Intra-Company Transfers to Hong Kong in 2026: Rules for Multinationals

For a multinational moving Mainland-based managers or specialists into Hong Kong, the intra-company transfer arrangement is not a separate visa but a stream within the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP), and it carries four tests: the post must be managerial or professional, the transferee must have been employed in the Mainland office for not less than a year at the time of application, the Hong Kong remuneration package must be broadly commensurate with the prevailing market level for professionals in the relevant field, and the number of transferees a company sponsors at any one time must be reasonable compared with its total employment and the nature of its business operation. These requirements are set out in the Hong Kong Immigration Department's official page 'Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP)'. The fourth requirement — headcount reasonableness — is the one multinational employers most often underestimate, because it is a substantive assessment rather than a formality.

Which companies can use the intra-company transfer arrangement?

The arrangement is available to three categories of employer: local enterprises with factories or offices in the Mainland; Mainland enterprises with branch offices in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR); and multi-national companies with branch offices in both the HKSAR and the Mainland. A group that has a Hong Kong entity and a Mainland entity but no recognised branch relationship on both sides should check that structure before deciding which stream to file under, because the arrangement is defined by the existence of the linked offices.

Two related constraints apply whichever stream is used. The application must be submitted by the employer in the HKSAR, and that employer must be a registered company in the HKSAR — a Mainland enterprise cannot apply under its Mainland company name while a Hong Kong company is being set up in parallel.

What must the transferee and the sponsoring company each prove?

The individual must show that the Hong Kong post is managerial or professional in character and that he or she has already worked in the Mainland office for at least a year when the application is filed. The company must show that the remuneration package after the transferee takes up employment in Hong Kong is broadly commensurate with the prevailing market level for professionals in the same field, and it must produce proofs showing that the transfer is to meet the company's operational or researching needs.

That last obligation is where many files are thin. The requirement is stated in terms of the company's needs, so the evidence has to connect a specific business activity in Hong Kong to the specific people being moved: what the Hong Kong office does, why that work requires a person from the Mainland entity, and what that person will do once here.

How is "a reasonable number of transferees" actually assessed?

The rule is comparative. The number of intra-company transferees a company sponsors at any one time is measured against two things: the company's total employment and the nature of its business operation. There is no fixed ratio published on the Immigration Department page, and no cap is stated, so the assessment turns on whether the sponsoring employer can show that its Hong Kong headcount of transferees makes sense given how large it is overall and what kind of business it runs.

A practical reading for group employers follows from the wording. A transfer population that is small relative to total group employment, concentrated in roles that are genuinely managerial or professional, and tied to a stated operational or research need is easier to defend than a large intake spread across functions that a local workforce could fill. The comparison is made "at any one time", so overlapping transfers are counted together rather than being assessed file by file in isolation.

Two of the most common refusal grounds point in the same direction: that the post can be readily taken up by the local workforce, and that the employee does not possess knowledge, skill or experience not readily available in the HKSAR. A headcount that looks like local hiring done through a transfer channel invites exactly those objections. Remuneration that is not commensurate with the prevailing market level for professionals in the field is the third main ground.

This article is general information about published scheme rules, not tailored advice on any company's filing; specific cases should be checked against the Immigration Department's current requirements or with a qualified professional.

How does an intra-company transfer differ from a standard ASMTP application?

The application procedure is the same as for the ASMTP. The difference is evidential: beyond the supporting documents required under the ASMTP, the employing company must provide documentary proofs showing the connection between the local and the Mainland enterprises. In practice that means the corporate relationship is the added layer, and the four intra-company requirements above are added on top of the ordinary ASMTP eligibility criteria rather than replacing them.

The scheme's stated objective also frames both routes: admitted talents and professionals must possess special skills, knowledge or experience of value to the HKSAR and not readily available or in shortage locally, and must be able to contribute to the operation of the firms and sectors concerned.

What documents are needed, and how long does processing take?

The procedure and supporting documents follow the ASMTP, which are set out in the Immigration Department's Guidebook for Entry for Employment as Professionals in Hong Kong (ID(E) 991). Applications are submitted by the Hong Kong employer online with the supporting documents uploaded. On top of the ASMTP document set, the employer files proof of the connection between the Hong Kong and Mainland entities.

Processing normally takes four weeks from receipt of all the required documents. The Immigration Department states it will not be able to start processing an application unless all required documents and information have been received — so an incomplete corporate-relationship or remuneration submission does not start the clock.

Can the arrangement cover office set-up, training and pre-operation phases?

Yes, on the published questions and answers. An employer may apply under the ASMTP or through the intra-company transfer arrangement to bring in managerial and professional staff from the Mainland to set up an office and hire local staff in the HKSAR, or to train up local staff for a few months, provided the Mainland staff fulfil the relevant eligibility criteria. The transfer still has to be for a managerial or professional post and still has to be justified by the company's needs.

Where a Hong Kong company is newly established and cannot supply an annual financial report or proof of business performance, it may submit a business plan with relevant supporting documents instead. There is no definite period that such a plan must cover, but it should show the company's commitment to developing its business in the HKSAR on a long-term basis. If the department is satisfied the business will bring long-run benefits to the HKSAR — such as economic development or job opportunities for local people — the applicant may be approved for short-term employment initially, with extension of stay possible once the business plan is materialised.

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

Successful applicants are issued an entry permit in the form of an "e-Visa". A Mainland resident approved under the scheme must also obtain an Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao (EEP) with a relevant exit endorsement from the Mainland authorities, and present the endorsed EEP together with the e-Visa at arrival clearance; holding a PRC passport does not replace that requirement. Someone already in Hong Kong on an EEP for official purposes must return to the Mainland to obtain the proper EEP and endorsement before taking up employment under the scheme.

Extensions of stay may be applied for within three months before the limit of stay expires. Transferees admitted under the scheme may sponsor a spouse (or a legally recognised civil partner or civil union party in the categories described on the official page) and unmarried dependent children under 18, provided they can support the dependants well above subsistence level and provide suitable accommodation; dependants are not prohibited from taking up employment or studies in the HKSAR. Change of employment is applied for separately to the Quality Migrants and Mainland Residents Section. There is no specific requirement on the minimum number of days a transferee must spend in the HKSAR, but he or she should work predominantly in the HKSAR rather than overseas or in the Mainland.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is intra-company transfer to Hong Kong a separate visa from the ASMTP?

No. It is an arrangement within the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals, using the same application procedure and the same guidebook. The additional element is documentary proof of the connection between the Hong Kong and Mainland enterprises, plus the four intra-company requirements on post level, one year's prior Mainland employment, market-level remuneration and a reasonable number of transferees.

How many employees can a company transfer to Hong Kong at once?

No fixed number is published. The requirement is that the number of intra-company transferees sponsored at any one time should be reasonable when compared with the company's total employment and the nature of its business operation, and the employer must produce proof that the transfers meet operational or researching needs.

Does the transferee need to have worked for the Mainland office for a full year?

Yes. The applicant must have been employed in the Mainland office for not less than one year at the time of application, and the Hong Kong post must be a managerial or professional one.

How long does an intra-company transfer application take?

Processing normally takes four weeks once all the required documents have been received. The Immigration Department will not begin processing until the documents and information are complete, so missing corporate-relationship or remuneration evidence delays the start rather than the decision.

Can a newly established Hong Kong office use the arrangement?

Yes, provided the eligibility criteria are met. A company that cannot yet produce an annual financial report or proof of business performance may submit a business plan with supporting documents, and approval may initially be for short-term employment, with extension of stay considered once the plan is materialised.

Can a Mainland owner of the Hong Kong company come in this way?

Ownership does not exempt anyone from the criteria. A Mainland private enterprise owner who has established a Hong Kong company may apply to work in the HKSAR under the scheme if the relevant eligibility criteria are met, and the application is assessed against those same criteria.

Is there a minimum stay requirement in Hong Kong for transferees?

No specific minimum number of days is required under the scheme. The published position is that the person should work predominantly in the HKSAR rather than overseas or in the Mainland, which is relevant to any later assessment of continuous ordinary residence for right of abode.