FlyerMatt

Hi everyone,

Sorry if this is in the wrong place... still learning the ropes!

Just back from two weeks in Hong Kong. During the stay, I briefly exited the country to visit Thailand (came back) and Macau (came back) before leaving from HK. i.e. I arrived in HK three times.

Back and unpacking my case and I see that I still have my original departure card () that should have been given in at the first exit! They took the card when I left for Macau, and again to come home, but not the first exit. So... whilst HK knows I left, should I be posting the old departure card back to HK (perhaps along with a note requesting forgiveness!?)? I'm looking to return later in the year and don't want to jeopardise that trip...

I'm sure many of you have encountered similar situations in the past so it would be good to hear some of those and how you resolved them!

Thanks,
Matt

Simon1

didn't you get a stamp on your passport when you leave?

in any case you should not have a problem when you return next time to HKG.

JY1024

Moving this to the Hong Kong/Macau forum for further discussion. Thanks. /JY1024, TravelBuzz co-moderator

nacho

There is no more stamping on passport at HKG.

moondog

@op: why don't you have echannel (your ba status qualifies you)? With echannel, you'll never have to touch another arrival or departure card.

christep

Logically if you were going to have a problem it would have been on your second entry, and you didn't. I guess it happens dozens of times a day, and it's no big deal.

And as Moondog says - get registered for e-channel and you'll be much quicker through immigration anyway.

nacho

It's a shame that children can't use e-channel.

FlyerMatt

Unfortunately, I only realised that I could have access to e-Channel at the very end of the trip. I have made a mental note to sign up next time!

kaka

Ure not dealing w countries like china.... Ive experienced same thing in manned counter in japan. The guy frowned, n processed it. I hv obviously left. But hving a stamp in japan certainly have helped. But id think any sane country would just remove such breach in quoted case.

gpia

I've had it happen numerous times that the departure card was not taken in Macao and HK...never even thought about it really.

s0ssos

Yea, I have had the card not taken. And returned to HK. No problem.

rkkwan

Relic from the past. Your PP was already scanned. That piece of paper like just goes to storage for a while, and then the shredder.

BuildingMyBento

A piece of paper is also rather anachronistic, no? The new slip at US airports is also a complete waste.

Then you have places such as Japan with both stamps and arrival/departure forms. Just the stamps, please.

moondog

I dislike both stamps (wasted passport space) and pieces of paper, and HK wins on both counts (apart from tiny piece of paper that the echannel machines spit out upon entry).

gpia

This is OT but i love my passport stamps collection! How great is it to go through fully stamped passports from lives past and trying to remember what trip that one stamp was...