Hong Kong residents will likely be able to enter eateries with their dogs from July, with the Food Business (Amendment) Regulation 2026 coming into effect on Friday.

Applications will commence on May 18, and the first batch of permitted food premises is expected to be granted approval in mid-June, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said in a statement on Thursday.

The department will hold several briefing sessions next week to introduce the regulatory and application arrangements to the catering trade.

"To allow time for operational preparation by the trade, the FEHD will specify a date in July from which dogs will be allowed to enter permitted food premises. While the exact date will be announced in due course, no person shall bring any dog onto any food premises prior to that date (except for guide dogs and working dogs)," said an FEHD spokesman.

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Applications will be accepted electronically through the FEHD's dedicated webpage from May 18 to June 8, with a quota of no more than 1,000 restaurants set for the first phase, according to the department.

For safety reasons, applications from hotpot and barbecue restaurants, including teppanyaki and Korean barbecue, will not be accepted, and only applications from restaurants with an area of more than 20 square meters will be considered, the department added.