Entry for investment as entrepreneurs: start-ups and joining a business

Eligibility requirements

• No security objection and no known record of serious crime; normally a first degree in the relevant field, or technical qualifications, proven professional ability or documented experience and achievements in special circumstances.
• The applicant is in a position to make substantial contribution to the economy of the HKSAR. ImmD considers the business plan, business turnover, financial resources, investment sum, number of local jobs created and the introduction of new technology or skills.
• A three-year business plan covering the nature of the business, market analysis, positioning, sales targets and marketing strategy, with three-year profit and loss, cash flow and balance sheet forecasts. ImmD may consider the fit with Hong Kong's industries.
• For a start-up supported by a government-backed programme with a rigorous vetting process (StartmeupHK Venture Programme, HKSTP Incu-App, Incu-Bio and Incu-Tech, Cyberport Incubation Programme, ITC Enterprise Support Scheme, Hong Kong Design Centre Design Incubation Programme), the applicant must be a proprietor or partner, or a key researcher of the project, with a letter of valid support.
• A sponsor: either a company, or an individual aged 18 or over who is a bona fide Hong Kong resident acquainted with the applicant.
• Overseas Chinese nationals holding PRC passports may apply where they have permanent residence overseas, or have lived overseas for at least one year immediately before applying and apply from overseas.

Legal framework

Build the evidence

Prepare records that substantiate the relevant criteria. The final checklist depends on the applicant, route and filing authority.

• Travel document, photograph, academic and professional qualifications, and a career history showing relevant investment or operating experience in the field.
• Three-year business plan with financial forecasts; for an existing business, the previous year's profit and loss account and balance sheet.
• Financial resources: personal and company bank statements for the previous year, proof of other funding sources, and the latest audited report where available.
• Investment evidence: documentary proof of capital invested in Hong Kong, business registration, office tenancy, contracts and invoices.
• Local employment: organisation chart, posts to be created and their level (managerial, professional, clerical), and payroll or MPF records once hiring begins.
• Start-up facilitation: the programme's letter of valid support; any patent filings for new technology.

How to apply

1. 01

   Define the business and the applicant's role

   Decide whether the applicant is establishing a new business, joining an existing one, or is a key researcher in a supported start-up. The permission is tied to that business, so the structure should be settled before filing.

2. 02

   Prepare the plan and the money trail

   Draft the three-year plan with realistic forecasts and reconcile the investment sum to bank evidence. Explain how local jobs will be created and, where relevant, what new technology or skills the business brings.

3. 03

   Secure programme support where available

   A letter of valid support from one of the listed government-backed programmes places the application in the start-up facilitation stream. Without it, the full substantial-contribution evidence is needed.

4. 04

   File with a sponsor

   The sponsor company or resident submits the application with the applicant. ImmD states that processing normally takes about four weeks after all documents and the fee are received.

5. 05

   Operate, record and extend

   The initial stay is normally 36 months. Keep accounts, payroll, tax filings and contracts. Apply for extension within three months and at least six weeks before expiry; extensions normally follow a 3-2 pattern, and ImmD reviews whether the business is operating as planned.

After approval & family planning

• A spouse or recognised civil partner and unmarried children under 18 may apply as dependants and may work or study.
• Permission is tied to the approved business. Establishing or joining a different business requires the Director's prior approval against the GEP criteria.
• Extension turns on the business's actual performance against the plan: turnover, financial resources, investment, local jobs and continued operation. A dormant company will not support extension.
• Seven years of continuous ordinary residence may support verification of eligibility for a permanent identity card.

What this route builds, and what it opens

WG assesses every route on three returns: the knowledge it adds, the cognitive capability that sustained work abroad develops, and the institutional opportunity it opens or closes. Real work is the mechanism in each case.

Programme context. Where a participant establishes and manages an operating Hong Kong business for a year, with staff, accounts and tax filings, this route may be assessed as the enterprise step; a dormant entity would not be. Read the framework ↗

Frequently asked questions

Points to consider

• Approval is discretionary; a plan that reads as a vehicle for residence rather than a business invites refusal.
• A Hong Kong company owned by the applicant will later be examined again at extension and, where relevant, as an affiliate for intra-group moves elsewhere; keep the substance real from the start.