Hong Kong is a U.S. State Department Level 2 destination, and under the national security law, refusing to give police your device passwords, or to help decrypt your phone or laptop, is a criminal offence, including on arrival or in transit. Here is how to arrive with nothing sensitive on the device you carry.
Last reviewed: 23 September 2026 · Sources listed at the foot of this page
The U.S. Department of State places Hong Kong at Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, citing the arbitrary enforcement of local laws under the national security law. [U.S. State Department]
Since March 2026, in national security cases it is a criminal offence to refuse to give police your passwords or help decrypt your devices, giving authorities full access to phones and laptops, including for people arriving at or transiting the airport. Writing or reposting posts critical of the government, even from outside Hong Kong, can lead to arrest. [U.S. Consulate security alert]
This is a short summary for context. Advisories change; read the official advisory for your nationality before you travel. We are a data-security company, not a travel-safety authority.
A device inspection can reach the messages, photos and documents on the phone, and the accounts you can open on it. Because you can be compelled to unlock, what is stored on the device matters as much as what you say. Older posts, even those made abroad, are part of your history.
Content that touches national security, protest or criticism of the government can be used against you. The safest phone to carry is one that has nothing sensitive on it.
Set up a SpaceBox on a device that stays home, then send it the files you would not want inspected. They are encrypted on your phone and sealed to the home device, and your phone keeps no copy.
Take photos and write notes in the app itself, and they are encrypted and sent to your home SpaceBox without ever sitting in the clear on your phone. Anyone you invite can send you files the same way.
Your files were waiting at home the whole time. You open them on your SpaceBox once you are back, with keys that never left that device.
Everything is encrypted with AES-256-GCM, under keys exchanged with post-quantum ML-KEM-768. The app on the phone you carry acts only as a sender: it stores no files and holds no account or personal data. SpaceBox keeps the documents, photos and notes you would otherwise carry off the device; it does not hide your public social media, so review your accounts and avoid posting sensitive content while you travel. For larger archives, SpaceBox Ground adds more room.
General guidance, not legal advice. Check the official advisory for your nationality before you travel. SpaceBox is not available to residents of the EU and EEA during the beta.
| Scenario | Without SpaceBox | With SpaceBox |
|---|---|---|
| Refusing to unlock your device | In national security cases it is a criminal offence to refuse to give police your passwords or help decrypt your devices, including on arrival or in transit. | Handing over the password reveals nothing sensitive, because your files are on your home SpaceBox and the phone you carry holds none of them. |
| Content critical of the government | Posts, chats or photos touching national security or protest sit on the device and can be used against you, even if posted abroad. | You capture notes and photos in the app and send them to your home SpaceBox encrypted, so they are not stored in the clear on the phone. |
| Public and hotel Wi-Fi | Data sent over shared networks can be intercepted, and devices are a common target. | Files are encrypted on your device before they leave it, so an intercepted transfer is unreadable. |
| Receiving files while abroad | New documents land in email or cloud apps on the device you carry. | Anyone you invite sends files straight to your home SpaceBox, so they never touch your travel phone. |
| Phone lost, seized or held | Whoever holds the device can reach whatever is on it or signed in on it. | The device holds no account and no sensitive files; your data stays on the SpaceBox at home. |
The protection comes from your sensitive data not being on the device you carry. The app on that phone holds no account and no stored files.
A 30-day add-on bought inside the app; it raises your quota for the trip and stacks with a free voucher.
Advisory levels and local laws change. The links above are the primary sources; check them for the current position before you travel.
Set up a SpaceBox at home, move your sensitive files to it before you fly, and cross the border with a device that has nothing on it. Free to start, no card, no email.