No vehicle is allowed to be driven or used on a road unless it is registered and licensed. 

Registration, which is normally a one-off matter, means giving the vehicle a registration mark and putting it into its appropriate class, e.g. private car, light goods vehicle, etc. Licensing, which is annually or four-monthly, conveys the right for a vehicle to be driven on a road. A local motor vehicle agent usually applies for registration and licensing of a vehicle on behalf of its client. However, if a person imports a vehicle, he has to do it himself.

Registration and Taxation

Vehicles, no matter what class it is, imported into Hong Kong are not subject to any Customs tax, but in general, an importer is required to lodge with the Customs and Excise Department an accurate and complete declaration within 14 days of importation.

For enquiries on Import and Export Declaration, please refer to the following link
[http://www.customs.gov.hk/en/cargo_clearance/declaration/index.html].

Under the Motor Vehicles (First Registration Tax) Ordinance (Chapter 330), a person who carries on business of importing motor vehicles for use in Hong Kong either on his own behalf or for a distributor for sale should within 30 days of commencing to carry on that business register as an importer. A person who carries on business of distributing motor vehicles by sale for use in Hong Kong either on his own behalf or to another distributor should within 30 days of commencing to carry on that business register as a distributor. 

Besides, under the Motor Vehicles (First Registration Tax) Ordinance (Chapter 330), an importer of a motor vehicle for use in Hong Kong should file an Import Return to the Customs and Excise Department within 30 days of the importation of the motor vehicle, and not less than five working days before delivering that motor vehicle. Apart from those who import motor vehicles for the purpose of sale or distribution for use in Hong Kong, persons who import motor vehicles for their own use are also required to submit Import Returns. A registered distributor of motor vehicles for use in Hong Kong is required to publish a retail price list of the make and model of a motor vehicle offered for sale or distributed by him. He is also required to deliver a copy of the retail price list to the Customs and Excise Department not less than seven days before the publication.

Further information concerning registration of importer/distributor, filing of Import Return and submission of Published Retail Price List can be obtained from the Motor Vehicles Valuation Group of the Customs and Excise Department at 3/F, Customs Headquarters Building, 222 Java Road, North Point, Hong Kong (Tel 3759 2556), or refer to the following link
[http://www.customs.gov.hk/en/trade_facilitation/vehicles/index.html].

If a person wishes to register a vehicle which he has purchased from a local distributor or has imported into Hong Kong, he must apply to the Hong Kong Licensing Office of the Transport Department at 3/F, United Centre, 95 Queensway, Hong Kong on application form TD 22 together with relevant documents as prescribed in the application form, including original or photocopy of proof of present address (residential/company address and correspondence address).  Documents not in English or Chinese should be produced with an English translation prepared by a consulate.

On the first registration of a motor vehicle, a first registration tax is charged. The first registration tax is calculated on the basis of the taxable value of the vehicle and in accordance with the percentage for that vehicle class as specified in the schedule of the Motor Vehicle (First Registration Tax) Ordinance (Chapter 330). In general, the taxable value of a vehicle is calculated on the basis of the published retail price of the vehicle or the provisional taxable value assessed by the Customs and Excise Department.

A vehicle may be registered only in the name of an individual person aged 18 or above or of an incorporated body. If the vehicle is registered in the name of a limited company, the name and address of the registered office of the company should be given and the declaration should be signed by a person nominated by the company.

Trailers are also required to be registered in the same manner as motor vehicles but with some exceptions, e.g. a trailer owner is not required to pay first registration tax, nor is he required to produce any third party risk insurance certificate or cover note for his vehicle.

In registering a vehicle, the Transport Department will issue a registration mark and a vehicle registration document containing particulars of the vehicle to the registered owner.

Licensing of vehicles takes place after registration. On licensing, the registering owner is issued with a licence which he is required to display on the left-hand side of the vehicle's windscreen. In the case of a motorcycle or a vehicle without a fixed windscreen, the licence must be displayed in a conspicuous position on the left-hand side. 

The registered owner and a registered distributor (if applicable) should also declare to the Hong Kong Licensing Office on application form TD 469 the details of accessories fitted to and/or taxable warranty obtained for the motor vehicle within six months after first registration, and pay the additional first registration tax attributable to the increase in value of the motor vehicle. Such declaration should be made within five working days after the fitting of the accessories or within five working days after the date on which to contract for taxable warranty is entered into.

Further information concerning first registration of vehicles can be obtained from the Hong Kong Licensing Office at 3/F, United Centre, 95 Queensway, Hong Kong (Tel 2804 2637).

Allocation of Registration Marks

If an application for registration of a vehicle is in order, the vehicle will be assigned a registration mark consisting of a number of not more than four digits other than special registration marks, with two letters as prefix. In the case of a trailer, the registration mark will consist of a number of not more than five digits and the suffix 'T'.

Special registration marks are allocated only after sale by public auction which takes place from time to time. The proceeds of the auction go to the Government Lotteries Fund to be used for charitable purposes. 

Once allocated, a special registration mark cannot be transferred to another person. If the owner of a vehicle with a special registration mark wishes to transfer the vehicle to someone else, the Transport Department is legally bound, before registering the transfer, to recover the special registration mark, register the vehicle with ordinary registration mark and then register the transfer. However, on payment of a prescribed fee, the owner of a vehicle with a special registration mark may apply on form TD 129 to transfer the special registration mark to another vehicle registered in his name.

Third Party Risks Insurance

Any person (including the registered vehicle owner and driver) has the responsibility of ensuring the presence of a valid third party risks insurance policy for the vehicle concerned whilst using it on roads. Person who contravenes such requirement commits an offence and is liable to a fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for 12 months, and will also be disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence (for a period of 12 months to 3 years). The Commissioner for Transport may refuse to license the vehicle concerned or cancel the vehicle licence concerned.

The Hong Kong Federation of Insurers Motor Insurance DLT-based Authentication System (MIDAS) (Traditional Chinese and English only):

https://minisites.hkfi.org.hk/midas/

Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Scheme

On the first issue/renewal of a vehicle licence, contribution has to be made to the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Scheme.

Vehicle Examinations

With the exception of type approved new private cars, motor cycles and vans, all motor vehicles are subject to mechanical examination to certify that they comply with the Road Traffic Ordinance and its subsidiary legislations (in particular the Road Traffic (Construction and Maintenance of Vehicles) Regulations and the Road Traffic (Safety Equipment) Regulations), the Air Pollution Control (Vehicle Design Standards) (Emission) Regulations and the Noise Control (Motor Vehicles) Regulation prior to registration.

In addition, private cars manufactured not less than 6 years before the date with effect from which the private cars are to be licensed (for enquiry about the years of manufacture of the private cars which require an examination at present, you may visit the web page about vehicle examination, call Customer Service Hotline 2804 2600/1823 Call Centre, or make enquiries at the enquiry counters of Licensing Offices), all goods vehicles and commercial vehicles are required to undergo examination prior to re-licensing.

Any person who uses or permits to be used on any road any vehicle which does not comply in all respects with the provisions of any enactment relating to the Road Traffic (Construction and Maintenance of Vehicles) Regulations shall be liable to an offence. If you are in doubt as to whether or not your vehicle does comply with the laws relating to construction and maintenance, you may contact the Vehicle Safety and Standards Division at 10/F, South Tower, West Kowloon Government Offices, 11 Hoi Ting Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon (Tel: 3842 5740).

Renewal of Vehicle Licence

Vehicle licence may be renewed within four months before expiry on application form TD 558 with the appropriate fee and relevant supporting documents including original or photocopy of proof of present address (residential/company address and correspondence address). If an application is made after the expiry of the licence, the renewed licence will run from the date of issue of licence. The total fee paid in this case is the licence fee plus an additional charge (round up to the nearest 10 cents), which is 0.33% of the licence fee (excluding TAVA Fund Levy) for each day of the unlicensed period since the previous licence expired. 

Applicants can now access application for renewal of vehicle licence by using an "iAM Smart' account with digital signing function or a valid digital certificate at GovHK, obviating the need of queuing up in person. For details, please refer to the promotional video.

Applicants who prefer to renew vehicle licence over the counters of licensing offices of the Transport Department, are advised to make appointment booking of their preferred time slot and licensing office through Internet or by phone (tel. no. : 3763 8080).

Duplicates

If your vehicle registration document or licence has been lost, destroyed or defaced, you should apply for a duplicate. In the case of loss of registration document, you should report to a police station in the district where the loss occurred. With a police certificate, you should apply to a licensing office for a duplicate, using form TD 151 and paying the prescribed fee.

Vehicle Transfer

Within 72 hours on the change of ownership of a vehicle, a notice of transfer on form TD 25 must be lodged with the Transport Department licensing office, as proof that the transferor and transferee agree to the transaction. The new owner should deliver the original of the notice to the Transport Department, and the former owner the duplicate. There were cases in which transferees failed to take this procedure, thus, no transfer is registered and the vehicle remains registered in the name of the former owner, to whom all fixed penalty tickets are sent. Therefore, it is advisable that the former owner should call at the licensing office together with the new owner to hand in both portions of the notice of transfer (duly completed and signed) so as to effect the transfer immediately. A former owner should not hand over the vehicle registration document to the new owner until the Transport Department has registered the transfer. The new owner's original identification documents should be produced.

When applying for transfer of ownership, the former owner and the new owner should also declare the transaction price of the motor vehicle on form TD 25. If the declared transaction price is greater than the last taxable value, the value of exempted accessories (if any), the value of unexpired portion of a warranty other than a manufacturer's warranty (if any) plus the first registration tax paid, the former owner should apply to the Hong Kong Licensing Office on application form TD 468 for approval and should pay the additional tax before the transfer of ownership is effected.

It is equally important for a prospective transferee to ensure that there are no outstanding penalties or possible licence suspension in respect of the vehicle. There are numerous cases whereby a transferee finds himself legally liable to payment of fixed penalty tickets, or the vehicle licence is suspended because the former owner has failed to disclose such information.  To guard against this, a new owner is advised before acquiring a vehicle to apply to a licensing office for the relevant Certificate of Clearance. The Certificate, issued free of charge, is valid for 72 hours and certifies that the vehicle is free of outstanding penalties and is not liable to licence suspension.

Change of Registration Particulars

A registered owner is required by law to notify a licensing office of the Transport Department on form TD 559 within 72 hours of any change in respect of registration particulars, e.g. his name, address, identity document, or the colour, engine number, or seating capacity of his vehicle, etc. For cases of change of name or change of identity document, the driving licence holder/registered vehicle owner shall also deliver to the Commissioner for Transport the existing original driving licence (if applicable), original driving instructor's licence (if applicable), original vehicle registration document (if applicable), vehicle licence (if applicable) and Certificate of Allocation of Personalized Registration Mark (if applicable) for amendment.

Refund of licence fee after cancellation of vehicle registration

If a motor vehicle's registered owner apply for cancellation of the vehicle's registration to the Transport Department and surrender a valid licence of the vehicle after it is broken up, destroyed or despatched out of Hong Kong, the Transport Department may make a refund of a portion of the licence fee paid for the licensing of the motor vehicle, in accordance with the designated percentage listed in Schedule 6 of Cap. 374E Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) Regulations, and the number of days in the unexpired period of the valid licence:

• If the vehicle licence remains at least 60 days of unexpired period, the refunded licence fee would be calculated by 0.24% of the annual licence fee of the vehicle, times the number of unexpired days of the valid licence.
• If the number of days in the unexpired period of valid licence is less than 60 days, no licence fee will be refunded.

Further to the above, if the registered owner of the vehicle has, within 15 days after the scrapping/shipping date listed on the scrap certificate/shipping document, surrendered to the Transport Department the valid vehicle licence, the unexpired period of the valid licence would be calculated one day after the listed scrapping/shipping date. If the registered owner of the vehicle has surrendered to the Transport Department the valid vehicle licence 16 days after the listed scrapping/shipping date, the unexpired period of the valid licence would be calculated one day after the Transport Department has received the Notification for Cancellation of Vehicle Registration.

Application by Post

Applications may be submitted in person to any of the licensing offices of the Transport Department or by registered post to (excluding the application for a duplicate vehicle registration document and transfer of ownership of a vehicle):

P.O. Box 79, Shatin Central Post Office

The relevant application forms should be properly and clearly completed, signed and forwarded together with the appropriate fee and relevant supporting documents including original or photocopy of proof of present address (residential/company address and correspondence address). Do not send cash by post. Cheques should be made payable to either 'The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region' or 'The Government of the HKSAR' and crossed. Photocopies of identity card (or acceptable alternative identity document) are acceptable. Underpaid mail items will be rejected. For proper delivery of your mail items to the department, please ensure your mail items bear sufficient postage with return address. (Details)

If your application is in order, your new vehicle licence and other documents will be sent to you by registered post within 10 working days upon receipt of application. Enquiries about applications by post may be made by telephone on 2158 5960.

Application through Drop-in Box

Applications for renewal of vehicle licence may also be submitted through the drop-in box at the licensing offices of the Transport Department. The relevant application forms should be properly and clearly completed, signed and forwarded together with the appropriate fee and relevant supporting documents including original or photocopy of proof of present address (residential/company address and correspondence address).  Crossed cheques should be made payable to either 'The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region' or 'The Government of the HKSAR'. Photocopies of identity card (or acceptable alternative identity document) are acceptable. Detailed application procedures are displayed at the drop-in box. 

If your application is in order, your new vehicle licence and other documents will be sent to you by registered post within 10 working days upon receipt of application.

Online application

You can now access application for renewal of vehicle licence by using an "iAM Smart' account with digital signing function or a valid digital certificate atGovHK. For details, please refer to the promotional video.

E-Contact Means

Registered vehicle owners must provide either a Hong Kong mobile phone number or an email address as the e-contact means when submitting vehicle licensing applications. If both Hong Kong mobile phone number and email address are provided, the email address would be adopted as the e-contact means. Please refer to the "Notes About Your Personal Data" for the purposes of collecting e-contact means and the class of transferees. In particular, the Transport Department, other Government departments, bureaux and Toll Service Provider may issue electronic notification to you through the e-contact means provided by you, either by SMS or email, as and when necessary (e.g. a toll payment notification may be issued by the Toll Service Provider through the e-contact means when toll cannot be successfully made by automated payment where your vehicle passes through a tunnel implemented with Free-Flow Tolling System).

Notes

Enquiries

Application forms for registration and licensing of vehicles are available at the licensing offices of the Transport Department, the Home Affairs Department's public enquiry service centres and post offices. Application forms can also be obtained through the fax-on-demand service of the Transport Department Customer Service Hotline or Transport Department website.

Please dial the Transport Department Customer Service Hotline 2804 2600 (24-hour service) or visit the Transport Department website http://www.td.gov.hk/.