Hong Kong’s transport minister has directed her team to urgently address prolonged queues and potential abuses of the application system for test-free driving licences, as long lines formed overnight outside a government office to secure the daily quota of same-day application tickets.
Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan on Wednesday publicly urged the Transport Department to find prompt solutions, including ensuring that an enhanced online booking system was available before March.
Hong Kong currently allows drivers holding a full driving licence from more than 30 countries or regions to apply for a local permit without needing to take a test.
Applicants or authorised representatives can either obtain one of 140 tickets that allow them to submit up to five applications on the same day at the department’s licensing centre in Admiralty, or make an advanced online booking for an application appointment at the centre on another date.
In a statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday night, the Transport and Logistics Bureau noted that demand for test-free licences had significantly increased from over 27,000 in 2021 to more than 84,000 in 2025.
It said the transport chief had “demanded” that the department propose a “short-term improvement plan” to address the long queues for applications for driving licences that did not require a test, and that any proposed solution should also prevent “the undesirable situation of people abusing the quota distribution arrangement”.
