Moving to Hong Kong as a Brit: the routes that actually get you there

Hong Kong lets Brits in for six months without a visa, but living and working there means having the right permission sorted before you start.

The short version

• British citizens can visit Hong Kong for up to 180 days without a visa, but a visit doesn't let you work, study or do business there [1][4].
• Most Brits move on a job: the employer sponsors you under the General Employment Policy (GEP), which normally gives 36 months to start with [5].
• Without a job offer, the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) and the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS) let well-paid or well-qualified people come first and look for work after [6][7].
• Partners and children under 18 come as dependants and are allowed to work or study [5][8].
• Under 31? The UK–Hong Kong working holiday scheme gives 12 months, with a quota of 1,000 places a year [9].

Six months as a visitor, and no more

Hong Kong is generous with visitors. The Immigration Department lists British citizens at 180 days visa-free, and the FCDO puts it as "up to 6 months" [1][4]. Your passport must be valid for at least one month after you plan to leave [4]. Hong Kong isn't in the EU, so there's no Withdrawal Agreement or 90/180-day rule here: you get whatever the officer stamps.

The catch is that the visit is a visit. The FCDO says that to stay longer, work, study or travel on business "you must get a visa" [4]. A Zoom call with your London office from a Wan Chai café sits in a grey area that we wouldn't want to test, and there's no digital nomad visa to fall back on.

Two more FCDO points matter for some families. Hong Kong "does not recognise dual nationality", and if you hold both British and Chinese nationality, the authorities "may treat you solely as a Chinese citizen", in which case the Consulate-General may not be able to help you [3]. And BN(O) passports are no longer accepted for immigration clearance at all [4].

The routes, side by side

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = HKD 10.5659).

A job in Hong Kong

This is how most Brits arrive, whether that's a posting to a bank in Central or a teaching job in Sha Tin. Your employer sponsors a GEP application, and the Immigration Department wants to see a confirmed offer relevant to your qualifications, a package broadly in line with the market, and normally a first degree, though strong experience can count instead [5]. New applications normally take about four weeks once everything is in [5]. After the first 36 months, extensions usually run three years then two [5]. Our guide to employment and talent visas covers the detail, including fees.

Coming without a job: TTPS and QMAS

The TTPS is the quickest door for high earners and recent graduates of the top universities on the government's list. You don't need a job lined up, but to renew you'll need to show a graduate-level job with stable income or a business that's up and running [6]. QMAS is a points-based scheme run in selection rounds; meeting the pass mark doesn't guarantee a place [7].

Family, study and the working holiday

A Hong Kong permanent resident can sponsor a spouse or civil partner and children under 18, and so can anyone already in on a work or talent visa [8]. Dependants of residents and workers can take a job without separate permission [8]. If your partner is a Hong Konger, our guide to British–Hong Kong families looks at both directions. Students at local universities come on a study visa, and graduates of local courses have their own route to stay on and work.

The working holiday is the underrated one. If you're 18 to 30, you can do temporary work for up to 12 months and study for up to 12 months, but not take a permanent job, and extensions aren't normally given [9].

What about retiring or remote work?

Hong Kong has no retirement visa and no digital nomad visa. Retirees mostly come as the spouse of someone who already has residence, or stay as long-stay visitors, which means no right to work and a fresh stamp every six months. The investment route (the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme) exists but needs serious money.

How to get it sorted

1. Choose the route and gather the paperwork: degree certificates, your contract or proof of income, and marriage and birth certificates for the family.
2. Apply online to the Immigration Department, usually before you fly. Your employer or sponsor fills in their part.
3. Pay the fees after approval: the main schemes have a separate application fee and visa issue fee [5].
4. Land and get your identity card. If you're allowed to stay more than 180 days and you're 11 or over, you must register for a Hong Kong identity card, and first registration is free [10].
5. Diary the renewal. Apply to extend within the last three months of your stay, and at least six weeks before it runs out [5].

Your first weeks in Hong Kong

• The ID card opens the door to almost everything: a bank account, a mobile contract, a lease, the public hospitals.
• Healthcare. There's no reciprocal agreement with the UK, so the NHS and your GHIC are no use; the FCDO calls insurance "essential" [2]. Our healthcare guide explains public and private care.
• MPF. Most employees and employers each put 5% of pay into the Mandatory Provident Fund, capped at HK$1,500 (about £142) a month each on pay over HK$30,000 [11]. If you belong to a retirement scheme outside Hong Kong, or arrive for 13 months or less, you may be exempt [12].
• Driving. You need a Hong Kong licence to drive there [2]. Our guide to driving and getting around covers swapping your UK licence.
• Typhoons and black rain. You'll learn the warning signals fast, and our typhoon guide explains what each one means for work and school.

Don't forget the UK end

Tell HMRC you're leaving, usually on form P85, and read up on the Statutory Residence Test. The UK and Hong Kong have a comprehensive double taxation agreement, in force since 2010 and updated by the multilateral instrument [13]. Hong Kong's salaries tax is low by UK standards and there's no PAYE, so put money aside for the bill rather than spending the lot on dim sum.

For retirees, the State Pension only rises each year in the EEA, Gibraltar, Switzerland and countries with a social security agreement with the UK [14]. Hong Kong isn't one of them, so your State Pension is frozen at the rate when you first claim it or leave. Our moving abroad checklist covers the rest of the UK jobs.

When we checked on 8 November 2026, the FCDO travel advice for Hong Kong was still current at 8 November 2026 and was last updated on 1 April 2026, with new information on dual nationality, e-cigarettes and illegal drugs [3]. On politics, it says the national security laws "can be interpreted broadly" and "apply to all individuals regardless of nationality or residency" [3]. Most Brits here go about their working lives untroubled, but it's worth reading in full before you sign a contract.

Want to hear how the visa and the flat hunt really went for others? Our community group for Brits in Hong Kong is full of people who've done it recently.

Sources

1. Immigration Department: Visit visa and entry permit requirements (visa table updated August 2026)
2. GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in Hong Kong (last updated 30 March 2023)
3. GOV.UK (FCDO): Hong Kong travel advice (still current at 8 November 2026, updated 1 April 2026), including the warnings and safety pages
4. GOV.UK (FCDO): Hong Kong travel advice – entry requirements
5. Immigration Department: General Employment Policy (page dated 16 April 2026)
6. Immigration Department: Top Talent Pass Scheme (page dated 10 July 2026)
7. Immigration Department: Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (page dated 16 April 2026)
8. Immigration Department: Entry for residence as dependants
9. Immigration Department: Working Holiday Scheme (page dated 9 February 2026)
10. Immigration Department: Hong Kong identity card FAQ (page dated 27 July 2026)
11. MPFA: Mandatory contributions for employees (reviewed 30 April 2026)
12. MPFA: MPF coverage and exempt persons (reviewed 20 July 2026)
13. GOV.UK (HMRC): Hong Kong tax treaties
14. GOV.UK: State Pension if you retire abroad – rates

Keep reading

• Visas for Brits in Hong Kong: employment and talent schemes
• Renting in Hong Kong
• Permanent residence in Hong Kong after seven years
• Moving abroad checklist for Brits