According to the laws of Hong Kong, any movies that are intended to be shown in Hong Kong cinemas or released to the public via any videotape or disc formats must be screened by the Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration. The Office will then permit the movie to be released under their assessed level rating. Movie trailers intended to be shown inside the cinema hall or in cinema lobbies must also be submitted for classification. Only still films exhibited for non-commercial purposes (cultural, educational, instructional, promotional or religious) are exempt.
If a movie is rated as a Third Level film (三級片), its promotional materials must also be screened by the Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration.
| Symbol | Text name | Description |
|---|---|---|
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Suitable for All Ages | The film is appropriate for viewing by all ages. It does not necessarily indicate a children's film. |
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Not Suitable for Children | (Applies to films classified before 1995) Replaced with IIa and IIb in 1995. |
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Not Suitable for Children | Government suggests parental guidance when viewing such films. These films may contain mild to moderate violence, infrequent coarse language, drug references, or sexual references. |
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Not Suitable for Young Persons And Children | Government suggests parental guidance when viewing such films. These films may contain more violence or shocking scenes, cruder or more frequent coarse language, non-explicit sexual activity, nudity, drug use, or mature sexual references. (ie more subject matter than those at Category IIA) |
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Persons Aged 18 and Above Only | Can only be seen by persons aged 18 and above in a cinema. Persons under 18 are not permitted to attend under any circumstance and cannot be supplied with these films. These films are likely to contain extreme violence (including sexual violence), pervasive or aggressive coarse language, glamorisation of drug use, or graphic sexual activity, as well as explicit sexual references. |
Only Category III films are legally restricted, the others are not legally binding. It is illegal to supply a Category III film to anyone under 18 years of age.