Contraception
Contraception is available through the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong, Department of Health clinics, private doctors and pharmacies. The FPAHK provides a full range of services at low cost, including for young people through its Youth Health Care Centres.
Key points
| Providers | Family Planning Association, Department of Health, private doctors, pharmacies |
|---|---|
| Oral contraception | Available through clinics; some pharmacies sell it directly |
| Emergency contraception | Available at FPAHK, clinics and some pharmacies |
| Young people | Youth Health Care Centres provide confidential services |
| LARC | IUDs and implants provided by FPAHK and hospitals |
| Cost | Low at FPAHK; higher privately |
| Family Planning Association | The main low-cost provider, including for young people |
| Youth clinics | Dedicated services for people under 26 |
In practice
- Use the youth health care service if you are under 26: it is cheaper and designed for confidentiality.
- For emergency contraception, call a clinic the same day rather than a pharmacy.
Cost and coverage
Low cost at FPAHK; market rates in the private sector.
Recent changes
The FPAHK remains the central provider, and its youth services are the main confidential route for under-18s.
Where to go
- Family Planning Association of Hong Kong clinics and hotline.
- Department of Health Woman Health Centres.
- Youth Health Care Centres for under-26s.
Worth knowing
FPAHK youth centres are designed for confidential access, which matters for young people who cannot use a family doctor. A prescription is required for emergency contraception, so the practical constraint is clinic opening hours — check them before you need them.
The general article: Contraception · Compare with another country
Abortion
The Offences Against the Person Ordinance permits termination where two registered medical practitioners agree in good faith that continuing the pregnancy would risk the life or the physical or mental health of the woman more than termination, or that there is a substantial risk of serious handicap, or where the pregnancy results from unlawful intercourse in prescribed circumstances.
Key points
| Time limit | 24 weeks, except where necessary to save the woman's life |
|---|---|
| Approval | Two registered medical practitioners |
| Where | Approved hospitals and clinics only |
| Minors | Parental consent generally required for those under 16 |
| Providers | Public hospitals and the Family Planning Association |
| Confidentiality | Medical confidentiality applies |
| Ordinance | Offences Against the Person Ordinance, with statutory grounds |
| Two doctors | Both must certify the ground |
| Designated premises | Only approved hospitals and the Family Planning Association |
In practice
- Contact the Family Planning Association or a public hospital for assessment.
- Bring identification and any documentation of the pregnancy dating.
- Expect counselling as part of the process.
- Ask about contraception before leaving.
- Contact the Family Planning Association first: waiting times are usually shorter than in hospitals.
- Bring identity documents; residence status affects the fee.
Cost and coverage
Subsidised in the public system for eligible residents; private care is considerably more expensive.
Recent changes
The two-doctor requirement and limited number of approved facilities are the main practical constraints.
Where to go
- Family Planning Association of Hong Kong.
- Public hospital obstetrics departments.
- Youth health services for under-18s.
Worth knowing
Approved-facility rules are enforced: procedures outside approved hospitals or clinics are unlawful even within the time limit, which matters if you are offered an informal arrangement. Only a small number of premises are approved, so appointment availability, not the legal limit, is usually what decides whether you are in time.
The general article: Abortion · Compare with another country
Sexual orientation
Same-sex relations were decriminalised in 1991. There is no same-sex marriage, but in 2023 the Court of Final Appeal held that the government had a constitutional duty to establish an alternative framework recognising same-sex partnerships, and gave it a period in which to do so. A series of court rulings has already extended spousal visa, inheritance, tax and public housing rights. There is no general anti-discrimination statute covering sexual orientation.
Hong Kong decriminalised sex between men in 1991, and in September 2023 the Court of Final Appeal held that the government must create a framework recognising same-sex partnerships, giving it two years. The government introduced a registration bill in 2025 — limited to couples married abroad, and covering medical and after-death matters — and the Legislative Council voted it down in September 2025, the first time it had rejected a government bill. The court's deadline passed without a framework.
Key points
| Criminal law | Decriminalised in 1991 |
|---|---|
| Partnership recognition | A 2023 ruling required the government to create an alternative framework |
| Court-won rights | Spousal visas, inheritance, tax and public housing extended by litigation |
| Marriage | Not available; overseas marriages recognised only for specific purposes |
| Discrimination | No general statutory prohibition on grounds of sexual orientation |
| Health care | Accessible, with confidential public testing services |
| Organisations | Active community and legal advocacy organisations |
In practice
- Rights won through litigation apply for specific purposes only: check whether yours is covered.
- An overseas marriage may be recognised for tax or housing but not for others: take advice per purpose.
- Public testing services are confidential and low cost.
- Community legal clinics track the developing framework and advise free of charge.
Cost and coverage
Public health services are low cost; community legal clinics advise without charge.
Recent changes
The Registration of Same-sex Partnerships Bill was voted down by the Legislative Council in September 2025, and the deadline set by the Court of Final Appeal passed in October 2025 without a framework in place.
Where to go
- Community legal advice clinics.
- Public and non-governmental sexual health services.
- Equal Opportunities Commission, for related complaints.
Worth knowing
Recognition here has been built case by case, so it is fragmented. What counts for a visa may not count for inheritance; verify each entitlement separately rather than assuming a single status.
Frequently asked questions
What did the Court of Final Appeal decide?
That the absence of any legal recognition of same-sex partnerships breached the constitutional right to equality, and that the government must establish an alternative framework within two years. It did not require marriage. The remedy was a deadline, not a specified scheme.
What happened to the bill?
The Legislative Council rejected it at second reading in September 2025 by seventy-one votes to fourteen. The government said it would not seek an extension of the court's suspension period and would consider the position with the Department of Justice. Couples remain without a recognition mechanism.
The general article: Sexual orientation · Compare with another country
Drugs and controlled substances
A 1969 Ordinance with life imprisonment for trafficking, applied by a specialist sentencing practice keyed to quantity.
The Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, Cap. 134, makes trafficking punishable by up to life imprisonment and a fine of five million dollars; possession for personal use carries up to seven years and one million dollars. There is no death penalty. Sentencing follows detailed guideline tariffs set by the Court of Appeal, which scale with the quantity of pure narcotic.
The guideline tariffs are the practical reality: for heroin and cocaine, sentences rise steeply with quantity, and trafficking at the higher bands reaches twenty years and beyond.
Cannabidiol became a dangerous drug on 1 February 2023, and products containing it are treated as controlled: this caught many travellers carrying CBD oils or cosmetics bought lawfully elsewhere.
Compulsory placement in a drug addiction treatment centre is available as a sentencing option in place of imprisonment.
Airport enforcement is intensive, and couriers are prosecuted at the trafficking tariff rather than for possession.
Key points
| Main ordinance | Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, Cap. 134 |
|---|---|
| Trafficking | Up to life imprisonment and HK$5 million |
| Possession | Up to 7 years and HK$1 million |
| CBD | A dangerous drug since 1 February 2023 |
| Sentencing | Court of Appeal guideline tariffs keyed to quantity |
In practice
- The Department of Health and non-governmental organisations run free counselling and treatment services.
- Do not bring CBD products of any kind into Hong Kong, including oils, gummies and cosmetics.
Cost and coverage
Public treatment is free or heavily subsidised. Fines are set by statute up to the maximum.
Recent changes
The reclassification of CBD in 2023 remains the single change most likely to affect an ordinary traveller.
Where to go
- Narcotics Division, Security Bureau, treatment directory.
- Substance Abuse Clinics of the Hospital Authority.
- Hong Kong Poison Information Centre.
- Emergencies: 999.
Worth knowing
CBD is a dangerous drug in Hong Kong. A bottle of CBD oil bought legally in London or Zurich becomes a controlled drug on arrival.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a death penalty for drugs in Hong Kong?
No. The maximum for trafficking is life imprisonment.
Can I bring CBD oil?
No. CBD has been a dangerous drug since 1 February 2023.
The general article: Drugs and controlled substances · Compare with another country
Alcohol and tobacco
Vapes banned from import and sale since 2022, and tobacco duty raised sharply in successive budgets.
Hong Kong prohibited the import, manufacture, sale and advertising of alternative smoking products including vapes and heated tobacco in 2022, while stopping short of banning personal use. Tobacco duty has been increased sharply in recent budgets, and smoking is prohibited in all indoor public places and many outdoor ones. Free quit services are provided.
Hong Kong banned the import, manufacture, sale and promotion of alternative smoking products — vapes and heated tobacco — from April 2022, and has raised tobacco duty sharply in successive budgets, by around thirty per cent in 2023 and again in 2024. Smoking is prohibited in all indoor public places and in many outdoor ones, including bus stops and public transport interchanges.
Key points
| Vapes | Import, sale and advertising prohibited since 2022 |
|---|---|
| Legal age | 18 for alcohol and tobacco |
| Duty | Increased sharply in recent budgets |
| No-smoking areas | All indoor public places and many outdoor areas |
| Fixed penalties | Issued for smoking in prohibited areas |
| Quit services | Free counselling, medication and a quitline |
| Illicit trade | A recognised consequence of higher duty |
In practice
- The integrated smoking cessation services are free and include medication.
- Bringing vapes into Hong Kong for sale is prohibited; personal import is also restricted.
- Fixed penalty notices for smoking in prohibited areas are issued routinely.
- Counselling by phone is available in several languages.
Cost and coverage
Cessation services and medication are free.
Recent changes
Tobacco duty rose steeply in the 2023 and 2024 budgets, and the government has consulted on further measures including extending no-smoking areas and tackling possession of alternative smoking products.
Where to go
- Integrated smoking cessation services of the Department of Health.
- Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office.
- Hospital Authority smoking cessation clinics.
Worth knowing
The ban covers import and sale rather than personal use, a distinction that travellers routinely misunderstand at the border.
Frequently asked questions
Can you bring a vape into Hong Kong?
No. Import is prohibited, including for personal use, and devices are seized at the border. Sale and promotion are also offences. The ban has been in force since April 2022 and is enforced at customs.
Where is smoking banned in Hong Kong?
All indoor public places and workplaces, public transport, and a growing list of outdoor areas including bus stops, transport interchanges, beaches, public swimming pools and parks. Fixed penalties are issued on the spot.
The general article: Alcohol and tobacco · Compare with another country
General sources
- GovHK — official government portal