Can I Apply for Hong Kong New CIES While Holding Another Visa in 2026?
Yes, you can apply. On its "New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme" Frequently Asked Questions page, the Immigration Department (ImmD) states that any entry application from a person who satisfies the scheme's eligibility criteria will be accepted, irrespective of whether that person is residing in Hong Kong or elsewhere. As stated on the official page dated 02-03-2026, holding another Hong Kong visa — or living outside Hong Kong — is not itself a ground for refusing an application. What decides the outcome is whether you meet the New CIES criteria, not what your current permission to stay says.
Does my current visa affect whether ImmD accepts the application?
No. The published answer is unconditional on this point: acceptance turns on the eligibility criteria, not on where you live or which scheme admitted you. Nothing on the page requires you to surrender, switch, or let an existing visa lapse before filing.
Two limits still apply. Your immigration history matters — you must have no adverse immigration record and meet normal immigration and security requirements. And your current status does not reduce what you have to prove financially; the net asset and investment thresholds apply in full whether you apply from inside Hong Kong or abroad.
What do I have to show before my current visa is even relevant?
The criteria listed by ImmD are:
- Age 18 or above at the time you apply to Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) for the net asset assessment.
- Falling into one of the covered categories: foreign nationals, Chinese nationals who have obtained permanent resident status in a foreign country, Macao Special Administrative Region residents, and Chinese residents of Taiwan. Nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are excluded, and that list is reviewed by the Security Bureau and ImmD from time to time. Stateless persons who hold permanent resident status in a foreign country with proven re-entry facilities are eligible.
- Net assets or net equity with a market value of not less than HK$30 million (or equivalent in foreign currencies), absolutely beneficially entitled to you, held throughout the six months before you lodge the net asset assessment application.
- A committed investment of not less than HK$30 million net in permissible investment assets, made on or after the launch date of the New CIES.
- No adverse immigration record, and satisfaction of normal immigration and security requirements.
- The ability to support and accommodate yourself and any dependants without relying on returns from the permissible investment assets, or on employment, self-employment, an office, a business, or public assistance in Hong Kong.
The entry of dependants is additionally subject to whatever other policy applies to such entry at the time.
How does the application run, and when does my stay status change?
The sequence is fixed by which body assesses which part. InvestHK verifies the financial requirements; ImmD decides the entry application.
| Stage | Who assesses | Published limit |
|---|---|---|
| Net asset assessment | InvestHK | Not less than HK$30 million in net assets, held throughout the six months before the assessment application |
| Entry application | ImmD | Must be submitted within the validity period of InvestHK's certifying proof |
| Entry to make the investment | ImmD | Visitor status for not more than 180 days |
| Investment verification | InvestHK | Not less than HK$30 million net in permissible investment assets |
| Formal approval | ImmD | Permission to stay for not more than 24 months, on time limitation only |
| Extension of stay | InvestHK, then ImmD | Approach InvestHK not earlier than 3 months before expiry; extension normally not more than three years |
In practice: you first go to InvestHK, which verifies the net asset requirement and issues a certifying proof. You then submit your entry application to ImmD within that proof's validity period. If ImmD gives approval-in-principle, it grants a visa or entry permit to enter Hong Kong on visitor status for not more than 180 days so you can make the committed investment. Once InvestHK verifies that investment and issues its second certifying proof, you submit it to ImmD within its validity period, and ImmD resumes assessment. Formal approval brings permission to stay for not more than 24 months, on time limitation only and conditional on your continuing to meet the scheme's requirements throughout that period.
Applications are submitted online, and supporting documents are required; the document list is set out on the GovHK application page. ImmD notifies applicants of the result by e-mail, and it notes that delivery fails if the address is invalid or the recipient's mail server blocks the message — a technical support hotline ((852) 3128 8668) is listed for those cases.
If I already live in Hong Kong, what changes once I'm admitted?
Your time in Hong Kong is then counted under the New CIES permission rather than your previous one, but the scheme is permissive about what you do with that time. An entrant may take up employment, hold an office, be self-employed, or join or establish a business in Hong Kong. Dependants admitted under the scheme may take up employment or study.
Dependants can be included from the start: a spouse or the other party to a recognised same-sex civil partnership, same-sex civil union, "same-sex marriage", opposite-sex civil partnership or opposite-sex civil union, plus unmarried dependent children under 18. A single online application can cover up to eight accompanying dependants, and their length of stay is normally linked to yours. If you are already admitted, you can apply for dependants separately. Non-permanent residents, including New CIES entrants and their dependants, do not need a re-entry visa to return to Hong Kong, provided they return within their permitted limit of stay and the circumstances behind their residential status are unchanged.
Seven years on the scheme does not convert into permanent residence by itself. ImmD states plainly that continuously meeting the financial requirements and receiving extensions for not less than seven years is not an acknowledgement that you meet the ordinary residence requirement under the Immigration Ordinance (Cap. 115). Any person claiming to be a Hong Kong permanent resident may submit an application for verification of eligibility for a permanent identity card to ImmD if he/she meets the requirement of having ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than seven years and other relevant provisions of the Immigration Ordinance.
How do extensions and unconditional stay work?
For an extension, you must approach InvestHK not earlier than three months before your limit of stay expires — 24 months is granted on first entry and 36 months on extension — and it issues a certifying proof for continued portfolio maintenance. You and any dependants must then apply to ImmD before the limit expires, even if the certifying proof has not yet arrived; ImmD decides depending on whether it is later submitted. Extensions are normally granted for not more than three years. You have to be physically in Hong Kong when you apply, and again when you pay for and collect the e-Visa.
Unconditional stay becomes available at the end of the seventh year, once InvestHK has verified seven years of continuous compliance with the portfolio maintenance requirements and you have been approved of permission to stay under the New CIES for at least seven years. You must hold valid residence status under the New CIES on the date you apply; ImmD will not accept an unconditional stay application made after your limit of stay has expired.
What should I check before filing?
The details that decide most applications sit in two places: the Rules for the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme, which define permissible investment assets and the portfolio maintenance requirements, and InvestHK, which assesses whether you meet them. Definitions of eligible assets and the maintenance rules can change, and the list of excluded countries is reviewed periodically, so treat the current wording of the official pages as authoritative.
This summary describes published scheme rules only. It is general information rather than advice on an individual case, and it is not a substitute for checking the official pages or taking professional advice on your own circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply for the New CIES while I am in Hong Kong on an employment visa?
Yes. ImmD states that any entry application from someone who meets the eligibility criteria will be accepted, irrespective of whether the person is residing in Hong Kong or elsewhere. Your employment visa does not bar the application, but you still have to satisfy the net asset and investment requirements in full.
Do I have to give up my current visa before applying?
The FAQ sets out no requirement to surrender or switch an existing visa. Acceptance depends on the published eligibility criteria, so the practical question is whether you meet those criteria, not what happens to your current permission to stay.
Can I apply if I live outside Hong Kong?
Yes. Residence is not a filter: applications are accepted whether you are in Hong Kong or elsewhere. The scheme's own procedure assumes travel to Hong Kong at two points — entering to make the committed investment, and later being present for extension formalities.
What is the minimum amount I need to invest?
You need net assets or net equity of not less than HK$30 million, held throughout the six months before your net asset assessment application, and a committed investment of not less than HK$30 million net in permissible investment assets. Equivalents in foreign currencies are accepted.
Will seven years on the New CIES make me a Hong Kong permanent resident automatically?
No. ImmD states that meeting the financial requirements and receiving extensions for seven years does not imply that you meet the ordinary residence requirement under the Immigration Ordinance (Cap. 115). You may submit an application for verification of eligibility for a permanent identity card to ImmD if you meet the requirement of having ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than seven years and other relevant provisions of the Immigration Ordinance.
Can I bring my family if I apply while holding another visa?
Yes, subject to the dependant rules. Eligible dependants are a spouse or recognised civil partner or civil union party, and unmarried dependent children under 18; up to eight can be included in one online application. Their stay is normally linked to yours, and they may work or study in Hong Kong.