Getting Hong Kong I.D. card

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Dec 2004
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    West Mid Levels
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    31

    Getting Hong Kong I.D. card

    I'm from the UK and my fiancee is from Singapore. We have recently moved to Hong Kong and registered a company in order to teach music. We have been given work permits, but the next stage, apparently, is to apply for a HK I.D. card. I picked up the necessary application forms from Immigration at Wanchai and saw that I had to ring a number in order to book an appointment to apply for the I.D. card. I rang the number yesterday (not realising it was public holiday) and the automatic message system gave me an appointment in Sham Shui Po(!) for next Tuesday. I then had to ring the number again, on my fiancee's behalf, and it gave her an appointment on Wednesday (next week) at the same venue. I rang again, just out of interest, and it gave the same time availability on the Wednesday.

    It seems a very cumbersome and bureaucratic system here. Has anybody out there a similar experience? I worked in Singapore for two years, before coming here, and I got an Employment Pass and I.D. card (all in one) just after 10 days. Here, we had to go to Macau for the day, last week, just to 'activate' our work permits. Apparently, we are now only allowed one trip in and out of Hong Kong until we get our HK I.D. cards.

    I should appreciate encouraging words from any of you with similar experience, or, are we going about it the wrong way?


    Music Teacher

    P.S. Whilst writing, is anybody able to suggest a good doctor (GP) and dentist in Western Mid-Levels, reasonably priced? Or am I not allowed to ask that on this forum?


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Seattle, WA (Previously: Mid-Levels)
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    103

    Id

    I can only relate my experience with getting the ID card, which was basically that I showed up at the office and there were two line queues that both empted out into the same place. One queue for appointments, and one for walk-ins. We both seem to get the same priority and numbering (I had made an appointment online), I was photo'd and scanned, and what not after waiting through various areas and then told to come back in two weeks to pick up the actual card.


  3. #3

    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    HK
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    13

    Bureucratic?

    This is in response to original post.

    Why do you find it so bureaucratic? You had to call a number and fix up an appointment, two apptmts for two people ( what is wrong with that)
    THey have many counters so it is not at all surprising that they can give you appointment at same time.

    By the way, you can choose your location convenient to you doesnt have to be Sham sui po, just that you may have to go for a different or later timeslot

    You fix a time, turn up there at the right time, everyting gets done in about 20 mins or so. what could be more convenient? they give u an immediate piece of paper for identification to take u thru the 2 week period after which they issue the proper card.
    Walkin - if there is not much of a rush, walkin is also serviced at about the same time.
    Obviously people with appointments will be given priority , if there is a rush - what is wrong with that?


    rgds


  4. #4

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    For some reason it reminds me Leo Tolstoy's short story "How Much Land Does a Man Need?"


  5. #5

    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    West Mid Levels
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    I suppose what I meant by bureaucratic and cumbersome was that, by contrast, in Singapore (which I would have thought would have been much stricter in all respects), I registered a company and got a work permit and I.D. card (all in one) in a matter of days. Here, the work permits have taken since early October and we have had contradictory information from government offices, over how to go about things. One officer said we could begin working before the permit was issued. When I spoke to him a week later, he contradicted himself and said we shouldn't. On receiving the work permit, it was only by pressing them that I found out that we had to leave the country and then come back in, just to enact them (why on earth is that necessary?) and, only, again by pressing them, finding out that we had to apply for I.D. cards. The only phone number I was given to ring, directed me to the Sham Shui Po office, on each of three occasions I rang it. So, I was left with the impression that the only place we could go was Sham Shui Po. It's all just so time consuming.

    Additionally, I have my elderly mother living with us, and we need a domestic helper. In Singapore, we could apply for one straight away, but here we have to wait until we get our I.D.s before we can even start the process and goodness knows how long that will take.

    Also, I opened an account with a local bank (better not mention the name, but it is well known throughout the world and prides itself on knowing local customs). It has taken me four weeks to get a cheque book and an ATM card out of them! And I thought Hong Kong was at the leading edge of efficiency.

    Perhaps I'm expecting too much. The only countries I have to compare with are the UK, Singapore and Malaysia (in the latter, it only took me 10 weeks to get an ATM card from the bank!).

    Many of you doubtless are working for large companies who do all the donkey work for you. But, when you are starting up a small operation, you are constantly running around, having to do everything yourself and this is where it gets frustrating. Incidentally, language has NOT been an inhibiting factor, as my wife speaks fluent Cantonese.

    Music Teacher


  6. #6

    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    West Mid Levels
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    Yes, I guess you're right. I've been coming to Hong Kong for years, doing short term contracts and love the place. This is the first attempt I've made to set up permanently and can only really compare it with my previous experience in Singapore.


  7. #7

    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Kowloon-side, between work and pleasure
    Posts
    185

    Well...wading in...I am both amazed at the efficiency of certain aspects of life in Hong Kong (incredible infrastructure, for example) and appalled at the hoops and antiquated, control oriented procedures. HK believes its own press way too much and needs a good shake to enter the "world city" realm. It has it down pat for tourists and visitors...but that's not the whole story. Education does not encourage independant thought and individual resourcefulness, favouring rote (necessary due to the language alone). Culture sees adults still living at home under parents' watchful guidance further reducing independance. Remarkably phobic for a place with such a large gay population. Very stratified society with significant energy and cash spent distinguishing from "the other". On the other hand...wonderful energy, it is easy to transcend the above with a richly diverse set of friends and acquiantances, so I love the place regardless.

    Btw, music teacher, will likely be starting a business in the fall and will face similar challenges...are you willing to meet and chat closer to the time?

    Ciao-
    JJ