
The CNCC — What It Is and What It Is Not
- Issuer: the Hong Kong Police Force (CNCC Office). It is the territory's only criminal-record certificate for migration purposes.
- Purpose-limited by design: issued solely in connection with applications for visas (visit, student, residence) to other jurisdictions, or for adoption of children. It is NOT available for local employment vetting, professional licensing or general curiosity.
- Sent direct, never to you: if no criminal conviction data is held, the certificate is posted by registered mail directly to the relevant consulate, immigration authority or government authority — normally within four calendar weeks of a complete application. You receive confirmation, not the certificate.
- Fee: HK$283 per person, payable through the online platform (in person: cash, Octopus, EPS or cheque to 'The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region').
- Evidence you must supply: the requesting authority's letter or documentary proof that a CNCC is required (e.g. the destination country's official request), identity documents, and — where still applicable — fingerprints taken at the CNCC Office (Arsenal House, Police Headquarters) or one of nine designated police stations, booked through the platform.
- Spent convictions: the Rehabilitation of Offenders Ordinance (Cap. 297) treats a first conviction with a sentence not exceeding three months' imprisonment or a HK$10,000 fine as spent after three crime-free years — relevant to how records are reflected; check the CNCC notes to applicants for how the Ordinance is applied.
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See Paid Plans →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a Hong Kong police certificate issued to me personally?
No — this is the defining feature of the system. The Certificate of No Criminal Conviction is issued by the Hong Kong Police Force solely in connection with visa applications to other jurisdictions or child adoption, and it is sent by registered mail directly to the relevant consulate, immigration authority or government authority. The applicant never receives the certificate itself, only confirmation of the application. If a foreign authority insists you submit the certificate yourself, point it to the HKPF procedure (most major immigration authorities know it) or obtain written confirmation of the direct-dispatch address it wants used.
How much does the CNCC cost and how long does it take?
HK$283 per person, paid through the HKPF Online Applications Platform (or in person by cash, Octopus, EPS or cheque). Once the application is complete — identity documents, proof that the destination authority requires a CNCC, and fingerprints where still applicable — the certificate is dispatched to the requesting authority within about four calendar weeks if no conviction data is held. Add the destination authority's own handling time before the clearance shows up in your case. Apply when the receiving case file is open, because many destination countries treat police certificates as valid for only three to six months.
I've already left Hong Kong — how do I get a CNCC from overseas?
Through the HKPF Online Applications Platform (www.es.police.gov.hk), which since 1 January 2026 is the only channel for applicants outside Hong Kong — postal applications, drop-in box submissions and applications via representatives are no longer accepted. You submit the application and documents, pay the HK$283 fee online and track status there. The historical pain point — having your fingerprints taken by your local police force and submitted — has been eased substantially: from 30 March 2026, eligible applicants can complete the procedure without submitting fingerprints at all. Check the current Notes to Applicants on police.gov.hk for the eligibility conditions.
Does Hong Kong require a police certificate from my home country when I apply for a visa?
Generally no. ImmD's published supporting-document checklists for the talent and employment routes contain no police-certificate requirement. Instead, the system runs on declarations backed by criminal sanctions: the normal immigration requirements include being 'of clear criminal record and raising no security or criminal concerns', and QMAS makes 'no criminal record or adverse immigration record in Hong Kong or elsewhere' an explicit prerequisite — declared in your application. ImmD can request further documents in individual cases. The critical rule is accuracy: a false declaration is an offence, voids any visa granted, and contaminates every future application.
I have an old minor conviction — will it appear, and will it sink a visa?
Hong Kong's Rehabilitation of Offenders Ordinance (Cap. 297) treats a first conviction punished by no more than three months' imprisonment or a HK$10,000 fine as spent after three years without further conviction — and the CNCC Office applies the Ordinance's framework when responding to requests, as set out in its Notes to Applicants. For convictions outside that narrow protection, expect disclosure. For Hong Kong visa applications the analysis is discretionary: ImmD weighs the record against the application; an old, minor, disclosed offence is a very different case from concealment, which is itself an offence and fatal. Disclose, contextualise, and keep documentary evidence of rehabilitation.
What is the Sexual Conviction Record Check and when would it apply to me?
The SCRC is a separate Hong Kong Police Force scheme that lets employers check whether a prospective employee for child-related work or work related to mentally incapacitated persons has records of specified sexual offences. Unlike the CNCC it is employer-initiated: you authorise the check, the employer receives a 'has/has no record' style result, and it covers only sexual offence records rather than the full criminal history. If you take up teaching, tutoring, childcare, healthcare or similar roles in Hong Kong, expect the employer to require it. It has no connection to your visa — ImmD plays no part in the scheme.