Hong Kong Immigration Policies: Visa Options for 2026

Many founders incorporate a Hong Kong company online and assume they can work there the next time they fly in. They can't, at least until they hold the right visa.

Hong Kong's immigration rules separate owning a business from working in it. Incorporating a company gives you a legal entity. It doesn't give you, or anyone you hire from abroad, the right to work in Hong Kong. That needs a separate application to the Immigration Department (ImmD), and the route you pick decides how long you can stay and when you can apply for permanent residency.

This guide sets out the main routes in force in 2026, based on ImmD's published criteria, and which kind of founder or employee each one suits. If you're hiring a specific person for a role, our Hong Kong work visa guide covers the employer's side of that application in more detail.

What You Can Do in Hong Kong as a Visitor

Under Hong Kong's immigration regulations, a visitor may not take any employment, paid or unpaid, and may not establish or join in any business. Breaking a condition of stay can lead to a fine of up to HKD 50,000 and two years in prison, according to ImmD's guidance on permissible activities for visitors.

Visitors can still do a fair amount of business. The same guidance lists activities such as:

• concluding contracts or submitting tenders
• attending business meetings and short-term seminars
• taking part in exhibitions and trade fairs, without selling directly to the public
• examining or supervising the installation of goods or equipment

So you can fly in to sign a lease or meet suppliers. Running the company day to day from a Hong Kong office is different, and that needs a visa.

Nationals of about 170 countries and territories can visit Hong Kong without a visa, for periods of 7 to 180 days depending on nationality. Check ImmD's visit visa requirements for your passport before you travel, since the allowances change.

The Main Routes at a Glance

The rest of this guide covers each route in turn. Nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and North Korea are excluded from all of these routes. The GEP routes don't apply to Chinese residents of the Mainland, who use the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals instead.

GEP: Investment as an Entrepreneur

This is the usual route for a founder who wants to live in Hong Kong and run the company they've set up. ImmD calls it entry for investment as an entrepreneur under the General Employment Policy, and it covers both starting a business and joining an existing one.

Apart from a clean security and criminal record, ImmD's criteria for entrepreneurs look for two things:

• a good education background, normally a first degree in a relevant field, though technical qualifications and proven experience can also count
• a business that puts you in a position to make a substantial contribution to Hong Kong's economy

ImmD weighs that contribution using your business plan, turnover, financial resources, the amount you invest, the local jobs you'll create and any new technology or skills you bring. You'll need a three-year business plan with a market analysis and sales targets, plus three-year financial forecasts, including a profit and loss account and balance sheet. If you already run the business elsewhere, include last year's accounts.

Processing normally takes four weeks once ImmD has all the documents. If approved, you'll normally get an initial stay of 36 months on employment condition, tied to the business ImmD approved. Switching to a different business needs ImmD's prior approval.

A Hong Kong company with a clear plan and a properly appointed board of directors is easier to present than a shell, so most founders incorporate first and apply second.

GEP: Employment as a Professional

This is the standard work visa for someone your Hong Kong company hires from abroad. Under the General Employment Policy, there's no quota and no restriction by sector. ImmD may favourably consider an application if:

• there's a genuine job vacancy
• the applicant has a confirmed offer for a job relevant to their qualifications or experience that can't readily be filled by the local workforce
• the pay package is broadly in line with the market rate for professionals in Hong Kong
• the applicant has a good education background, normally a degree, and no security or serious crime concerns

Processing normally takes four weeks after ImmD receives every document. The initial stay is usually 36 months, or the length of the employment contract if that's shorter. Once your hire arrives, they go on your payroll like any other employee.

Non-local graduates of full-time degree programmes in Hong Kong apply under a separate route, the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG).

If your company does technology R&D, the Technology Talent Admission Scheme (TechTAS) lets you apply to the Innovation and Technology Commission for a quota to bring in non-local tech talent.

Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS)

The TTPS lets you move to Hong Kong without a job offer. According to ImmD's TTPS page, you can apply under one of these categories:

Annual income includes salary, allowances, stock options and profits from a company you own, but not income from personal investments. The eligible universities come from an aggregate list compiled from four world rankings, updated each year; the list in effect from 1 January 2026 has 200 institutions.

For a founder whose company already pays out more than HKD 2.5 million a year in salary and profits, Category A is often the most direct route to Hong Kong.

Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS)

QMAS is for skilled people who want to settle in Hong Kong, again without needing a job offer first. Every applicant must be 18 or over, be of good character, be able to support themselves and their family, and have a good educational background, normally a degree.

After that, you choose one of two assessment routes:

• General Points Test: you're assessed against 12 criteria covering age, qualifications, language skills, work experience, income and business ownership. The current passing threshold is 6 out of 12. One criterion is owning a business with an annual profit of HKD 5 million or more, which can help founders.
• Achievement-based Points Test: for people with an exceptional achievement, such as an Olympic medal or a national or international award, or recognition from peers for a significant contribution to their field.

Meeting the threshold doesn't guarantee approval. ImmD runs selection exercises and favours applicants who meet more criteria. Successful applicants through the general route normally get 36 months, and must show they've settled in Hong Kong, through work or a business, to extend.

New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (New CIES)

The New CIES, launched on 1 March 2024, is aimed at investors who can support themselves without relying on a job or business in Hong Kong, although entrants are allowed to work or run a business there. According to ImmD's New CIES page, you need to:

• show Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) that you’re absolutely beneficially entitled to net assets of at least HKD 30 million, then invest at least HKD 30 million in permissible investment assets
• support yourself and your family without relying on the investment returns, a job or a business in Hong Kong

Once ImmD approves your application in principle, you can enter as a visitor for up to 180 days to make the investment. After InvestHK confirms it, you'll normally get a stay of up to 24 months, then extensions of up to three years each, as long as you keep the investment in place. The scheme's rules set out which assets count, so check them with InvestHK before you commit.

The original Capital Investment Entrant Scheme was suspended in January 2015 and remains closed. The New CIES is a separate scheme with its own rules.

Bringing Your Family

All of these routes let you sponsor your spouse and unmarried dependent children under 18. ImmD also accepts partnerships and marriages, including same-sex ones, that are legally recognised where they were entered into.

You'll need to show the relationship is genuine and that you can support your family at a standard well above subsistence level, with suitable accommodation. Their permission to stay normally follows yours.

Permanent Residency After Seven Years

People admitted under the entrepreneur route, the TTPS, QMAS and the New CIES can apply for the right of abode (permanent residency) in Hong Kong after they’ve ordinarily resided there for a continuous period of at least seven years. Until then, you'll need to renew your stay before each limit expires. ImmD asks for extension applications within the three months before expiry, and at least six weeks before it.

How Statrys Can Help

Statrys doesn’t handle visa applications. It sets up the Hong Kong company that the entrepreneur route assesses, with a company secretary and registered address, and keeps its annual filings up to date. Statrys doesn’t currently onboard US clients.

If you're ready to incorporate, start with Hong Kong company registration. For the bigger picture, our guide to company formation in Hong Kong covers each step.