Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People’s Republic of China is one of the world’s most open and service-driven economies. It is the 35th largest economy globally (by GDP, nominal) and ranks among the highest for per capita income in Asia. It boasts a population of about 7.5 million people, with an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) comparative price level of around 120, meaning Hong Kong consumers pay on average 20% more (domestically) than Americans pay for the same product – making Hong Kong a highly attractive cross-border ecommerce destination.

Key info

• Country code (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2): HK
• Country code top-level domain (ccTLD): .hk
• Currency (ISO4217): Hong Kong Dollar HKD
• World Trade Organization (WTO) Status: Member (under the designation “Hong Kong, China”)

Duty & tax info

Hong Kong is a free port and maintains one of the most liberal trade regimes in the world:

• There are no import duties.
• Only four categories of goods are subject to excise duty:
  • Tobacco
  • Hydrocarbon oil
  • Alcoholic beverages (with an alcoholic strength above 30% by volume)
  • Methyl alcohol
• Excise duty is levied on a measure basis (by quantity or volume), not ad valorem (by value).
• No VAT, GST or general sales tax applies to imports to Hong Kong.

De minimis thresholds

Since Hong Kong does not levy duties or taxes, there is effectively no de minimis threshold - imports are free of duty and sales tax regardless of value (except for commodities subject to excise duty).

Prohibited & restricted goods

Hong Kong enforces restrictions through the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department. Prohibited or controlled items include:

• Dangerous drugs and controlled substances
• Firearms, ammunition, explosives, and weapons (without license)
• Strategic commodities (dual-use goods)
• Rough diamonds (Kimberley Process requirements)
• Ozone depleting substances
• Radioactive materials
• Certain pharmaceutical products and Chinese medicines
• Endangered species (CITES restrictions)
• Obscene and indecent articles

An official list of prohibited and controlled goods can be found on the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department website.