These extended hours will be in effect on Saturday and the following Saturday, with the offices remaining open from 2pm to 9pm on those days.

There are no quota limits or reservation requirements for these two days, and the usual morning service hours will not be affected.

The move comes as a response to the peak tourism season, with three sets of travel documents, including passport, reentry permit, and visa, facing long queues.

As of yesterday, online booking for passport applications was scheduled from tomorrow to Friday at seven branches in Central, Lam Tin, Tsim Sha Tsui, Sha Tin, Fo Tan, Tuen Mun, and Yuen Long.

However, those who wish to collect their documents in Wan Chai will have to wait until next Thursday.

Principal immigration officer Yeung Suk-yee stated that the department has received 900,000 passport applications in the first half of the year, which already exceeds the 2019 total of 720,000.

The extended service hours are aimed at helping those who are eager to travel abroad during the peak season.