To facilitate the setting up of business by food traders, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) implements a provisional licensing system under which a Provisional Food Business Licence/Provisional Karaoke Establishment Permit/Provisional Places of Public Entertainment Licence (Cinema/Theatre) is issued to premises that have satisfied all the essential health, building safety and fire safety requirements.  A provisional licence/permit is valid for six months to enable business operation by the licensee/permittee on a provisional basis, pending the processing of his application for a full licence/permit.

Under the existing licensing procedures, the FEHD will inform the applicant by letter and email of the expiry date of his provisional licence/permit and remind him to take prompt action to comply with all the licensing requirements during the remaining validity period of the provisional licence/permit for the issue of a full licence/permit.

To provide a better service, with effect from 1 January 2019, the FEHD will, in addition to issuing the above letter, also notify the applicant side that the provisional licence/permit is due to expire 60 and 30 days in advance by email, and 90, 60 and 30 days in advance by SMS, as a reminder for the applicant to take expedited action to comply with all licensing requirements for the issue of a full licence/permit.  Upon issue of a full licence/permit, the FEHD will inform the applicant and his consultant to collect the licence/permit by SMS.

If the applicant would like to receive these email and SMS notifications, he should fill in the email address(es) and mobile phone number(s) in the given space of the application form (as shown below) or provide such information to the case manager (for an application being processed) for necessary arrangements.

If the applicant does not wish to receive the SMS notifications, he can tick the box provided in the application form (as shown below).