Moving to Hong Kong: customs & controlled-goods checklist

Hong Kong is a free port: there is no customs tariff, VAT or GST on your household goods. What catches people out is the short list of dutiable commodities and the licences that other departments require for pets, plants, meat, medicines, radio equipment, weapons and vehicles. Answer a few questions, then check every item against the official lists before you pack.

No customs entry form for private effects — an itemised inventory supports the personal-baggage exemption; an import declaration (within 14 days) is lodged only where the goods are not accepted as personal, non-trade baggage · Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) + Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and Centre for Food Safety (CFS) · last reviewed 15 October 2026 against the official sources below

1. Do my goods clear duty-free? (Free-port entry — personal baggage exemption (Import and Export (Registration) Regulations, Cap. 60E))

What is taxed and what is not

• Household goods, new or used: no customs duty, no VAT, no GST — Hong Kong levies no tariff on general imports.
• Import declaration charge (only if a declaration is required): HK$0.20 on the first HK$46,000 of value plus HK$0.125 for each additional HK$1,000, capped at HK$200 per declaration since 1 August 2018.
• Dutiable commodities in the shipment: liquor above 30 % ABV — 100 % of the first HK$200 of value per litre plus 10 % of the remainder (wine and liquor at 30 % or below: 0 %); cigarettes HK$3,306 per 1,000; cigars HK$4,258 per kg; other manufactured tobacco HK$4,005 per kg.
• Motor vehicles: First Registration Tax on taxable value — private cars 46 % on the first HK$150,000, 86 % on the next HK$150,000, 115 % on the next HK$200,000, 132 % on the remainder; motorcycles 35 %. A car previously registered in your own name abroad may be depreciated 25 % a year (petrol) or 20 % a year (other fuels) when Customs sets the taxable value.

2. Can I ship it? — AFCD item checker

Hong Kong has no fumigation-style biosecurity regime for household shipments, but five departments license what Customs releases: AFCD (live animals, plants, soil, endangered species), the Centre for Food Safety (meat, poultry, eggs), the Department of Health (medicines), OFCA (radio equipment) and the Police (arms). Search an item or filter by category. Statuses follow the official lists linked below — "declare & licence" means a permit must exist before the goods arrive.

How to pack so you clear inspection first time

1. Separate the four dutiable commodities — spirits over 30 % ABV, tobacco, fuel and methyl alcohol — and give your mover the exact quantities and values so the import statement and duty are handled before the container lands.
2. Take all medicines out of the shipment and carry them in your hand luggage in a reasonable personal quantity; apply to the Drug Office in advance for anything containing dangerous drugs.
3. Remove e-cigarettes, vapes and heated-tobacco products from the container and your luggage — any quantity is a prohibited import.
4. Number every carton and describe contents and materials in English with approximate values — a clear inventory is what makes Customs accept the shipment as personal, non-trade baggage.
5. Empty and wash plant pots and clean soil off tools, bikes and shoes; apply for AFCD permits for pets and plants weeks before the ship sails.
6. Pack anything with wildlife origin (ivory, coral, reptile leather, trophies) together with proof of legal acquisition, and tell your mover so the CITES exemption or licence can be checked before departure.

Penalties and costs

• False or incomplete information to Customs under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (Cap. 109, s. 36): fine up to HK$1,000,000 and 2 years' imprisonment; non-declaration of dutiable goods on arrival is compoundable at HK$5,000 (raised from HK$2,000 in 2025).
• Importing a licensable or prohibited article without a licence under the Import and Export Ordinance (Cap. 60, s. 6C): fine HK$500,000 and 2 years on summary conviction; for Part II articles HK$2,000,000 and 7 years on indictment. Strategic commodities (s. 6A): HK$500,000 and 2 years, or an unlimited fine and 7 years on indictment.
• Import declaration lodged late (Cap. 60E): HK$20 / HK$40 / HK$100 per declaration depending on delay, doubled to HK$40 / HK$80 / HK$200 where the declared value exceeds HK$20,000; knowingly or recklessly inaccurate declarations are prosecuted.
• Department-specific offences: meat, poultry or eggs without certificate or permission — HK$50,000 and 6 months (Cap. 132AK); plants or soil without licence — HK$10,000 and 6 months (Cap. 207); endangered species without licence — up to HK$10,000,000 and 10 years (Cap. 586); vehicle Import Return not filed within 30 days — HK$500,000 and 12 months; unlicensed firearms — HK$100,000 and 14 years (Cap. 238).

Fees and penalty amounts are revised regularly — confirm current figures on the official pages below before you ship.

FAQ

Read next

• Moving to Hong Kong from Abroad (2026): Complete Relocation Guide
• Moving inventory list template — free PDF, Word and Excel
• Moving Guides — Hong Kong
• Moving volume calculator — how many m³ is your move?
• Keep, sell or ship? — is it worth moving your furniture abroad?
• Moving inventory list template (PDF, Word, Excel)

Official sources

• Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department — Types and duty rates of dutiable commodities
• Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department — Duty-free concessions for passengers
• Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department — Import and Export Declaration (14-day rule, charges, late penalties)
• Census and Statistics Department — Exempted Articles under the Import and Export (Registration) Regulations
• Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department — Controlled Imports (licensing authorities by ordinance)
• Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department — Prohibited / Controlled Articles (passenger clearance)
• Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department — Common Charges and Penalties (Cap. 109, Cap. 60)
• Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department — Dutiable Commodities FAQs (zero-rated liquor, import statements)
• Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department — Alternative Smoking Products import prohibition
• Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office — Legislation on alternative smoking products (penalties; possession ban from 30 April 2026)
• 1823 GovHK — Can I bring a small amount of alternative smoking products into Hong Kong?
• Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department — Motor Vehicles (Import Return, taxable value, depreciation)
• Transport Department — Guidelines for Importation and Registration of Motor Vehicle (First Registration Tax rates)
• AFCD — Import of Dogs and Cats (Special Permit, country groups, prohibited breeds)
• AFCD — Import of Dogs and Cats from Group I countries/places (permit fee, quarantine exemption)
• AFCD — Import and Export of Animals and Animal Products FAQ (other pets, pet food, skins and feathers)
• AFCD — Plant Quarantine: Plant Import (licence, phytosanitary certificate, soil, exemptions, penalty)
• AFCD — Regulations on Trade in Endangered Animal Species (CITES licences, HK$10,000,000 / 10 years)
• AFCD — Endangered species: Tourist souvenirs and personal/household effects
• Centre for Food Safety — Imported Food Control (meat, poultry, eggs, milk; traveller offence)
• Centre for Food Safety — FAQs on import of game, meat, poultry and eggs (PDF)
• Drug Office, Department of Health — FAQ on importing medicines for personal use
• Hong Kong Police Force — Firearms and Ammunition licences (Cap. 238, penalties)

This checker summarises public rules as at the review date for planning purposes. Customs and biosecurity decisions are made by the officers on arrival; your Flyto coordinator confirms the current conditions for your visa and shipment.