Hong Kong (China)Family visa

Dependant visa in Hong Kong (China)

The visa allows close relatives — a spouse, a partner in an officially recognised union, minor children or elderly parents — to move to Hong Kong to join a sponsor who already lawfully lives, works or studies in the city. The sponsor may be a permanent resident of Hong Kong, a resident with no limit of stay, or a participant in one of the work, investor, student or talent schemes.

Source: Hong Kong SAR Immigration Department (immd.gov.hk)

Who can obtain dependant status

The range of eligible family members depends on the basis on which the sponsor is in Hong Kong.

The sponsor is a permanent resident of Hong Kong or a resident with no limit of stay

A spouse, or the other party to an officially recognised same-sex or opposite-sex civil partnership, union or marriage
The sponsor's unmarried children under 18
The sponsor's parents aged 60 or over

The sponsor has been admitted under a work, investor, talent or study scheme

A spouse, or the other party to an officially recognised union
The sponsor's unmarried children under 18
The sponsor's parents do not fall within this category

What it costs

Fee for considering the application — for a dependant of a sponsor admitted under a specified scheme (GEP, ASMTP, QMAS, IANG, TTPS, TechTAS, ASSG, VPAS, CIES/New CIES)	600 HKD
Fee for issuing the visa if the permitted period of stay is longer than 180 days	1 300 HKD
Fee for issuing the visa if the permitted period of stay is 180 days or less	600 HKD
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table.	2 500 HKD

Documents to gather

Some of the documents are submitted by the dependant applicant, some by the sponsor.

A recent photograph of the applicant
The applicant's valid travel document (or a PRC resident identity card if there is no travel document)
The applicant's Hong Kong identity card, if already held
Proof of the family relationship with the sponsor: a marriage certificate, a birth certificate, family photographs, family correspondence
Proof of residence abroad — for ethnic Chinese holding a PRC passport who live abroad
The sponsor's Hong Kong identity card
The sponsor's valid travel document — for sponsors who are not permanent residents
Proof of the sponsor's financial position: bank statements, savings passbooks, tax receipts, salary payslips
Proof of the sponsor's accommodation, for example rental receipts

How the process runs

The application is made online together with all the documents.

1
Applying online
The applicant or the sponsor submits the application and all the documents through the GovHK portal. Where a fee for considering the application applies (for sponsors under the specified schemes), it must be paid straight away. For an applicant under 16 the form is signed by a parent or legal guardian.
2
Consideration by the Immigration Department
usually 6 weeks
The Department starts processing only once all the documents and, where applicable, the paid fee for considering the application have been received. The decision on the application remains entirely at the discretion of the Director of Immigration, even where all the formal criteria are met.
3
Paying the fee for issuing the visa
Once the application is approved, the applicant receives a notification with a link for payment of the visa fee on the two-tier scale — through the GovHK website, the Immigration Department's mobile app, PPS, FPS or mainland electronic wallets.
4
Receiving the electronic visa
Once the fee is paid, the applicant downloads or prints the e-Visa themselves — the document confirming the right to enter and reside in Hong Kong as a dependant.

Timelines and rights

Work

Dependants of permanent residents, of persons with work or investment status and of participants in the talent schemes may work without separate permission. Dependants sponsored by students require prior approval.

Who you can bring with you

The conditions depend on the dependant's relationship to the sponsor and on the basis on which the sponsor is in Hong Kong.

A spouse or a partner in an officially recognised union

Where the sponsor is a permanent resident of Hong Kong or a resident with no limit of stay, extension follows the 3+3 years pattern. Where the sponsor is on a work, investor or talent scheme, the dependant's period of stay is normally tied to the term of the sponsor's status.

The sponsor's unmarried children under 18

The same arrangement as for a spouse: the 3+3 years pattern where the sponsor is a permanent resident, or a period tied to the status of a sponsor on a work, investor or talent scheme.

The sponsor's parents aged 60 or over

Admitted only where the sponsor is a permanent resident of Hong Kong or a resident with no limit of stay. Extension follows the 2+2+3 years pattern.

Dependants of a student sponsor

They receive an initial stay of 12 months with annual extension. They may not work without the prior permission of the Director of Immigration, but they may study without such permission.

Trips, renewal and the grace period

No dependant requires the prior permission of the Director of Immigration in order to study in Hong Kong.

A dependant lodges the application to extend their stay no later than four weeks before the current period expires — or, where the sponsor has been admitted under a specified scheme, no later than three months beforehand. An extension is considered only if the grounds for dependant status still hold and the sponsor remains a bona fide resident of Hong Kong. The Immigration Department considers ordinary applications for extension within two to three weeks of receiving all the documents.

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to permanent residence

After at least 7 years of continuous ordinary residence in the Hong Kong SAR one may apply for the right of abode.

Frequently asked questions about Dependant visa

Who can obtain a dependant visa in Hong Kong?

The range depends on the sponsor's status. If the sponsor is a permanent resident of Hong Kong or a resident with no limit of stay, the dependants may be a spouse or a partner in a recognised union, unmarried children under 18 and parents aged 60 or over. If the sponsor has been admitted under a work, investor or study scheme, the dependants may only be a spouse or partner and children under 18 — parents do not fall within this category.

How much does a dependant visa cost?

For a dependant of a sponsor admitted under a specified scheme (GEP, ASMTP, QMAS, IANG, TTPS, TechTAS, ASSG, VPAS, CIES/New CIES), the fee for considering the application is 600 Hong Kong dollars and it is not refunded whatever the outcome. If the application is approved, a fee for issuing the visa is paid in addition: 1,300 dollars if the permitted period of stay is longer than 180 days, and 600 dollars if it is 180 days or less.

How long does it take to consider an application?

An initial application for a visa or entry permit as a dependant is usually considered within six weeks of receipt of all the documents and payment of the fee (where applicable). An application to extend the stay is usually considered within two to three weeks.

Is work allowed on a dependant visa?

Dependants of permanent residents of Hong Kong, of residents with no limit of stay, and dependants of sponsors admitted under the work schemes (GEP, ASMTP, IANG, VPAS, TechTAS) or under the investor and talent schemes (CIES, New CIES, QMAS, ASSG, TTPS) are not prohibited from working. Dependants of a student sponsor may not work without the prior permission of the Director of Immigration. All dependants may study without such permission.

For how long is dependant status granted, and how is it extended?

Where the sponsor is a permanent resident or a resident with no limit of stay, a spouse, partner and children under 18 receive extensions on the 3+3 years pattern, and parents aged 60 or over on the 2+2+3 years pattern. For dependants of sponsors on work and investor schemes the period of stay is normally tied to the term of the sponsor's status. Dependants of a student sponsor receive an initial stay of 12 months with annual extension.

Who cannot use this entry arrangement?

The arrangement does not extend to nationals of Afghanistan and North Korea. As a general rule it is also not available to residents of mainland China — except where their sponsor has been admitted under particular work, study, investor or talent schemes — nor to former residents of mainland China who obtained a Macao SAR identity card less than seven years ago otherwise than under the One-way Permit Scheme.

Can a dependant obtain the right of abode in Hong Kong?

Yes. Persons admitted for residence as dependants may apply for the right of abode in Hong Kong after at least seven years of continuous ordinary residence in the city — on the general terms laid down by law.

Other ways to move to Hong Kong (China)

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Hong Kong (China).

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.