Hong Kong Post
Hong Kong Post, established in 1841, provides an excellent postal system for Hong kong. Airmail letters to any place in the world should take three to eight days. The Kowloon Central Post Office and the General Post Office in Central are open 8 AM to 6 PM Monday through Saturday. Staff at most offices speak English. Lavender coloured mail boxes with lime green posts are clerly marked in english and chinese.
Hong Kong Post offices are scattered throughout Hong Kong. Until 2007, there are 34 of them on Hong Kong Island, 42 at Kowloon, 45 in the New Territories and 8 on the Outlying Islands. There are also two mobile post offices providing postal services in remote areas in the New Territories.
Main Hong Kong Post Branches:
- General Post Office (2 Connaught Rd., Central. 2921-2222.).
- Kowloon Central Post Office (10 Middle Rd., Tsim Tsa Shui).
- Both are open from 8-6 Mon-Sat and 9-2 on Sun
- www.hongkongpost.com
Shipping Packages
Packages sent airmail to the United States often take two weeks. Airmail shipments to the United Kingdom -- both packages and letters -- arrive within three or five days, while mail to Australia often arrives in as little as three days. The workers at Hong Kong Post are extremely friendly and they will sell you all the packaging equipment you need, at unbelievably reasonable prices.
Mail Zones
Mailing is divided into two zones:
- Zone 1 is all destinations in Asia including China, Taiwan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and Indonesia. Standard postage costs HK$2.70. Delivery time is 3 to 5 days.
- Zone 2 is Japan and everywhere else. International airmail costs HK$3 and delivery time is five to seven days.
Standard local postage is $1.40 for 30gma nd $2.4 for 50gm. Local delivery time is within two working days. Mail is collected twice a day, at 10:00 and 14:00, and on holidays once at 14:00 only.
Speedpost
The post office also has an overnight express service called Speedpost. Letters and small parcels sent via this should reach any of almost 90 destinations worldwide within four days, and are automatically registered. Speedpost rtes vary greatly according to destination. Check your local post office for a schedule of fees and timetables.
Receiving Mail
If a letter is addressed c/o GPO Hong Kong, it will go to the GPO on Hong Kong Island. Inquire at the counter 29. You may have your mail sent to GPO Tsim Tsa Tsui, Kowloon. Two months is the average holding time.
History of Hong Kong Post
Since operating as a Trading Fund in 1995, Hongkong Post has managed to reinvent itself as a dynamic, customer-focused and market-oriented service organisation. Leveraging extensive retail and distribution networks and a strong brand, Hongkong Post have grown beyond the traditional postal service to providing a wide and comprehensive range of services in the logistics supply chain, at the same time diversifying into new markets.
Hongkong Post is a department under the Government of Hong Kong, though operated as a Trading Fund. Founded in 1841, it was known as Postal Department or Post Office before the handover of Hong Kong in 1997. It is sub-member of the Universal Postal Union since 1877, and is a separate entity from China Post.
Hong Kong postage stamps
During the colonial era, Hong Kong produced postage stamps simply bearing the name Hong Kong, with the likenesses (in profile) of the reigning monarchs of the United Kingdom, or with the royal symbols, for example, "EIIR" (short form for "Elizabeth II Regina" ) to represent Queen Elizabeth II. Since the Hong Kong's transfer of sovereignty to China in 1997, stamps issued bear the name Hong Kong, China. British Hong Kong postage stamps are no longer valid for prepayment of postage or repurchased by the Post Office.
Hongkong Post Philately
In addition to making income from traditional postal delivery, Hong Kong Post also sells philatelic products, and other sales, and is used by the Government and utilities to accept payment.
Hongkong Post Stamps was a division set up in 1974 charged with promoting and popularising stamp collecting, and to meet the ever increasing demand for Hong Kong stamps by collectors. Today, there are three main areas of work:
- 1. stamp product design and production,
- 2. fulfillment and advance ordering service and
- 3. philatelic marketing.
Owing to its conservative stamp-issuing policy, stamp collecting in Hong Kong is popular hobby. Different types of attractively designed stamp products are popular with stamp collectors around the world.
Hong Kong Courier Services
There are many private companies offering courier delivery services. The one below have pick up points around the territory. Many MTR stations have DHL branches, including the one in Central and at Admiralty.
- DHL - T 2400-3388 (www.dhl.com.hk)
- Federal Express - T 2730-3333 (www.fedex.com/hk_english)
- UPS - T 2735-3535 (www.ups.com)
- TNT Express Worldwide ( www.tnt.com)
There are local delivery companies that can even deliver to Macau, Zhuhai, Shenzen and Guangzhou.
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While this Hong Kong website have made extensive effort to be accurate, we make no warranty or guarantee as to the correctness of the above and all information listed here. Certainly schedules, prices and policies will and do change. Sometimes contact info is provided so one way to be sure is to call or book ahead. Similarly, we do not guarantee the claims made by our sponsors and advertisers. Caveat emptor!
