[Kylie]

H there,
We are moving to Hong Kong and are considering Stanley, is stanley the go? I am pregnant and we have a dog. Our other option would be DB. Any Ideas?

[Sumei]

hi,

welcome to HK!

like all places, Stanley has it pros and cons - it's very green, flat (ie great for walking the dog or stroller if you have little ones), has all the ameneties you'll need and a great residential/weekend feel to the place AND stanley market is a great place even for the locals! Cons would be that it's a good 40 min bus ride into central (there is only one single lane road you take on the south side until you hit Wanchai Gap Road) or 30 mins by taxi - an important consideration if both you (and your partner) work in central OR if you like convenience and not spending hours commuting. Note even if you drive, petrol costs in HK are steep (a full tank on my 2.8 litre car is about HK$800 and it only lasts me about a week although I do drive everyday) even though 2nd hand cars are reasonably priced.

Good luck!

[Nuckle75]

While I love Stanley, my understanding is it's getting pretty expensive to live there.

I've lived in DB and it's a great place if you're having a baby and if you have a dog. It's very child-friendly and full of expat families. There are loads of parks and walks up into the hills. It's much quieter and feels cleaner than living right in the city. The ferry takes about 25min into Central. You'll make a lot of friends there too.

Hope that helps a bit!

[Kylie]

Thanks so much for your help, I am also a kiwi, an aussie based one. Another quick question, what happens if your baby is born in HK with regard to passports etc, we are on british and nz passports?
Kylie

[rads]

Hi,

With regards to the Kiwi passport your child will qualify for citizen by descend & get a passport . It takes about 4 weeks.

I think it's the same for the British passport as a friend of mine applied for her son born here as well.


Hope that helps.

[Nuckle75]

As soon as you register your baby's birth with the authorities here in HK, they'll give you a birth certificate then all you have to do is send that to Wellington with the application form and some photos. We took our own photos by lying him on a white rug on the floor and standing over him with the camera.

I actually have a UK passport too but I haven't got around to doing his UK passport. I imagine it is just as easy except there's an Embassy here so you can do it in person.