公民身份 · Thu Jan 22 2026 08:00:00 GMT+0800 (Australian Western Standard Time)

Applying Under Hong Kong's New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme: The Steps in Order

Under the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (New CIES), you first ask InvestHK to confirm that you meet the net asset requirement. You then file an entry application with the Immigration Department (ImmD). ImmD resumes its assessment after you make the investment and InvestHK verifies it. This article follows that order and gives the rule at each step, as stated on the Immigration Department and InvestHK pages listed under Sources.

Who the Scheme covers

The Immigration Department's New CIES page sets out these criteria:

  • You must be aged 18 or above when you apply for net asset assessment to InvestHK.
  • You must be one of the following: a foreign national; a Chinese national who has obtained permanent resident status in a foreign country; a Macao SAR resident; or a Chinese resident of Taiwan.
  • Nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are excluded. The list of excluded countries and regions will be reviewed from time to time by the Security Bureau and ImmD.
  • Stateless persons who have obtained permanent resident status in a foreign country with proven re-entry facilities will be eligible under the Scheme.
  • You must show net assets of not less than HK$30 million net (or the equivalent in foreign currencies). The assets must be ones to which you are absolutely beneficially entitled, with a market value throughout the six months before you lodge the net asset assessment application. Your portion of jointly owned assets or equity with family members can count, as paragraph 1.15 of the New Scheme Rules describes.
  • You must invest not less than HK$30 million net (or the equivalent) in permissible investment assets to which you are absolutely beneficially entitled.
  • You must have no adverse immigration record and meet normal immigration and security requirements.
  • You must be able to support yourself and your dependants without relying on a return on the investment assets, employment, self-employment, an office, a business, or public assistance in or carried on in Hong Kong. The entry of dependants is also subject to any other policy applicable at the time.

Under the FAQ page, the investment must be made on or after the launch date of the New CIES.

The steps in order

  1. Check that you meet the criteria above.
  2. Apply to InvestHK for a net asset assessment.
  3. Wait for InvestHK to verify your net assets.
  4. Receive the Certifying Proof for Fulfillment of Net Asset Requirement from InvestHK.
  5. Submit your entry application to ImmD within the validity period of that certifying proof.
  6. Wait for ImmD's assessment from the immigration perspective.
  7. If approval-in-principle is given, receive a visa or entry permit for visitor status for not more than 180 days.
  8. Make the committed investment within that period, in the timeframe specified.
  9. Apply to InvestHK to verify that you have met the Investment Requirements.
  10. Receive the Certifying Proof for Fulfillment of Investment Requirements from InvestHK.
  11. Give that proof to ImmD within its validity period.
  12. ImmD resumes its assessment of your entry application.
  13. On formal approval, receive permission to stay normally for not more than 24 months, on condition that you keep meeting the Scheme's requirements.

For more details on the Net Asset Requirement, the Investment Requirements and the Portfolio Maintenance Requirements, the Immigration Department's page refers readers to the New Scheme Rules.

Who assesses what

InvestHK's New CIES page says the New CIES Office under InvestHK assesses financial assets and investment, and monitors continued compliance with the Investment Requirements and Portfolio Maintenance Requirements. ImmD assesses visa and entry permit applications, extensions of stay and unconditional stay.

Documents

The Immigration Department's New CIES page lists the following documents.

Document Who it applies to
Recent photograph Applicant and each dependant
Valid travel document showing personal particulars, issue and expiry dates, and any re-entry visa held Applicant and each dependant
Latest arrival stamp, landing slip, extension label or e-Visa in Hong Kong Applicant or dependant currently in Hong Kong
Certifying Proof for Fulfillment of Net Asset Requirement and Certifying Proof for Fulfillment of Investment Requirements, both issued by InvestHK Applicant
Hong Kong identity card, if any Applicant and dependants
Macao identity card Macao residents only
Taiwan household registration and Taiwan identity card Taiwan residents only
Official documents showing permanent residence abroad, endorsed by overseas authorities PRC passport holders who have obtained overseas permanent residence only
Certificate of No Criminal Conviction from the competent authority of the place of habitual residence in the past 12 months Applicant; dependants other than dependent children
Evidence of the relationship, such as a marriage certificate, birth certificate, family photographs, family letters with envelopes, census record book, or Privilege Card for Single Child Dependants

A Certificate of No Criminal Conviction issued more than six months before the application date will not be accepted. Documents not in Chinese or English must come with a Chinese or English translation certified as a true translation by a sworn translator, court translator, authorised public translator, certified translator, expert translator or official translator.

The page also says applicants may still be asked for further supporting documents when necessary.

Fees

The Immigration Department's fee page says the New CIES is a "specified scheme". The principal applicant and each dependant must pay a non-refundable application fee and the corresponding visa issuance fee.

  • Application fee: HK$600 for each application, paid by the principal applicant and by each dependant. The fee is non-refundable in any circumstances, whatever the application result. Paying it does not guarantee approval.
  • Visa issuance fee: paid after approval. The fee table sets HK$1,300 where the relevant period is more than 180 days, and HK$600 where it is not more than 180 days. The relevant-period table on the same page says that where the period stated on the visa or entry permit is six months or more, the fee is HK$1,300.
  • Transition: applications submitted before the new fee structure took effect at 11 a.m. on 26 February 2025 are charged under the original fee structure.

Upon approval, ImmD's result notification includes a webpage link for paying the visa issuance fee. The page lists these payment methods: credit card (VISA, Mastercard, UnionPay and JCB only), Payment by Phone Service (PPS), Faster Payment System (FPS), and Mainland e-wallets (Alipay, WeChat Pay and UnionPay App only). After payment, applicants can download or print the e-Visa themselves.

After approval

The visa or entry permit is issued as an e-Visa after a successful application and payment. At immigration arrival clearance, an e-Visa holder should present a valid travel document and the e-Visa saved on a personal mobile device or printed on a sheet of A4 white paper, and scan the encrypted QR code on the e-Visa with the optical reader at an immigration counter.

A Chinese resident of the Mainland who is a dependant should apply for an Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao, with an exit endorsement from the Mainland authorities, and present it with the e-Visa.

Rules that apply after approval, as the pages state them:

  • Permission to stay is normally for not more than 24 months, on time limitation only.
  • An entrant must leave Hong Kong when the limit of stay expires, or within two months after the Director of Immigration determines a breach of the undertaking, whichever is earlier.
  • Extension of stay normally runs for not more than three years, if the entrant keeps meeting the portfolio maintenance requirements and the normal immigration requirements.
  • An extension application should be made as early as possible within three months before the limit of stay expires, and at least six weeks before it expires. The processing time depends on the individual application and the number received at the time.
  • Unless approved under exceptional circumstances, a person must leave before the limit of stay expires, even if an extension application is still being processed.
  • Breach of a condition of stay, including overstaying, is a serious criminal offence.
  • Non-permanent residents, including entrants and dependants, do not need a re-entry visa if they return within their permitted limit of stay and their circumstances remain unchanged.

Points that apply throughout

  • Giving false statements or representations to an immigration officer is an offence under the Laws of Hong Kong.
  • The Director of Immigration has absolute discretion to approve or disapprove an application.
  • Any investment is the entrant's sole decision and responsibility. The Director of Immigration and the HKSAR Government shall not be liable to the entrant for loss on an investment under the Scheme, howsoever arising.

Questions people ask

Does continuous residence for seven years make me a permanent resident?

No. The FAQ page says that meeting the financial requirements for seven years, and having extensions approved, does not itself count as ImmD's acknowledgement that the ordinary residence requirement for the right of abode has been met. The Immigration Department's page says a person admitted under the New CIES who has ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than seven years may apply for the right of abode in accordance with the law.

Can I apply for unconditional stay after my limit of stay has expired?

No. The FAQ page says you must have a valid residence status under the New CIES on the date of application.

Are my dependants allowed to work or study?

The FAQ page says that under the prevailing policy, dependants are allowed to take up employment or study if they are permitted to reside in Hong Kong as dependants under the New CIES.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026.

citizenship.hk is not an official website. This article is not legal, tax or immigration advice, and the official pages prevail.