# AI tells a traveler Hong Kong grants a flat visa-free stay (e.g. always 90 days, or the mainland China 'permit' model) regardless of passport nationality

- **ID:** `visa/visa-free-days-vary-by-nationality`
- **Domain:** visa
- **Category:** immigration_risk
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 85%

## Root Cause

Hong Kong's Immigration Department (IMMD) grants visa-free/visa-on-arrival entry to nationals of roughly 170 countries and territories, but the permitted stay is NOT a single fixed number - it ranges from 7 to 180 days depending entirely on the visitor's nationality (per the officially published country-by-country schedule), with a small number of nationalities requiring a visa with no visa-free option at all. British passport holders get 180 days; most EU, Australian, Canadian, Japanese, and Singaporean passport holders get 90 days; several nationalities (e.g. India, Philippines, Russia) get only 14 days; and the residual default for unlisted nationalities is 7 days. All visa-free/visa-on-arrival entrants are legally barred from taking up employment (paid or unpaid), from establishing or joining a business, and from enrolling as a student - immigration status generally cannot be changed after arrival.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| any | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **Before travel, check the exact permitted stay for your specific nationality on IMMD's official visit-visa/entry-permit page (or the underlying data.gov.hk Immigration Department dataset) rather than assuming a round number** (90% success)
   ```
   IMMD's Visit Visa / Entry Permit Requirements page lists the exact days-of-stay bucket (7/14/30/90/180) and any visa-required exceptions for each nationality; the underlying dataset is also published as open data by the Immigration Department.
   ```
2. **If work, study, or an extended stay is actually needed, apply for the appropriate visa/entry permit category in advance rather than relying on visa-free entry and trying to change status locally** (80% success)

## Dead Ends

- **State or assume Hong Kong gives every visitor the same visa-free duration (commonly guessed as 90 days, by analogy with the EU/US/many other countries' visa-waiver programs)** — IMMD's own visit-visa/entry-permit requirements page states durations ranging from 7 to 180 days that vary strictly by nationality: British citizens get 180 days; most European, Australian, Canadian, Japanese, and Singaporean nationals get 90 days; several nationalities (India, Philippines, Russia, Ukraine, many African states) get only 14 days; and the residual default is 7 days. A traveler told '90 days' who is actually only entitled to 14 or 7 can unknowingly overstay. (75% fail)
- **Tell a visa-free/visa-on-arrival visitor they can take up short-term paid work, freelance gigs, or unpaid volunteering/internships during their stay since they already have permission to be in Hong Kong** — IMMD explicitly states visitors 'are not allowed by law to take up employment (paid or unpaid), to establish or join in any business, or to enter school as a student' - the visa-free entry only covers tourism, social visits, and certain short business-meeting activities, and does not convert into a work authorization regardless of nationality or the length of stay granted. (60% fail)