How do you import household goods to Hong Kong in 2026?

Customs guidance says imports are generally free of customs tariff except motor vehicles for road use, which face First Registration Tax through the Transport Department, and four dutiable commodity classes: liquors, tobacco, hydrocarbon oil, and methyl alcohol. Cargo labelled personal effects still clears like general cargo. No duty-free concession applies to dutiable goods packed inside that shipment, and licence or permit rules for prohibited articles still bind the importer.

Accompanied personal baggage that is not for trade can be exempt from lodging an import declaration under the Import and Export (Registration) Regulations, but motor vehicles are excluded from that baggage exemption. A full household consignment usually needs a packing list, bill of lading or airway bill, passport or HKID matching the consignee, and a forwarder who marks exempt categories clearly on the manifest when claiming exemptions. Lodge any required import declaration within the statutory window after arrival.

Arrive first, secure a lease that can take delivery, and finish ImmD stay and HKID steps so banks and building management recognise you: Apply for a residence permit, Get an HKID, and How to rent a home. Island lifts, Kowloon loading bays, and New Territories houses change access rules: Living on Hong Kong Island and Living in Kowloon.

Leave dogs and cats off the furniture inventory: Bring pets. Do not assume a foreign car in the container is a casual personal effect; registration and First Registration Tax sit with TD after you sort driving entitlements: Convert a driving licence. Apostilles help when foreign inventories or powers of attorney must prove signature abroad: Apostille documents. Voltage, mould, and tiny flat footprints still argue for selling bulky furniture before the sail.