Sick leave certificates (medical certificates): who can issue them, what they must state, and how many days of sick leave qualify for sickness allowance
A medical certificate can generally be issued by any registered medical practitioner, registered Chinese medicine practitioner or registered dentist, and must state the number of days the employee is unfit for work and the nature of the sickness or injury (Employment Ordinance). An employee under a continuous contract gets sickness allowance only with sick leave of not less than 4 consecutive days (except pregnant employees' sick days for antenatal check-ups, postnatal medical treatment or miscarriage), enough accumulated paid sickness days and an appropriate medical certificate.
Who can issue a sick leave certificate?
An appropriate medical certificate can generally be issued by any registered medical practitioner, registered Chinese medicine practitioner or registered dentist; if the employee is an in-patient on the day of issue, it must be issued by the registered medical practitioner, registered Chinese medicine practitioner or registered dentist attending the employee in the hospital (Employment Ordinance).
A doctor may issue a sick leave certificate only after providing an appropriate consultation to the patient; for all certificates, including those covering sick leave retrospectively, the consultation date and the date of issue must be truthfully recorded on the certificate (Code of Professional Conduct for the Guidance of Registered Medical Practitioners as cited by the Government, October 2019).
If the employer runs a medical scheme approved by the Director of Health, an employee who without reasonable excuse refuses treatment by, or does not follow the instructions of, the company doctor under the scheme is not entitled to sickness allowance; for systems of medicine not covered by the scheme, the employee can still consult a registered medical practitioner, registered Chinese medicine practitioner or registered dentist of that system (Labour Department, A Concise Guide to the Employment Ordinance, December 2025).
What must a sick leave certificate state?
Every medical certificate must specify the number of days for which the issuer considers the employee unfit for work, and the nature of the sickness or injury causing the unfitness (Employment Ordinance).
For antenatal check-ups, a pregnant employee may produce, besides a medical certificate, a certificate of attendance issued by a registered medical practitioner, registered Chinese medicine practitioner, registered midwife or registered nurse stating that she attended an antenatal check-up and the date (Labour Department, A Concise Guide to the Employment Ordinance, December 2025).
For the English names of 醫生紙 and 病假紙, see 醫生紙 in English.
How many days of sick leave qualify for sickness allowance?
An employee employed under a continuous contract must meet all three conditions to receive sickness allowance: the sick leave is not less than 4 consecutive days (except sick days taken by pregnant employees for antenatal check-ups, postnatal medical treatment or miscarriage), enough paid sickness days have been accumulated, and an appropriate medical certificate can be produced (Labour Department, A Concise Guide to the Employment Ordinance, December 2025).
Sick leave of less than 4 consecutive days does not carry an entitlement to sickness allowance; however, sickness allowance must be paid for each sick day taken by a pregnant employee for antenatal check-ups, postnatal medical treatment or miscarriage (Employment Ordinance).
| Item | What the Employment Ordinance provides |
|---|---|
| Daily sickness allowance | Four-fifths of the average daily wages in the 12 months before the sick day (or the first sick day); if employed for less than 12 months, calculated over the shorter period |
| Accumulated paid sickness days | 2 days for each completed 1 month in the first 12 months of employment; 4 days for each completed 1 month after that; up to 120 days |
| Category 1 and Category 2 sick leave | Category 1 accumulates up to 36 days, with any excess credited to Category 2; Category 2 accumulates up to 84 days |
| When it is paid | Not later than the normal pay day |
| Employer not paying sickness allowance | Failing to pay without reasonable excuse is punishable on conviction by a fine of up to HK$50,000 |
What is a ‘continuous contract’?
A ‘continuous contract’ means being employed continuously by the same employer for four weeks or more and working at least 17 hours each week, or not less than 68 hours in the four weeks made up of that week and the three weeks immediately before it; this rule applies from 18 January 2026 (Labour Department, A Concise Guide to the Employment Ordinance, December 2025).
For periods of employment before 18 January 2026, the employee must still have been employed continuously by the same employer for four weeks or more and worked at least 18 hours each week to meet the continuous contract requirement (Labour Department, A Concise Guide to the Employment Ordinance, December 2025).
What proof is needed for Category 2 sick leave?
When taking Category 2 sick leave, the employee must, if the employer asks, produce a medical certificate issued by the registered medical practitioner, registered Chinese medicine practitioner or registered dentist who attended the employee at a hospital outpatient department or as an in-patient, and may be asked to provide a brief record of the issuer's diagnosis and treatment (Labour Department, A Concise Guide to the Employment Ordinance, December 2025).
How are the Hospital Authority's electronic sick leave certificates used?
The Hospital Authority's electronic medical certificates (including medical certificates and maternity/sick leave certificates) carry an encrypted QR code for verification and are automatically stored in the ‘Records’ module of HA Go, and patients can use them to apply for sick leave (Hospital Authority, April 2026).
The Hospital Authority's electronic medical certificates were introduced from 6 March 2023, and electronic maternity/sick leave certificates from 24 April 2026.
The ‘eMedical Certificate’ function of the eHealth mobile app can verify public electronic medical certificates (Government press release, May 2026); for how to register with eHealth, see eHealth registration.
Can an employer dismiss an employee during sick leave?
Except for summary dismissal for the employee's serious misconduct, an employer may not dismiss an employee while the employee is on paid sick leave; an employer who does so is liable on conviction to a fine of up to HK$100,000, and must pay wages in lieu of notice, compensation equal to 7 days' wages and the sickness allowance due (Labour Department, A Concise Guide to the Employment Ordinance, December 2025).
Frequently asked questions
Is a sick leave certificate issued by a Chinese medicine practitioner or dentist valid?
An appropriate medical certificate can generally be issued by any registered medical practitioner, registered Chinese medicine practitioner or registered dentist (Employment Ordinance).
Does a sick leave certificate have to state the illness?
A medical certificate must specify the nature of the sickness or injury that the issuer considers makes the employee unfit for work, and the number of days of unfitness (Employment Ordinance).
Is there sickness allowance for two days of sick leave?
Sick leave of less than 4 consecutive days does not carry an entitlement to sickness allowance, except sick days taken by pregnant employees for antenatal check-ups, postnatal medical treatment or miscarriage (Employment Ordinance).
Can a sick leave certificate cover earlier sick leave retrospectively?
A doctor must first provide an appropriate consultation to the patient before issuing a sick leave certificate, and a certificate covering sick leave retrospectively must also truthfully record the consultation date and the date of issue (Code of Professional Conduct for the Guidance of Registered Medical Practitioners as cited by the Government, October 2019).