Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Hotel reservation - What should I pay attention to when traveling to Hong Kong and Macao?

What should I pay attention to when traveling to Hong Kong and Macao?

Hong Kong

The relevant provisions of the customs:

1. Hong Kong is a famous duty-free port. Except for cigarettes, alcoholic products and other commodities, which are subject to higher import duties, other articles are generally duty-free or only subject to very low import duties. There are still some restrictions on non-Hong Kong tourists bringing tobacco and alcohol into the country: they can only bring 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or 250g tobacco and bottled wine 1 kg.

2. The import and export of ivory raw materials or products in Hong Kong are strictly controlled by law. Regardless of the value of ivory products in Hong Kong, passengers must apply for import licenses from the Mainland and export licenses in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is a free financial market, so there is no restriction for tourists to bring any form of coins into or out of the country. However, it should be noted that this is only limited to the Hong Kong Customs. There are strict rules for tourists to enter and leave other customs in China or go to other countries. Please ask related matters in advance. Passengers can carry mechanical cameras, televisions and other large electrical appliances, film and television equipment in and out of Hong Kong. However, if you want to enter or leave the mainland of China, you need to go through the registration and tax payment procedures according to the relevant laws of the mainland. Visitors to Hong Kong must pay attention. If they leave China with cameras and video cameras, please declare to the customs and fill in the registration form. Otherwise, when you enter the mainland customs, you still have to pay taxes on the cameras and camcorders you bring.

How to get through customs:

Mainland tourists or office workers must go through the entry formalities before coming to Hong Kong. Immigrants must hold passports, passes and visitor entry application forms issued by the Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The application form needs to be filled in by yourself, and the content is very simple, mainly including name, date of birth, nationality, ID number, place of origin, occupation, etc. If you don't know how to fill it out, you can ask the immigration staff. The application form is placed in many obvious positions in front of the customs, and can also be obtained directly from customs officers. If you come to Hong Kong by plane or train, the waitress will issue an entry application form to each passenger on her own initiative during the trip. It is also specially distributed on the ship or by bus.

Hong Kong residents and foreign tourists use different channels when they pass through the customs. Generally, the Immigration Bureau will have eye-catching signs to mark the correct passage. Please follow the relevant instructions when crossing the border. Going through the exit formalities is basically the same as the entry formalities. Just hold my valid certificate and the completed exit registration card and queue up for exit formalities. There are also obvious signs at each pass to indicate the exit passage for people with different certificates. Please check and choose the correct exit channel. Hong Kong Airport, Kowloon Railway Station, Sheung Wan Ferry Terminal and China Harbour City Ferry Terminal all have entry and exit points. On the border between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, the entry and exit ports of Luohu, Huanggang and Man Kam To have also been opened. Therefore, whether you choose to arrive and leave Hong Kong directly by plane, ship or train, or enter and leave Hong Kong through Shenzhen, you can go through the entry and exit formalities very conveniently. Please pay attention to those who arrive in Shenzhen for customs clearance, and pay attention to the closing time of each customs clearance. Generally speaking, individuals go through the customs by themselves, and most of them enter the country through the Luohu Pass. The time for going through the immigration formalities is between 6: 30 and 0: 00. People with vehicles can enter the country from Man Kam To Pass, where fewer people enter the country and the formalities are faster. The processing time is from 7: 00 to 22: 00. Huanggang Pass is mostly the port of container trucks, and there are also some direct tourist buses entering from here.

How to exchange Hong Kong dollars:

There are currency exchange offices at entry and exit ports such as Hong Kong Airport Lobby, Luohu Customs and Sheung Wan Pier. But the exchange rate is higher than other places, so you only need to change a little money here to get to your residence. However, if you want to take the airport bus instead of the taxi, you must change a certain number of coins in advance, because almost all buses in Hong Kong are empty and have no change.

It's convenient to change money in Hong Kong. Banks, hotels and even ordinary shops everywhere can exchange RMB into Hong Kong dollars. Banks usually charge a handling fee for changing Hong Kong dollars. Wing Lung Bank and HSBC have a good reputation, but the former has a higher exchange rate and is the best choice to exchange Hong Kong dollars. On the streets of Hong Kong, money exchange shops with the signboard of "RMB exchange" can be seen everywhere, especially in Sheung Wan, where the exchange rate is higher. But because it is a street shop, the cashier should be careful to prevent counterfeit money. There are "buy one get one free" shops everywhere in the street, and it is also a good choice to exchange RMB.

With the increase of mainland people in Hong Kong in recent years, many shops, especially some gold shops, welcome to use RMB for shopping, and some gold shops also provide RMB exchange services, but the exchange rate is mostly negotiable. When you exchange Hong Kong dollars, you should pay attention to the exchange rates of various currencies on that day, especially the parts that say "sell" and "buy". SELL is the exchange rate at which stores sell RMB, and BUY is the exchange rate at which stores buy RMB for Hong Kong dollars. Some exchange shops also charge a handling fee, so you should ask in advance.

Matters needing attention in Hong Kong:

1. In Hong Kong, it is illegal not to carry your ID card with you. Please note that you must always carry your photo identification document (such as passport). Generally speaking, the law and order in Hong Kong is good day and night. But you should avoid carrying a lot of cash, and it is better to use traveler's checks or credit cards, and make full use of the hotel's security facilities.

Most hotels and restaurants add 10% service charge to the bill, and customers can add 5% as a tip. If there is no service charge in the restaurant, you can voluntarily tip 10% of the consumption. Taxi drivers, doormen and toilet attendants, passengers can give tips as appropriate.

Most hotels provide same-day laundry service, and many hotels also provide child care service. The voltage in Hong Kong is 200/220 volts, and most hotels are equipped with transformers/converters for electrical appliances. Small appliances brought from China are generally acceptable.

The tap water supplied by Hong Kong government belongs to soft water, which is disinfected by chlorine and meets the standards of the United Nations World Health Organization and is suitable for drinking. Hotels and supermarkets also sell various bottled distilled water and mineral water. Some parks also have drinking places where visitors can drink water for free.

5. The Hong Kong Island General Post Office is located near the Star Ferry Pier in Central, and the Kowloon Central Post Office is located at Tsim Sha Tsui Middle Road 10. Their office hours are 8: 00- 18: 00 from Monday to Friday and 8: 00- 14: 00 from Saturday. All post offices are closed on Sundays and holidays, but all hotels provide mail service. Hong Kong government agencies work five and a half days a week, Monday to Friday from 9:00- 17:00 (lunch time is 13: 00- 14: 00) and Saturday from 9: 00-13: 00; Other companies have office hours of 10: 00- 18: 00 or later. The banking hours are Monday to Friday from 9: 00 to 16: 30 and Saturday from 9: 00 to 12: 30. Shops usually open at 10: 00 on a seven-day working day, but on Sundays and holidays, many stores open at 13: 00- 17: 00. Shops usually have three days off during the Spring Festival (the first day, the second day and the third day), so shopping should avoid these days.

6. There are two Chinese and English TV stations in Hong Kong, which not only broadcast programs produced in Hong Kong, but also broadcast programs produced in Chinese mainland, Taiwan Province Province, Japan, Britain, the United States and Australia. In addition, viewers can also receive programs from ATV 5. Cable TV is becoming more and more popular. In Hong Kong, there are seven Hong Kong radio stations operated by the Hong Kong government, one belonging to Commercial Power and three belonging to Metro Radio. The broadcast languages are mainly Cantonese and English. Radio Television Hong Kong recently launched a Mandarin program.

The emergency telephone number in Hong Kong is 999. In case of emergency, you can also ask the patrolman for help.

Macao

1. Hong Kong and foreign tourists:

Visitors with the following passports do not need to apply for a visa to enter the country:

1, holding South Africa, Germany, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Canada, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Finland, Norway, Philippines, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Britain, United States, South Korea, Singapore and Luxembourg.

2. Holders of valid Portuguese passports can stay visa-free for no more than 90 days. ,

3. Holders of Hong Kong Identity Card, Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card and Home Visit Permit can stay for a maximum of 1 year.

4. Taiwan Province tourists can stay for 30 days without a visa.

5. Holding travel passes issued by the governments of People's Republic of China (PRC) and China.

Second, domestic tourists:

By August 20, 2003, China has opened individual tours to Hong Kong and Macao in eight cities: Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Dongguan, Foshan, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Zhuhai. It is much easier to apply for visas without the company's seal.

To apply for traveling to Hong Kong and Macao for the first time, it shall submit the applicant's resident identity card, a copy of the household registration book (copied on A4 paper, which can be copied on the same paper) and the original, as well as 3 2-inch light-colored background photos, and go to the application acceptance place opened by the public security department for handling. Generally, it takes 10 working days to issue a certificate and endorse it. If you hold a valid travel pass to Hong Kong and Macao for personal travel endorsement, you must submit the original travel pass to Hong Kong and Macao and a copy of your ID card, 1 2 inch color photo with light background. Generally, the certificate and endorsement can be issued after 7 working days.

In order to facilitate travel, you can choose to apply for a valid visit endorsement once every three months or twice every three months as needed. It should be noted that applicants cannot stay in Macao for more than 7 days at a time. Mainland residents need to apply for the endorsement of travel to and from Hong Kong and Macao respectively after handling the Travel Permit to and from Hong Kong and Macao. At present, individuals who sign documents can go to Macao via Hong Kong or return to the mainland from Macao, but Hong Kong and Macao tours cannot directly enter Hong Kong from Macao for the time being.

Three. Customs:

Passengers entering and leaving Macao usually do not need to go through customs declaration formalities except for routine inspection. All imported electrical appliances are subject to an import tax of 5%. Departing passengers do not need to declare their antiques, gold, jewelry, radios and cameras. However, when traveling from Macau to Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Customs authorities only allow foreign tourists to bring 65,438+0 liters of wine or spirits, 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars and 250 grams of cut tobacco duty-free. Hong Kong residents returning from Macao are only allowed to bring 750ml of wine, 60 cigarettes, 15 cigars and 75g of tobacco duty-free.

Fourth, quarantine:

Under normal circumstances, passengers do not need an "international vaccination certificate". However, if cholera, smallpox and other diseases are found in Hong Kong, Macao or places visited by tourists recently, the International Vaccination Certificate must be prepared.