About Data Access Request for Criminal Conviction Data (CCD)

Information

A. Eligibility and submission of application

Q.1 Can I apply by post or through an authorized representative who can submit the application for me?
A.1

No. Given that criminal conviction data is highly private and sensitive, the Data Subject, and the Relevant Person#, if any, shall attend the CCD Office in person.

# Please refer to section 2(1) of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486 of Laws of Hong Kong) for the definition of a “relevant person”. All CCD access requests shall be made in person unless exempted with a valid ground by the Officer-in-charge of the CCD Office. The data subject shall be present at the CCD office with the “relevant person” in the first instance.

Q.2 Can I lodge my application at any police station in Hong Kong?
A.2

No. Applications for CCD can only be processed by the CCD Office located in Wanchai, Hong Kong.

Q.3 Can I apply if I am below 18 years old?
A.3

Yes. Applicants under the age of 18 shall always be accompanied by their parent or guardian when submitting their applications in person. The parent or guardian shall sign on the application form or other required documents to confirm that such procedures are processed with their consent on a fully informed basis.

Q.4 Can I apply for CCD which only show the checking result within a certain time frame, for example, the recent five years?
A.4

No. The checking will not be confined to a specific period while any criminal conviction record against the applicant kept by the Hong Kong Police Force will be revealed.

Q.5 I no longer have my HKID card or the passport I used when I was in Hong Kong. Can I apply for the CCD?
A.5

Yes. If you do not have / no longer have a HKID card, you can still apply with your current valid passport.

B. Fingerprints

Q.6 I am / was a permanent resident in Hong Kong and Immigration Department shall have my fingerprint records; or I have applied for CCD before. Do I still need to submit my fingerprints?
A.6

Yes. Applicants may be required to submit a full set of their fingerprints for the application if necessary.

Q.7 I need to take a set of my fingerprints for overseas conviction record check. Do you provide fingerprinting service?
A.7

Yes. During office hours, our office provides fingerprinting services to the public for free. Members of the public must book an appointment through the OBS to submit applications at least one day in advance of the intended appointment. Those without an appointment will not be processed. Up to two sets of fingerprinting services will be provided for each appointment.

To ensure proper use of this service, applicants must bring along any document issued from the overseas authority which bears your full name and reasons for fingerprints submission; or your passport showing the period of your stay in that relevant country; or a standard fingerprint form from the relevant Authority.

C. Payment

Q.8 How can I pay for the application fee? Will I get a payment receipt?
A.8

Payment by cash*, Octopus cards or EPS are accepted. Add-value service for Octopus cards is not available at this office.
A payment receipt will be given to you immediately upon receipt of application fee.

* Police Shroff dealing with payment by cash closes between 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm and at 5:00 pm

D. Processing time and release of result

Q.9 When and how will I get the application result?
A.9

In accordance with the sections 19(1) and 19(1A) of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486 of Laws of Hong Kong), a data user must comply with a data access request within 40 days after receiving the request.

CCD Office being the data user, in normal circumstances, can process an application and provide the check result in 15 working days after receiving the application. Applicants who have submitted their application in person at CCD Office shall therefore secure a CCD Follow-up Interview appointment at least 15 working days later through the Online Booking System (https://www.obs.police.gov.hk/en) or the Auto-Telephone Answering System at 2396 5351. Walk-in application will not be entertained.

Applicants whose application takes more than 15 days to complete will be informed by CCD Office and facilitated to revise the interview appointment.

If conviction data is found, a copy of the records will be given to the requester at the CCD Office. Otherwise, only a verbal reply will be given.

Q.10 I have no criminal conviction record. How can I obtain a written reply for visa or adoption application?
A.10

You may apply for the Certificate of No Criminal Conviction, which is another service provided by our office. Please refer to the website of “Certificate of No Criminal Conviction” for more details: http://www.police.gov.hk/cncc/en

Q.11 Can I request to have a third party to accompany me when obtaining the result?
A.11

Yes. Nevertheless, given that criminal data is highly private and sensitive, only one person is allowed to accompany the applicant when obtaining the result.

Q.12 Can I apply for the CCD if I have an outstanding case?
A.12

Yes. Nevertheless, if an applicant is under investigation by the Hong Kong Police Force / law enforcement agencies in Hong Kong, or is currently a defendant in criminal proceedings in Hong Kong, or is subject of non-payment of fine including traffic offences, he/she may be informed that there is an outstanding case.

Q.13 I received a copy of my criminal conviction records which states that "the conviction is regarded as spent in Hong Kong". What does it mean? Can I apply to have my conviction record deleted?
A.13

If the applicant's conviction record was considered as spent according to section 2(1) of Rehabilitation of Offenders Ordinance (Cap. 297 of Laws of Hong Kong) (ROO):-

According to ROO, where an individual has been convicted in Hong Kong of an offence in respect of which he was not sentenced to imprisonment exceeding 3 months or to a fine exceeding $10,000; he has not been convicted in Hong Kong on any earlier day of an offence; and a period of 3 years has elapsed without that individual being again convicted in Hong Kong of an offence, the individual shall, three years after his conviction, be deemed to have no conviction record save for the exceptions specified in sections 3 and 4 of ROO.

For applications of Data Access Request for Criminal Conviction Data, the "spent" conviction record will be listed in the result with a note that the relevant conviction is regarded as spent in Hong Kong by virtue of section 2(1) of the ROO.

There is no mechanism to remove the existing criminal conviction records.

Note: This FAQ is not a legal document. Information contained in this FAQ is for reference only. All matters arising are dealt with in the manner prescribed in the relevant Ordinances.

E. Enquiry

Q.14 How can I make further enquiries about the CCD application procedures?
A.14

For enquiries, you may write to the Office, e-mail cncc-enquiries@police.gov.hk, call (852) 2860 6557 or fax (852) 2200 4321. Applicants are advised to contact us by email as the hotline service is busy during peak periods.

F. Other questions

Q.15 How can I obtain the court documents regarding my criminal conviction record?
A.15

You can obtain a written judgment of the convictions from the respective courts by quoting the case numbers shown on the CCD application result. You may find the contacts of the Magistrates' Courts on the website of the Judiciary (https://www.judiciary.hk/en/about_us/contactus.html).