Members of the public are advised that in line with the Government's policy objective of adopting wider use of technology in the provision of public services, the electronic Passenger Service Licence Certificate and Hire Car Permit (e-permits) have been launched on 22 May 2023 by the Transport Department ("TD"). Applicants can visit the website of the Government (https://www.td.gov.hk/en/electronic_services/index.html#permit01) to submit applications for the new/renewal of the e-permits.

Applicants can visit the designated website to fill out the forms, upload the necessary supporting documents and pay the required fee (if applicable) without having to go to the government premises to submit applications. Electronic applications support "iAM Smart+" or digital certificate that enables users to digitally sign the online applications.

If the application is approved, the TD will notify the applicant of the application result by email and issue the e-Permit in "portable document format" (pdf) for downloading and printing.

When the permit (no matter in paper-form or electronic form) is in use, it must be displayed on the windscreen inside the vehicle in such a way that the front of permit is clearly visible for checking purpose.

In addition, both paper-form and e-permit are added with encrypted "Quick Response code" (QR code) containing the same information as that contained in the existing paper-form permits. Since the QR code has been encrypted, the general public cannot read the information contained inside. Police officers can scan the QR codes with mobile devices to authenticate the displayed permits.

At the same time, the prevailing submission channels and services arrangements for applying the paper-form permits remain unchanged. The existing permits remain valid for use until expiry.