The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has announced plans to increase charges for 28 services provided by the Immigration Department, citing the “cost recovery” and “user pays”principles.

The proposed increases, from 3 to 51 percent, are expected to generate an additional HK$104 million ($13.3 million) in annual revenue once they take effect in September.

According to documents submitted to the Legislative Council by the Security Bureau and Immigration Department on Monday, the proposed fee adjustments will affect 28 services — with two increasing by less than 10 percent, six rising 10 to 20 percent, and the remaining 20 seeing increases exceeding 20 percent.

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Key changes include a 13 percent increase for a 48-page HKSAR passport, rising from HK$460 to HK$520 for applicants aged 16 or older, with a passport for children under 16 increasing from HK$230 to HK$260.

The 32-page passport application fee will rise from HK$370 to HK$430 for applicants aged 16 or older, and from HK$185 to HK$215 for anyone younger.

Charges that are going up over 20 percent include transit visas rising from HK$120 to HK$170, change of stay conditions or extensions increasing from HK$230 to HK$330, multiple HKSAR re-entry permits going up from HK$170 to HK$210, and three-year multiple re-entry permits jumping from HK$935 to HK$1,350.

The cost recovery rates for these services is expected to improve from 14 to 94 percent to 19 to 100 percent, and future adjustments will continue to aim for full “cost recovery”, with regular reviews to ensure fees align with the “user pays” principle, the authorities said.

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The SAR government said it believes that the increases will have minimal impact on the daily lives of most residents and limited effect on general business activities. The Immigration Department said it will regularly review its daily management and procedures, implementing efficiency-enhancing measures and streamlining processes to control service costs.

Contact the writer at stacyshi@chinadailyhk.com