Hong Kong Certificate of Identity Hong Kong Certificate of Identity The Hong Kong Certificate of Identity (CI; ) was a formal travel document and passport, issued by the Hong Kong Government's Immigration Department until June 30, 1997 (See transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong). It is no longer possible to possess a valid CI as a travel document, as all CIs have expired by 30 June 2007, though most CI holders should be eligible to hold the HKSAR Passport. Certificates of Identity were issued to Hong Kong permanent residents who did not hold and could not obtain any valid travel documents for overseas travel.
British Hong Kong one of the colony's wealthiest people by this time. During China's turbulent period in the 20th century, Hong Kong served as a safe haven for dissidents, political refugees, and officials who lost power. British policy allowed dissidents to live in Hong Kong as long as they did not break local laws or harm British interests. The implementation of this policy varied according to what the senior officials thought constituted British interests and the state of relations with China. The Canton–Hong Kong strike (1925–1926) was anti-imperialist in nature. The 1966 riots and Maoist-led 1967 riots, essentially spillovers from the Cultural Revolution,