The Newspaper and Article Administration Division is responsible for the registration of local newspapers and news agencies and the licensing of newspaper distributors.

The Ordinance

Under the Registration of Local Newspapers Ordinance (Cap. 268) (RLNO), save for certain exempted publications, publications containing news, information and commentaries that are published at intervals not exceeding six months need to be registered.

Local newspapers / periodicals available to the general public that meet the following criteria shall be registered –

  1. contain news, intelligence, occurrences, matters of public interest or related remarks, observations or comments;
  2. printed or produced for sale or free distribution and published at intervals not exceeding six months; and
  3. do not exclusively comprise any items specified in the Schedule of the RLNO, e.g. academic journals, sales catalogues, cartoons, photographs, religious materials, etc.

Under the RLNO, news agencies of which the bulletins are distributed in Hong Kong only to local newspapers registered under the RLNO shall be registered. Also, no newspaper shall be distributed for sale except by a licensed newspaper distributor.

Newspaper Search

News Agency Search

Public Forms and Relevant Information

Frequently Asked Questions

ArrIs registration required for books?
Book registration matters, set out under the Books Registration Ordinance (Cap. 142), are handled by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
ArrIs it necessary to apply for a licence to distribute newspapers / periodicals in Hong Kong?
According to the Newspaper Registration and Distribution Regulation (Cap. 268B), newspapers may be distributed only by a licensed newspaper distributor, although no licence is required for the retail sale of newspapers.
ArrAre bulletins regarded as newspapers / periodicals?
The bulletins issued by news agencies are not deemed to be local newspapers if they are distributed only to registered local newspapers in Hong Kong.