The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today said restaurants may apply for permssion to have dogs enter their premises from May 18 to June 8.

The department said it expects to grant the first batch of permission in mid-June, and the permitted food premises to welcome their customers with dogs within July.

Except for hotpot restaurants and barbecue restaurants including teppanyaki and Korean barbecue, all restaurants with a full licence may apply for the dog-admission permission.

The department explained that the restriction is made out of safety considerations, adding that only applications from restaurants with an area larger than 20 sq m will be considered.

Restaurants interested in applying for the dog-admission permission may submit their applications electronically through the FEHD’s dedicated webpage during the application period.

A quota of not more than 1,000 restaurants is set for the first-phase application. If more than 1,000 applications are received, the quotas will be allocated through balloting.

To allow time for the trade to make preparations, the FEHD will specify a date in July, from which dogs will be allowed to enter permitted food premises.

Before the specified date is announced, the list of permitted restaurants will be published on the dedicated webpage for the public's information.

Starting tomorrow, the FEHD will set up two dedicated hotlines 2867 5912 and 2867 2836 to answer questions about the application.

The department will also hold several briefing sessions next week to introduce the regulatory and application arrangements to the catering trade.