The cover of the passport was dark blue with wording and the national emblem of the People's Republic of China in gold.

Above are the words Hong Kong Special Administrative Region People's Republic of China, also in Chinese and English.

In English, however, "HONG KONG" is bigger than the phrase "SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA" for easy distinction by foreign immigration officials.

Changes from the first version included optically variable ink used to print the letters "HKSAR" along the left hand side of the photo and the words "IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT, HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION" in the "Issuing authority" section of the personal data page.

[citation needed] In 2006, the Immigration Department announced that Unihub Limited (a PCCW subsidiary company heading a consortium of suppliers, including Keycorp) had won the tender to provide the technology to produce biometric passports.

On the inner front cover of the passport, below the crest of the People's Republic of China and above a picture of the Great Wall of China are the following words:中華人民共和國外交部請各國軍政機關對持照人予以通行的便利和必要的協助 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China requests all civil and military authorities of foreign countries to allow the bearer of this passport to pass freely and afford assistance in case of need.On the reverse of the polycarbonate identification page insert is a blue image with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region emblem in the centre.

At the top is a pattern of the words "中華人民共和國香港特別行政區 HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA".

Details which are printed include:[citation needed] The code "CHN" (China) is used for both issuing state and nationality.

Enveloping the top right hand corner of the portrait photograph, and the surname, given names and nationality data sections is a kinegram, consisting of an amalgamation of the Chinese and Hong Kong flags, and the letters "HK香港".

The three waves at the bottom of the portrait photograph, as well as the straight line separating the machine readable zone from the rest of the data page and the vertical straight line of the right hand column of Tsing Ma Bridge, contains micro-lettering of the holder's English name, Hong Kong permanent identity card number and date of birth.

[citation needed] The background of the identification page changes under ultraviolet light, when a scene of the Tsing Ma Bridge with nighttime fireworks becomes visible.

Like the third version, it is an electronic passport, and at least 8 new anti-counterfeiting features have been added to increase the difficulty of making false certificates.

When applying in Hong Kong, a British National (Overseas) passport costs £83 (32 pages), and £53 (child) from April 2014.

That passport however is not recognized while in Hong Kong and holders are treated as Chinese nationals without any expectation of consular protection.

Non-permanent residents can use a Hong Kong Document of Identity for Visa Purposes to enter Macau for up to 30 days visa-free.

Hong Kong SAR passport holders who have either visited Taiwan previously or who were born in Hong Kong or Macau are able to obtain a 30-day entry permit online at the website of the National Immigration Agency which can be used for a single entry to Taiwan within three months of the application date.

Once the permit has been granted online, the applicant must print it out to be presented at the border checkpoint with a Hong Kong SAR passport with at least 6 months' validity and a return flight/ferry ticket.

[25] According to the Hong Kong Immigration Department, as of 26 January 2023, 171 countries and territories grant Hong Kong SAR passport holders either visa-free or visa-on-arrival access (Note: this figure excludes countries and territories not officially recognised by the People's Republic of China, e.g. Kosovo and Taiwan),[26] including all member states of the European Union, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, South Africa and South Korea.

With regards to Schengen Agreement signatory states, Hong Kong SAR passport holders are also permitted to take up a paid activity (e.g. work) visa-free for a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period in Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia and Sweden.

Alternatively, if in possession of a long term residence permit issued by any other Schengen member state, the Hong Kong SAR passport holder can exercise a gainful occupation for up to 3 months visa-free in Switzerland (without the industry-specific restrictions listed in the 8-day visa exemption).

[4] As Chinese citizens, those travelling on Hong Kong SAR passports are entitled to the consular protection offered by the People's Republic of China government while overseas.

An example is Nicaragua, to which Hong Kong SAR passport holders can travel visa-free for a maximum period of 90 days.

[32] The Hong Kong Immigration Department cites the number of countries and territories offering visa-free access for Hong Kong SAR passport holders as 173 (this figure excludes countries and territories not officially recognised by the People's Republic of China, e.g. Kosovo and Taiwan).

[34] Hong Kong residents staying in the United Kingdom for 6 months or more and entering on a British National (Overseas) passport are exempt from having to register with the police, whilst entry on a Hong Kong SAR passport does not exempt them from this administrative procedure, with a police registration fee of £34 payable.

As a result of bilateral working holiday visa agreements made between the Government of Hong Kong and a number of other countries, Hong Kong SAR passport holders aged between 18 and 30 are eligible to apply for working holiday visas to Australia,[38] Canada,[39] France,[40] Germany,[41] Ireland,[42] Japan,[43] New Zealand[44] and South Korea.

On the basis of reciprocity, Australian, Canadian, French, German, Irish, Japanese, New Zealand and South Korean nationals are also able to apply for working holiday visas in Hong Kong under similar conditions.

[46] HKSAR passport holders have been eligible for UK working holiday visas, subject to Certificate of Sponsorship and annual maximum of 1000 placements since January 2014.

[48] Lai Changxing, the suspect of a large smuggling and corruption scandal in mainland China, used a HKSAR passport to enter Canada as a tourist in 1999.