A tourist guide is the person assigned by a travel agent to receive and take care of travellers visiting Hong Kong. With a view to improving tourist guides' service quality, the TIC set up a Tourist Guide Accreditation System on 1 July 2004, under which all tourist guides assigned by member agents to receive visitors to Hong Kong are required to have a valid Tourist Guide Pass issued by the TIC. The Pass is valid for three years and the fee is HK$300.
Under the Accreditation System, only the Tourist Guide Pass issued by the TIC is recognised.
Member agents must note that tourist guides who have passed the qualifying examination for the Tourist Guide Pass are not allowed to receive inbound visitors unless they possess:
- a valid Tourist Guide Pass issued by the TIC (samples of new version and old version ); or
- The "Confirmation of acceptance of Tourist Guide Pass application" issued by the TIC ( sample ).
Accredited tourist guides may visit Member Agent Vacancies of this website for openings in travel agents. They may also register their skills and contact information in the Profile Registration section in order for travel agents to find suitable candidates online for recruitment.
| Application for Tourist Guide Pass |
Application requirements
Applicants for the Tourist Guide Pass must meet the following requirements:
- 18 years old or above;
- Holders of the Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card, or holders of the Hong Kong Identity Card who are not subject to any condition of stay;
- Form 5 graduates or equivalent, or above (applicants with one or more than one year's tour-guiding experience may apply for exemption);
- Holding certificates recognised by the TIC and passing the relevant examinations ;
- Holders of a first aid certificate or attendance certificate issued by one of the following six institutions: the Hong Kong Red Cross, the Hong Kong St. John Ambulance Brigade, the Auxiliary Medical Service, The Hong Kong Life Saving Society, the Hong Kong Police and the Hong Kong Fire Services Department;
- Signing of a declaration stating that the applicant is physically fit and of good behaviour to be a tourist guide, and that there is no other reason that will cause the TIC to consider him/her not fit and proper to be a tourist guide; and
- Signing of a declaration regarding whether the applicant has been convicted in Hong Kong or elsewhere of an offence other than a traffic offence.
Time limit for application
The time limit for first-time applications for the Pass is extended from six months to two years . People who have obtained certificates recognised by the TIC and passed the relevant examinations must apply for the Pass within two years after being issued with the certificate or notified of their passing the examinations (whichever is later) .
If qualified applicants apply for the Pass after the application deadline, they will have to pass the "Knowledge on Hong Kong" quiz under the Continuing Professional Development Scheme for Tourist Guides (the CPD Scheme) and a designated road test before submitting their application.
| Renewal of Tourist Guide Pass |
Renewal requirements
The Tourist Guide Pass is valid for three years. Pass holders must renew their Pass three months before its expiry and the renewal fee is HK$300 . Details are as follows:
- For first-time renewals, Pass holders only need to submit a renewal application form. A new Pass will then be issued to them together with the latest information about Hong Kong.
- When Pass holders renew their Pass for the second and subsequent times , they will be required to complete the CPD Scheme designated by the TIC.
( Note : If there is a letter "R" printed in the bottom right-hand corner of the Pass, that means the Pass holder must first fulfil the requirements of the CPD Scheme when he/she renew his/her Pass again.)
Late renewal
Pass holders who renew their Pass within two years after its expiry do not need to take any examination . The new Pass will be valid for three years, counting from the day following the day on which the old Pass expires.
If Pass holders renew their Pass more than two years after the expiry date, they must complete the three items under the CPD Scheme and pass a designated road test . Candidates who fail the examination may resit, and the number of resits allowed is not limited. The new Pass will be valid for three years, counting from the day on which the Pass is issued.
Waiver Programme for Non-English-and-Chinese-Speaking Tourist Guides |
The TIC has set up a waiver programme to help tourist guides who speak no Chinese or English to apply for the Tourist Guide Pass. For details such as the conditions for application, examination format, fees and application procedures, please see the " Waiver Programme for Non-English-and-Chinese-Speaking Tourist Guides " section.
Continuing Professional Development Scheme for Tourist Guides |
When Tourist Guide Pass holders renew their Pass for the second time or subsequent times, they must first fulfil the requirements of the CPD Scheme in order to meet the basic criteria for renewal of their Pass. The Scheme covers three areas, namely "consolidation and updating of knowledge", "professional ethics" and "self-selected courses", and CPD activities include quizzes, seminars and workshops. For details, please see the " Continuing Professional Development " section.
Change of contact information
The TIC may disseminate news or other information to tourist guides by various means (including SMS and email). In order to keep in contact with the TIC, tourist guides should notify the TIC of any changes in their contact information (correspondence address, telephone number and email address) by completing the Application Form for Change of Contact Information and returning it to the TIC Training Department.
Change of name
Tourist guides who wish to change the name on their Tourist Guide Pass should download the Application Form for the Change of Name on the Tourist Guide Pass , and return the completed form to the TIC Training Department.
