Hong Kong restaurants with an area of more than 20 square meters can start applying for licenses to allow dogs in their premises from May 18, the government announced.
The Department of Food and Environmental Hygiene said in a STATEMENT on Thursday that it would accept applications from May 18 to June 8.
The department is set to approve the first batch of applications in mid-June, with dogs to be allowed in restaurants in July.
The statement said that “FEHD will determine a date in July from which dogs will be allowed to enter the permitted food premises”.
As the Food Business (Amendment) Regulations 2026 came into force on Friday, the FEHD reminded the public that “restaurants must first submit an application and obtain approval before allowing dogs in”.
Hot dog and barbecue restaurants are not eligible to apply for permits, the government said, citing safety concerns.
FEHD will hold information sessions for restaurant operators from Monday to Wednesday next week, as well as on May 28.
The department said it will release a list of dog-friendly restaurants after the first batch of permits is approved.
The government said in February it would issue 500-1000 dog friendly permits at local restaurants in mid-June.
Hong Kong leader John Lee announced the plan for it relax an outdated policy banning dogs in restaurants in his 2025 policy address in September.
The announcement to update the decades-old Food Business Regulation came after a pet-friendly restaurant in Tai Po had to suspend operations for seven days in January last year for allowing dogs inside.
