Hong Kong Work Visas for Business Owners in 2026: What the Rules Actually Allow

A Mainland business owner can be sponsored to work in Hong Kong, but two constraints shape everything else: the application must be filed by an employer registered in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, never by the Mainland company under its Mainland name, and owning the Hong Kong company does not relax a single eligibility requirement. Both points come straight from the Hong Kong Immigration Department's Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP, 輸入內地人才計劃) frequently asked questions page, as of the October 2026 official page.

Who is allowed to file an ASMTP application?

The scheme is built around the Hong Kong employer. Applications must be submitted by the employer in the HKSAR, and that employer must be a registered company in the HKSAR. The department's answer is explicit on the point that trips up cross-border groups: setting up a Hong Kong company in parallel does not entitle a Mainland enterprise to apply under its Mainland company name. The Mainland entity can own the Hong Kong entity, fund it and direct it, but it cannot be the sponsor of record.

The employer files online and uploads all supporting documents. The required documents are set out in the Guidebook for Entry for Employment as Professionals in Hong Kong, ID(E) 991 (English version) or ID(C) 991 (Chinese version), so that guidebook is the practical checklist rather than any generic list circulating online. Processing normally takes four weeks upon receipt of all required documents, and the department will not start processing until everything has been received — an incomplete filing simply sits.

Filing route	Who submits	What the department looks for	Likely outcome
Mainland enterprise, in its Mainland name	The Mainland enterprise	Not an employer registered in the HKSAR	Not accepted; the scheme requires a Hong Kong employer to file
Hong Kong-registered company already operating	The Hong Kong company, online	Documents listed in Guidebook ID(E) 991; the post and remuneration must meet the eligibility criteria	Assessed on the merits
Hong Kong company recently incorporated	The Hong Kong company, online	A business plan and supporting documents in place of a financial track record	Short-term employment may be approved first, with extension once the plan materialises

Does being the owner change the assessment?

No. The department addresses the case of a Mainland private enterprise owner who has established a Hong Kong company to extend their business and needs to stay to run it. Such a person may apply, but only if they meet the relevant eligibility criteria, and the fact that they are the owner of the company concerned does not exempt them from any of those criteria.

That is the whole difficulty for founders. The scheme's stated objective is to attract Mainland talents and professionals who possess special skills, knowledge or experience of value to the HKSAR and not readily available or in shortage locally, and who can contribute to the operation of the firms and sectors concerned. A founder is assessed on the same substantive test as any hired professional: what does this person personally bring that the local workforce cannot readily supply.

What if the company was only just incorporated?

New companies are expected to have no financial history, and the scheme accommodates that. Instead of an annual financial report or proof of business performance, the company submits a business plan together with relevant supporting documents. There is no fixed period the business plan must cover; what matters is that the plan shows the company's commitment to developing its business in the HKSAR on a long-term basis.

If the department is satisfied that the business will bring long-run benefits to the HKSAR — for example by enhancing economic development or creating job opportunities for local people — and the applicant meets the eligibility criteria, it may approve entry for short-term employment initially. Once the business development plan is materialised, the applicant may be granted an extension of stay to continue assisting the company's operations, subject to continuing to fulfil the scheme's criteria. This staged outcome is a common shape for founder applications, not a lesser form of approval to be avoided.

Can you come to Hong Kong first to set the company up?

Yes, but only for preparatory work, and with a hard line on what "preparatory" means. Mainland business executives may enter the HKSAR on a Business Visit Endorsement to prepare for setting up the company. A Mainland resident holding an Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao with a Business Visit Endorsement is admitted as a visitor, and as a visitor is not allowed to take up any employment, whether paid or unpaid. Unpaid work for your own startup still counts as employment.

The activities a visitor may generally engage in are limited and specific: concluding contracts or submitting tenders; examining or supervising the installation or packaging of goods or equipment; participating in exhibitions or trade fairs, except selling goods or supplying services direct to the general public; settling compensation or other civil proceedings; participating in product orientation; and attending short-term seminars or other business meetings.

Once the local company is established, the same executives may be allowed to enter for short-term employment under the ASMTP to prepare for office set-up and to start business. After the business plan is materialised, they may be granted an extension of stay if they continue to fulfil the eligibility criteria.

Why do business-owner applications get refused?

The department names three main refusal grounds, and each of them applies with full force to a founder's own application: the employee does not possess knowledge, skill or experience that is not readily available in the HKSAR; the post can readily be taken up by the local workforce; or the remuneration package offered is not commensurate with the prevailing market level for professionals in the relevant field in the HKSAR.

The third ground is worth dwelling on. A founder who sets their own pay at a nominal figure while running the company is still being assessed against market benchmarks for that professional field. Ownership does not substitute for a market-rate package. This article is general information rather than an assessment of any particular case, and whether a specific role clears these tests is decided by the Immigration Department on the documents actually filed; individual circumstances should be checked against the official requirements and qualified professional advice.

What about moving your existing Mainland team across?

Deploying managers and professionals from the Mainland enterprise to the Hong Kong company is handled either under the ASMTP or through the intra-company transfer arrangement, and the application procedure is the same in both cases. Intra-company transfer applies where there is a local enterprise with factories or offices in the Mainland, a Mainland enterprise with a branch office in the HKSAR, or a multinational company with branch offices in both.

Four requirements attach to it: the post must be managerial or professional; the applicant must have been employed in the Mainland office for not less than a year at the time of application; the remuneration after taking up employment in the HKSAR must be broadly commensurate with the prevailing market level for professionals in the field; and the number of transferees sponsored at any one time should be reasonable compared with the company's total employment and the nature of its business operations. The employing company must also produce proof that the transfer meets its operational or research needs, and, beyond the standard ASMTP documents, documentary proof of the connection between the local and Mainland enterprises. Processing normally takes four weeks once all documents are in.

What happens after approval, and how long can you stay?

Approval produces an entry permit in the form of an e-Visa. On top of that, the successful applicant must obtain an Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao (EEP) and a relevant exit endorsement from the Mainland authorities; the EEP bearing that endorsement must be presented together with the e-Visa at arrival clearance.

A PRC passport cannot be used in place of the EEP and endorsement for this purpose. And a person already working in the HKSAR on an Exit-entry Permit for official purposes must return to the Mainland first to obtain a proper EEP and endorsement before entering for employment under the scheme.

For extension, an application may be submitted within three months before the limit of stay expires, with the applicant's travel document, Hong Kong identity card, and a current company supporting letter stating position, total monthly remuneration and period of employment in the HKSAR. Applicants who have held ASMTP employment as a professional for not less than two years and have an assessable income for salaries tax of not less than HK$2 million in the previous year of assessment may be considered under the top-tier employment stream, which requires proof of that income, such as a notice of salaries tax assessment. Separately, there is no minimum number of days a Mainland resident admitted under the ASMTP must spend in the HKSAR, but the expectation is that they work predominantly in the HKSAR rather than overseas or in the Mainland.

Can your family join you, and does the time count toward abode?

A person admitted for employment under the ASMTP may apply to bring in a spouse — or the other party to a same-sex civil partnership, same-sex civil union, "same-sex marriage", opposite-sex civil partnership or opposite-sex civil union that is legally and officially recognised where it was celebrated — and unmarried dependent children under 18. The sponsor must satisfy the Director of Immigration that they can support the dependants' living at a standard well above the subsistence level and provide suitable accommodation in the HKSAR. Dependants are not prohibited from taking up employment or studies in the HKSAR.

As for the longer horizon, the seven-year continuous ordinary residence requirement for the right of abode is determined by the Immigration Department case by case, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the laws on right of abode. Time under the ASMTP is not automatically converted into abode by the scheme itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my Mainland company sponsor me under the ASMTP using its Mainland company name?

No. Applications must be submitted by the employer in the HKSAR, and the employer must be a registered company in the HKSAR. Establishing a Hong Kong company in parallel does not allow the Mainland enterprise to file under its own name.

I own the Hong Kong company. Do I still have to meet the professional criteria?

Yes. You may apply to take up employment in the HKSAR if you meet the relevant eligibility criteria, and being the owner of the company concerned does not exempt you from any of them. Your role, your personal skills and experience, and the remuneration package are all assessed as they would be for any other applicant.

How long does an ASMTP application take?

It normally takes four weeks to process an employment entry permit application upon receipt of all required documents. The Immigration Department will not begin processing until all required documents and information have been received, so the clock starts with a complete filing rather than the submission date.

Can I come to Hong Kong to prepare the company setup before applying?

You may enter with a Business Visit Endorsement for preparatory work, but as a visitor you cannot take up any employment, paid or unpaid. Permitted visitor activities include concluding contracts or submitting tenders, supervising installation of goods or equipment, and attending short-term seminars or business meetings.

How long must a new Hong Kong company's business plan cover?

There is no definite period the business plan must cover. It should be able to show the company's commitment to developing its business in the HKSAR on a long-term basis, and it stands in for the financial reports an established company would submit.

Can I use my PRC passport with the e-Visa instead of an Exit-entry Permit?

No. If you are entering the HKSAR under the ASMTP, you must obtain an Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao and a relevant exit endorsement from the Mainland authorities, and present the endorsed EEP together with the e-Visa at arrival clearance.

Is there a minimum number of days I must spend in Hong Kong each year?

There is no specific requirement on the minimum number of days you must spend in the HKSAR. The expectation, however, is that you work predominantly in the HKSAR rather than overseas or in the Mainland.