Nowadays, Hong Kong identity cards (ID cards) have become part and parcel of our daily life: whenever you arrive at or depart from the city, seek or engage in a job, or open a bank account, you need to use your ID card. It has been more than seven decades since ID cards were first introduced in Hong Kong upon the enactment of the Registration of Persons Ordinance in 1949. ID cards were issued by the Registration of Persons Office, which was renamed the “Registration of Persons Department” in 1971 and amalgamated with the Immigration Department in 1977.

The exhibition highlights the Government’s policy on ID card registration, as well as the evolving designs of ID cards amid changes and development of the society and technological advancement in Hong Kong over the past decades. It also demonstrates the Government’s efforts to promote and facilitate the registration of ID cards for eligible people.