Indian journey blogger Roslin Dwivedi and her household’s plans to spend a birthday in Hong Kong’s Disneyland had been “shattered” owing to a slight mismatch within the particulars on the Pre-Arrival Registration that’s required for Indians visiting the area. Documenting the frustration, the blogger shared on Instagram, “We dreamt of an incredible birthday trip, Disneyland, a lot of distinctive locations, buying, and native meals experiences, however all that was shattered after we had been denied boarding for Hong Kong. Going again house, I couldn’t cease crying.”
Notably, Indian passport holders can go to Hong Kong for as much as 14 days and not using a visa. Nonetheless, they should full one important step — to submit Pre-Arrival Registration (PAR) on-line. This necessary slip permits a number of entries inside six months.
Stressing that “it looks like reliving a nightmare”, Roslin added, “Getting a Hong Kong PAR (Pre-Arrival Registration) as an Indian is normally easy, however there’s no assure. We stuffed out the shape, hit submit, and it was accepted in seconds. However right here’s the catch: your utility should precisely match your passport”.
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The blogger stated that their concern was with the “Place of Subject” part. “There was no choice that matched our passport, and no method to manually sort it in (in contrast to the native land choice). We thought it wouldn’t matter. However on the airport, the airline couldn’t test us in due to that mismatch. They tried for an hour, even known as immigration, however nothing labored. It was heartbreaking—our son cried as a result of he was excited for Disneyland. What made it worse? No human is reviewing your PAR—only a system that provides a sure or no. Even when the error isn’t your fault, you might be denied boarding. I genuinely hope Hong Kong improves this technique or turns it into a correct, paid visa course of so vacationers don’t face this confusion or disappointment,” she continued.
In one other put up, detailing the “again story,” Roslin recalled that the household felt the difficulty was a “minor” one. “However simply to be protected, we emailed Hong Kong immigration, hoping for readability. Two weeks handed. There was no clear reply, saying sure, you might be good to go, or no, this isn’t acceptable. We assumed it wouldn’t matter a lot. However on the airport — every little thing fell aside. We had been denied boarding. We tried explaining to the airline workers that there’s nothing we may do to vary the shape or change what’s printed on our passports. They understood. They even reached out to immigration on our behalf — each by way of cellphone and electronic mail — however once more, no real-time assist got here.”
Nevertheless, “a small mild got here via”. “Hong Kong Immigration known as us again. They apologised for the confusion and the delay, and kindly provided us a visa legitimate for six months. Cathay Pacific airline additionally adopted up, checking how they may assist us post-incident.”
Taking a cue from the incident, we reached out to an professional to study extra.
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Santosh Pawaskar, visa head at R Ok Holidays, acknowledged that the Hong Kong Immigration Division mandates Indian nationals to finish a web-based PAR as a prerequisite for visa-free entry for as much as 14 days or transit functions. “What occurs in case you don’t have barcode/pre-arrival registration is that airways could refuse to board you for Hong Kong-bound flights. “Even in case you arrive, Hong Kong Immigration could deny entry, forcing you to return to your departure level and endure vital inconvenience,” stated Pawaskar.
Pawaskar confused that the PAR for Hong Kong is accomplished a minimum of 2–3 enterprise days earlier than the journey date to keep away from any inconvenience. “A journey affiliate makes certain the arrival is protected with none issues. For PAR, the paperwork required are minimal—simply your passport (which needs to be legitimate for a minimum of 6 months out of your journey date), flight particulars, lodging data, and employment particulars (if relevant).”
In line with the Authorities of the Hong Kong Particular Administrative Area’s Immigration Division web site, “All relations are required to apply for PAR individually”.
Pawaskar stated that typically, PAR is rejected as a result of:
1. Incorrect or Mismatched Passport Particulars
2. Expired or Close to-Expiry Passport
3. Duplicate or A number of Purposes
4. Earlier Overstay or Violation in Hong Kong
5. Inconsistent Data
6. Technical/Could also be server concern
What may also help?
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One of many feedback stated, “That is such an essential reminder”. “If the HKPAR dropdown doesn’t have the precise ‘Place of Subject’ out of your passport, it’s most secure to skip PAR and apply for a correct visa. The system is automated, and any mismatch — even when it’s not your fault — can result in denied boarding. Extra consciousness is certainly wanted!” Agreeing, Pawaskar stated that 99 per cent of the time, the difficulty might be resolved by shortly making use of for a visa, which incurs an extra payment.
What to do in case your PAR is rejected?
*Examine the rejection cause to grasp why your utility was denied.
*If the difficulty is minor, appropriate the error and submit a brand new utility.
*Apply for a proper Hong Kong Go to Visa in case you plan to remain longer than 14 days.
Ideas for a easy PAR utility
*Regardless that PAR is on the spot, apply a number of days earlier than your journey to keep away from last-minute hassles.
* Guarantee all data matches your passport and journey plans.
*At all times carry a printed and signed copy of your PAR slip.
DISCLAIMER: This text relies on data from the general public area and/or the specialists we spoke to
