Moving to Hong Kong [2026]: Visa Types, Rent, Taxes and the 7-Year Path to Permanent Residence

October 18, 2026

Taiga Sato

To live in Hong Kong, you need a visa that lets you work for a local company, enter as top talent, or enter as an investor. Japanese nationals can stay visa-free for up to 90 days, but a visitor stay does not allow you to work or to live there long term. The top talent visa (TTPS) can be applied for without a job offer if you earned HK$2.5 million or more in the previous year, or if you graduated from a designated university and either have a certain amount of work experience or graduated within the last five years (subject to an annual quota). The investment visa (the New CIES) requires an investment of HK$30 million or more. After living in Hong Kong continuously for seven years on one of these visas, you can apply for permanent residence (permanent resident status in Hong Kong). On the other hand, Hong Kong rents hit a record high in August 2026: a flat of under 40 square metres on Hong Kong Island costs HK$568 per square metre per month (about HK$17,040 a month for 30 square metres). Taxes are low: salaries tax is capped at 15% of income (16% on the portion above HK$5 million), and capital gains, dividends and inheritances are in principle not taxed. Based on information published by the Hong Kong government, this article covers visa types, permanent residence requirements, rent, school fees and medical costs, taxes, and the points people most often regret after moving.

*Amounts and rules are as of October 9, 2026. This article is an English version of our Japanese guide, adapted for foreign residents of Japan and international investors.

Our Hong Kong relocation articles

How to open a bank account in Hong Kong (in Japanese): required documents, choosing a bank, and maintenance costs
Opening an HSBC Hong Kong account [first-hand report] (in Japanese): a record of actually visiting the branches

Contents

Summary: Hong Kong visas and costs at a glance
Visa types: employment, top talent, quality migrants and investment
Living in Hong Kong as an investor: the New CIES requires HK$30 million
Permanent residence: apply after seven years of continuous residence
Taxes: salaries tax capped at 15% of income, no inheritance or capital gains tax
Living costs: record rents, about HK$17,040 a month for 30 square metres
Healthcare: public hospital fees are much lower with a Hong Kong identity card
Common regrets after moving to Hong Kong
Frequently asked questions
Summary

Summary: Hong Kong visas and costs at a glance

Visa	Suited to	Main requirements	Initial period of stay
General Employment Policy (GEP)	People hired by a Hong Kong company	In principle, a degree and a job offer from a Hong Kong company. Salary at market level	Generally 36 months
Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS)	High earners and graduates of designated universities	A: annual income of HK$2.5 million or more in the previous year / B: degree from a designated university and at least 3 years of work experience in the last 5 years / C: graduated from a designated university within the last 5 years (annual quota)	A: 36 months; B and C: 24 months
Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS)	Professionals with a track record	Age 18 or over, sufficient funds to support yourself, and in principle a degree. Points-based assessment. No job offer required	36 months (8 years for the achievement-based category)
Investment (New CIES)	People living on their assets	Net assets of HK$30 million or more held for at least 6 months, and an investment of at least the same amount	Generally 24 months
Family (dependants)	Spouses and children under 18 of holders of the visas above	Stay in line with the principal's visa. Dependants can also work	Same as the principal

Cost	Guide
Rent (Hong Kong Island, under 40 square metres)	HK$568 per square metre per month. About HK$17,040 a month for 30 square metres
Rent (Hong Kong Island, 40–70 square metres)	HK$446 per square metre per month. About HK$22,300 a month for 50 square metres
International school (ESF, primary)	HK$145,000 per year (2026/27)
Hong Kong Japanese School (primary section)	HK$67,200 per year (2026 fee, unchanged from 2025; subject to Education Bureau approval)
Salaries tax	The lower of progressive rates of 2–17% or the standard rate of 15% (16% on income above HK$5 million)

Hong Kong is a city that is comfortable for people on company assignments, people hired locally and high earners, but not suited to people who want to live on a pension or their assets without working. There is no retiree visa, and the ways to keep living there long term without a job are essentially limited to the New CIES, which requires an investment of HK$30 million, or a dependant visa.

Visa types: employment, top talent, quality migrants and investment

Japanese nationals can stay visa-free for up to 90 days for tourism or short business trips (Hong Kong Immigration Department); visa-free periods for other nationalities are listed by the Immigration Department. To work or to live in Hong Kong long term, you need a visa from the Immigration Department.

General Employment Policy (GEP): hired by a Hong Kong company

This is the basic visa for people who work in Hong Kong after receiving a job offer from a Hong Kong company. In principle you need a degree in a relevant field, the job must be one that cannot readily be filled locally, and the salary must be at market level. The initial stay is generally 36 months (or the length of the contract if shorter), after which it is extended in units of three years and then two years. People who have lived in Hong Kong on this visa for two years or more and whose assessable income in the previous year was HK$2 million or more can receive a five-year extension without conditions.

Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS): you can apply without a job offer

Launched in December 2022, this scheme stands out because you can apply without a job offer (Immigration Department, checked October 9, 2026).

Category	Requirements	Initial stay
A	Annual income of HK$2.5 million or more in the year before application. Investment income is not included	36 months
B	Degree from a designated university and at least 3 years of work experience in the last 5 years	24 months
C	Graduated from a designated university within the last 5 years, with less than 3 years of work experience. Annual quota, first come, first served	24 months

The designated universities are mainly those in the top 100 of four world university rankings; from January 1, 2026, the list was revised from 199 to 200 universities. Check the Immigration Department's list to see which universities are included. To extend after the initial stay, you must be in stable employment in Hong Kong or have started a business there; if you cannot find a job, you cannot extend.

Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS): points-based assessment

This scheme is for people aged 18 or over who have sufficient funds to support themselves and, in principle, a degree. There is a category assessed on points across 12 items such as age, education and work experience, and a category assessed on exceptional achievements such as awards. You can apply without a job offer.

Technology Talent Admission Scheme (TechTAS) and graduates of Hong Kong universities (IANG)

There is also the Technology Talent Admission Scheme (TechTAS) for technology professionals working in research and development, and the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG), which lets foreign graduates of Hong Kong universities look for work (initial stay of 24 months).

Family

Spouses of holders of the visas above (including partners legally recognised in the country where they married) and unmarried children under 18 can live with them on dependant visas. Dependants can also work. De facto partners and fiancé(e)s are not eligible.

Living in Hong Kong as an investor: the New CIES requires HK$30 million

The New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (New CIES), launched in March 2024, is the only scheme for living in Hong Kong through investment (checked October 9, 2026).

Item	Requirements
Net assets	HK$30 million or more, held for the six months before application
Investment	HK$30 million or more: HK$27 million in permissible assets such as shares, bonds, funds and real estate, and HK$3 million in the CIES Investment Portfolio (a government-run investment vehicle)
Real estate	Real estate counts towards the investment up to HK$15 million in total, of which residential property counts up to HK$10 million
Stay	Generally 24 months after approval, then extended by three years at a time
After seven years	You can apply for permanent residence, or, if you have maintained the investment for seven years, for unconditional stay

For residential property transactions completed on or after September 17, 2025, the minimum transaction price for the property to count towards the investment was lowered from HK$50 million to HK$30 million, and the cap for real estate as a whole was raised from HK$10 million to HK$15 million. From March 2025, investment through eligible private investment holding vehicles has been permitted, and from March 2026 companies established less than six months earlier can also be used. For net asset assessment applications submitted on or after November 1, 2026, financial assets held outside designated accounts will not count towards the investment, and transfers into designated accounts will no longer be accepted. Because the scheme's details keep changing, check the latest guidance before applying.

According to the Hong Kong government, 3,166 applications had been received by February 28, 2026, and 1,762 had been formally approved.

Permanent residence: apply after seven years of continuous residence

Foreign nationals who are not of Chinese nationality can apply for permanent resident status in Hong Kong (Right of Abode) if they have been "ordinarily resident" in Hong Kong continuously for at least seven years immediately before applying and have taken Hong Kong as their place of permanent residence (Article 24 of the Basic Law of Hong Kong).

"Ordinarily resident" means living in Hong Kong lawfully, voluntarily and for a settled purpose. The Immigration Department makes an overall assessment that considers factors such as the reasons for, length and frequency of absences from Hong Kong, whether you are employed by a Hong Kong company, and where your spouse and minor children live (government reply in the Legislative Council, March 18, 2026). There is no fixed minimum number of days per year, but if you are away from Hong Kong for long periods, your seven years of residence may not be recognised.

According to the Hong Kong government, from July 1, 2022 to February 28, 2026, there were 379,773 applications for permanent resident status (in total, including people of Chinese nationality), of which 280,909 were approved and 23,921 refused. The reply indicated no plan to change the criteria for ordinary residence.

Note that a permanent resident who is not of Chinese nationality loses permanent resident status, which is replaced by the right to land, if they have been absent from Hong Kong continuously for more than 36 months after ceasing to be ordinarily resident there (Immigration Department).

Permanent resident status is not nationality, so Japanese nationals do not lose Japanese nationality by obtaining it.

Taxes: salaries tax capped at 15% of income, no inheritance or capital gains tax

Hong Kong taxes on a territorial basis: only income arising in Hong Kong is taxed.

Tax	Details
Salaries tax	The lower of progressive rates (2%, 6%, 10% and 14% on each HK$50,000 band, then 17% on the remainder) or the standard rate (15% on income up to HK$5 million, 16% on the portion above)
Basic allowance	HK$145,000 for 2026/27; married person's allowance HK$290,000; HK$140,000 per child
Profits tax (corporations)	8.25% on profits up to HK$2 million, 16.5% on the portion above
Estate duty (inheritance tax)	Not charged on the estates of people who died on or after February 11, 2006
Pension contributions (MPF)	Employer and employee each contribute 5% of salary (monthly cap of HK$1,500)

Capital gains and dividends are in principle not taxed, and there is no consumption tax (VAT). Japan and Hong Kong have a tax treaty (in force since 2011) that allows double taxation to be adjusted.

For people leaving Japan: however, Japanese taxes do not simply disappear. Even if you deregister your Japanese residence and become a non-resident, income arising in Japan, such as rent from Japanese property, is taxed in Japan, and Japanese inheritance tax also applies to overseas assets in cases such as when the deceased or the heir had an address in Japan within the past 10 years. We explain the procedures before leaving Japan in taxes and resident registration when moving abroad (in Japanese). A list of countries without inheritance tax and the 10-year rule is in countries with no inheritance tax and the 10-year rule (in Japanese).

Living costs: record rents, about HK$17,040 a month for 30 square metres

Rent

According to Hong Kong's Rating and Valuation Department (RVD), the residential rental index for August 2026 (provisional) was 210.3, rising for the tenth consecutive month to a new record high. Monthly rents per square metre (saleable area) by flat size are as follows.

Area	Under 40 square metres	40–70 square metres	Same month last year (under 40 square metres)
Hong Kong Island	HK$568	HK$446	HK$516
Kowloon	HK$525	HK$418	HK$467
New Territories	HK$389	HK$312	HK$368

As a guide, a 30-square-metre flat on Hong Kong Island costs about HK$17,040 a month, and a 50-square-metre flat about HK$22,300 a month. Rents for flats under 40 square metres on Hong Kong Island rose by about 10% in one year.

School fees

If you move with children, school fees become a major expense.

School	Annual fees
Hong Kong Japanese School (primary section)	HK$67,200. Junior high section HK$79,680. Separate facility fee of HK$15,960 per year. 2026 fees (unchanged from 2025; subject to Education Bureau approval)
ESF (British-style international schools)	Primary HK$145,000, secondary (Years 7–11) HK$188,300 (2026/27). In addition, a one-time non-refundable capital levy on entry (HK$38,000 if entering in Year 1, HK$26,000 in Year 7) and an application fee of HK$2,800

Prices

Consumer prices in August 2026 rose 1.7% year on year, so inflation itself is moderate. However, in the 2024 survey by the major US consulting firm Mercer, Hong Kong was the most expensive city in the world for expatriate employees.

Healthcare: public hospital fees are much lower with a Hong Kong identity card

Fees at Hong Kong's public hospitals differ greatly between people who hold a Hong Kong identity card (HKID) (eligible persons) and those who do not (non-eligible persons). People living in Hong Kong on a visa register for an identity card, so they normally pay the eligible-person fees (fees from January 1, 2026).

Service	Eligible persons (Hong Kong identity card holders)	Non-eligible persons
Accident and emergency	HK$400 per attendance	HK$2,100 per attendance
General outpatient	HK$150 + HK$5 per drug item	HK$500 + HK$40 per drug item
Inpatient (general ward)	HK$300 per day	HK$7,400 per day

Public hospitals are inexpensive, but there can be waits, for example for specialist outpatient clinics. Private hospitals are fully self-funded, so if you do not have company medical insurance, include the cost of private medical insurance in your living costs.

Common regrets after moving to Hong Kong

Small homes and high rents: rents are at a record high, and renting a flat the size you are used to elsewhere can push rent up sharply
You cannot stay without work: TTPS lets you enter without a job offer, but extending requires a job or business in Hong Kong. There is no retiree visa
Children's school fees: international schools cost around HK$145,000–188,300 a year in tuition alone
Social change: the Hong Kong National Security Law came into force in June 2020, and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (enacted under Article 23 of the Basic Law) in March 2024. Foreign nationals are also subject to Hong Kong law, so care is needed with political statements and activities
Seven years to permanent residence: continuous residence for seven years is required, and if you spend long periods away from Hong Kong, for example by splitting your life between Hong Kong and Japan, your residence may not be recognised

On the other hand, Hong Kong's population was 7,518,300 at the end of June 2026, up 0.3% from a year earlier, with inflows of Hong Kong residents exceeding outflows by 39,800. The number of Japanese nationals living in Hong Kong was 23,228 (as of October 1, 2025), up 1.5% from the previous year.

For Hong Kong bank accounts, see how to open a bank account in Hong Kong (in Japanese).

Frequently asked questions

How can I move to Hong Kong?

Obtain one of these visas: employment with a Hong Kong company (GEP), entry as top talent (TTPS), entry through a points-based assessment (QMAS), or entry as an investor (New CIES). If you do not have a job offer, the options are TTPS, which requires income of HK$2.5 million or more in the previous year or graduation from a designated university, or QMAS.

How many years does it take to get permanent residence in Hong Kong?

Seven years. If you have been "ordinarily resident" in Hong Kong continuously for at least seven years and have taken Hong Kong as your place of permanent residence, you can apply for permanent resident status. Permanent resident status is not nationality, so Japanese nationals do not lose Japanese nationality.

Can I retire to Hong Kong on a pension?

Because there is no retiree visa, in practice it is difficult to live in Hong Kong on a pension or assets alone. The ways to keep living there long term without working are essentially limited to the New CIES, which requires an investment of HK$30 million or more, or a dependant visa. We compare countries where you can live on a pension in can you retire abroad on a pension? (in Japanese).

Are Hong Kong taxes really low?

Salaries tax is calculated as the lower of the progressive rates (top rate 17%) and the standard rate (15%, or 16% on the portion above HK$5 million), so the cap is 15–16% of income. Capital gains, dividends and inheritances are in principle not taxed, and there is no consumption tax. However, income arising in Japan and Japanese inheritance tax may still be taxed in Japan even while you live in Hong Kong.

How much is rent in Hong Kong?

In August 2026, the monthly rent per square metre for a flat of under 40 square metres on Hong Kong Island was HK$568. As a guide, 30 square metres costs about HK$17,040 a month.

Summary

Japanese nationals can stay visa-free for up to 90 days, but living in Hong Kong requires a visa such as employment (GEP), top talent (TTPS), quality migrant (QMAS) or investment (New CIES)
TTPS can be applied for with income of HK$2.5 million or more in the previous year or a degree from a designated university, without a job offer. Extending requires a job or business in Hong Kong
The New CIES for investors requires HK$30 million or more. There is no retiree visa
After seven years of continuous residence you can apply for permanent resident status, and Japanese nationals do not lose Japanese nationality
Salaries tax is capped at 15% of income (16% on the portion above HK$5 million) and there is no inheritance or capital gains tax, but rents are at a record high: even 30 square metres costs about HK$17,040 a month

Our office offers consultations comparing long-stay visas and permanent residence in various countries, including Hong Kong, and handles the translation and apostille of Japanese documents needed for visa applications (graduation certificates, family register (koseki) certificates, criminal record certificates, etc.). If you would like to work out whether Hong Kong, Singapore or another country suits you better, please use our free consultation. We can assist in English and Japanese, and we never use pushy sales tactics. As Certified Administrative Scriveners, we are bound by a legal duty of confidentiality.