The Home Return Permit does the work
For most Hong Kong residents, a trip to the mainland does not involve a visa application. You travel on your Home Return Permit, which serves both as your entry document and as the identity document hotels ask to see at check-in. The original has to be carried; a photocopy will not do at the front desk.
Because the same document covering entry also covers registration, it pays to treat it as the single most important item in your bag. Keep it with you rather than in checked luggage, and check its condition before you travel.
If your trip includes Tibet
Tibet works a little differently. Hong Kong residents entering on a Home Return Permit do not need a Tibet permit, but the region requires registration and you cannot simply travel there independently. A licensed guide and the arrangements made through an agency are still needed, so a Tibet leg should be built into your itinerary from the start.
Some Xinjiang border areas
Certain border districts in Xinjiang may require a frontier pass, depending on where your route goes. Where that applies, we arrange the paperwork as part of the trip. You do not need to apply for it yourself.
A quick check before departure
Look at the expiry date on your permit well ahead of travel. If it is close to running out, some checkpoints and hotel registrations can be awkward, and internal flights or high-speed trains may be affected. Permit rules are set by the authorities and can change, so check the latest official notice before you travel. If anything is unclear, ask your consultant and we will point you to what you need.