Hong Kong TTPS extension of stay and the top talent 6-year route (2026)
As of the October 2026 official page, the Hong Kong Immigration Department's Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) FAQ sets out two ways to extend a stay granted under the scheme. The standard extension runs for not more than three years, or to the end of your employment contract if that date is earlier. The top talent route grants six years, but only if you have been permitted to stay in Hong Kong under the scheme for at least two years and your salaries tax assessable income for the previous year of assessment reached HK$2 million or more.
How long does the first stay on a Top Talent Pass last?
The first grant depends on the category you applied under. Category A covers people with annual income of HK$2.5 million or more in the year immediately before applying, and they are generally granted 36 months on first entry. Category B and C cover holders of a bachelor's degree awarded by an institution on the eligible universities list, and they are generally granted 24 months — B requires at least three years of post-graduation work experience accumulated in the five years before applying, while C covers those who graduated within the five years before applying with less than three years of work experience and is subject to an annual quota allocated on a first-come, first-served basis; C is not available to non-local students who obtained their bachelor's degree through a full-time locally-accredited programme in Hong Kong. Neither grant carries other conditions of stay.
The length matters twice over: it sets the date your first extension window opens, and it feeds the two-year requirement on the top talent route.
When can you apply to extend, and what does the standard extension give you?
You apply online, within the three months before your current limit expires. At the time of application you must show that you have taken up employment in Hong Kong and are deriving stable income from it, or that you have opened or participated in a business in Hong Kong. Document requirements are set out in the scheme's entry guide.
If the application succeeds, the extension is generally not more than three years, or until your employment contract expires, whichever is shorter, with no other conditions of stay attached.
What does the top talent route add?
The top talent route is assessed on top of the standard criteria, not instead of them. An applicant still has to meet the employment or business requirement described above, and then two further conditions:
- The applicant has been permitted to stay in Hong Kong under the scheme for not less than two years.
- The applicant's salaries tax assessable income for the previous year of assessment reached HK$2 million or more, supported by documents such as the salaries tax assessment notice issued by the Inland Revenue Department for that year, or related tax documents.
Successful applicants are generally granted a six-year extension with no other conditions of stay.
| Standard extension | Top talent route | |
|---|---|---|
| Employment or business requirement | Must be employed in Hong Kong with stable income, or have opened or participated in a business | Same requirement applies |
| Additional conditions | None | Two years permitted stay under the scheme, plus HK$2m salaries tax assessable income in the previous year of assessment |
| Income evidence | Proof of employment or business documents | Salaries tax assessment notice or related tax documents |
| Length granted | Not more than three years, or to the end of the employment contract, whichever is shorter | Generally six years |
| Other conditions of stay | None | None |
How is the HK$2 million measured?
The figure is expressed as salaries tax assessable income, not as total income. That is a narrower measure than the one used to qualify for Category A in the first place. For admission, "annual income" means taxable employment or business income and expressly includes salary, allowances, stock options and profits from companies the applicant owns, while income from personal investments is excluded; business profit counts only where the applicant held shares in the relevant company throughout the assessment year before applying.
Suppose an applicant owns a Hong Kong company, pays themselves a modest salary and leaves most of the profit in the company. The profits helped them qualify for the pass. For the top talent test, the assessment notice is the document that carries the weight, because the condition is framed around salaries tax rather than around total income. The FAQ does not itemise how components other than the assessment notice are treated for this test, so the taxable figure on the Inland Revenue Department document is the practical reference point.
Does the two years have to be spent in Hong Kong?
The FAQ wording is that the applicant has been permitted to stay in Hong Kong under the scheme for not less than two years. The page does not set out how that period is counted, or how time spent outside Hong Kong during the permitted period is treated. Anyone relying on the top talent route should read the wording carefully against their own dates, because the difference between "permitted to stay" and time physically spent in Hong Kong is not resolved on the page.
What if you don't meet the income test, or you are between jobs?
The standard route remains open. An applicant who is not yet at HK$2 million of salaries tax assessable income, or who has not completed two years, can still apply for the extension of up to three years on the employment or business basis.
The position is different if you have no job when you apply. The applicant must already have obtained employment, and the work must normally be carried out by degree holders, or by people with good professional or technical qualifications, proven professional ability, or documented relevant experience and achievements. Pay and benefits must be at market level. Applicants running a business must produce business documents instead. An applicant who cannot show continuing employment or a business may have the extension refused.
On the "normally carried out by degree holders" point, the department assesses each case on the skills and knowledge the post requires and the complexity of its duties. Job changes themselves are not a problem: during a permitted stay you may take up and change employment freely without prior approval.
Where the six-year route fits in a residence plan
The main practical difference is the renewal cycle. A six-year grant replaces what would otherwise be another extension capped at three years, or at the end of an employment contract, so it removes one round of applications and one round of evidence gathering.
The income side needs the longer lead time. The test looks at the previous year of assessment, so the salary taken in the year before the application is what determines whether the threshold is met, not income earned after the application is filed. For anyone paid partly through a company they own, the structure of that payment is worth reviewing well before the extension window opens.
This is general information about how the published rules read, not an assessment of your own case, so confirm the figures that apply to you against the Immigration Department's latest published requirements or a qualified professional before relying on them. Right of abode and permanent residence applications are not addressed on the scheme's FAQ page.
What happens if you let the pass lapse?
The scheme grants one initial stay arrangement per person. Someone admitted under TTPS who later leaves Hong Kong and whose limit expires cannot re-apply under the scheme; to return for work or residence, they would have to use another immigration policy or scheme. For anyone treating Hong Kong residence as a long-term plan, letting a pass expire is a decision that cannot be reversed through TTPS itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
How early can I apply to extend a Top Talent Pass?
Applications are submitted online within the three months before your current limit of stay expires. Applying outside that window is not covered by the published procedure, so the expiry date on your current permission is the date to work back from.
How long is a standard extension?
Generally not more than three years, or until your employment contract ends, whichever is shorter. No other conditions of stay are attached to the extension.
What income counts toward the HK$2 million top talent test?
The condition refers to salaries tax assessable income for the previous year of assessment, evidenced by documents such as the Inland Revenue Department's salaries tax assessment notice for that year. The FAQ does not break the figure down by income component beyond that evidence requirement.
Do I still need a job to use the top talent route?
Yes. Top talent applications are assessed against the same employment or business requirement as a standard extension — employment in Hong Kong with stable income, or having opened or participated in a business in Hong Kong. The two-year stay and the HK$2 million income are additional conditions.
Can my extension be refused if I am unemployed?
It can. An applicant must already have obtained employment meeting the published criteria on the level of the post and on market-level pay and benefits, or must produce documents for a business in Hong Kong. Without either, the extension application may be refused.
Do I need permission to change employers?
No. During a permitted stay under the scheme you may take up and change employment freely without prior approval from the Immigration Department. The employment requirement is checked at the point of application, not on each job change.
Can I re-apply under the scheme if my stay expired and I moved away?
No. Only one initial stay arrangement is granted per person, and re-application through TTPS is not available afterwards. Returning to Hong Kong for work or residence would have to be arranged under another immigration policy or scheme.