Department of Justice launches Hong Kong e-Legislation (HKeL)

On 24 February 2017, Hong Kong’s Department of Justice launched a new electronic legislation database called HKel, with both English and Chinese versions: www.elegislation.gov.hk.

Unlike its predecessor, BLIS (Bilingual Legal Information System), which was for information purposes only, HKel will have legal status and presumed to correctly state the law. Since the loose-leaf editions of the Laws of Hong Kong (which do have legal status) are only updated every 4-6 months, they are thought to be no longer adequate in today’s technological world and will be gradually phased out.

Users now trying to access BLIS will be automatically redirected to the new website. As there is a transitional period for verification of legislation in HKeL, users will still need to refer to the loose-leaf editions for the official consolidated versions of not-yet-verified legislation. However, until an item of legislation is made available in HKeL in verified form, users will have electronic access to it in HKeL for information purposes (similar to the BLIS).