1. StartmeupHK Venture Programme administered by InvestHK;
2. Incu-App, Incu-Bio and Incu-Tech programmes administered by the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation;
3. Cyberport Incubation Programme;
4. Enterprise Support Scheme administered by the Innovation and Technology Commission; and
5. Design Incubation Programme administered by the Hong Kong Design Centre.

• Applicants must be employed in Hong Kong, earning a stable income, in a position commonly taken up by degree holders, with a remuneration package and benefits at the market level; or
• Applicants working under non-employment contracts (such as commission-based work) must be engaged in work commonly taken up by degree holders; or
• Applicants who have established or operate a business in Hong Kong must demonstrate that their business is indeed operating healthily and sustainably in Hong Kong and contributes to the economy of the Hong Kong SAR.

Hong Kong is an open and resilient economy with ample opportunities for talents with different skill sets. You may find recruitment agencies and headhunters in Hong Kong who will be happy to give you advice and information on suitable openings according to your skills and attributes. Normally, employers and not job seekers will be charged a fee by the agency for such service. In addition, with free flow of information in Hong Kong, you will be able to find job opportunities on many online job boards.

Job seekers can also learn about the latest career and training information and search for job opportunities from our Hot Jobs section or the Government's online manpower information portal talent.gov.hk.

Hong Kong applies 31 international labour conventions of the International Labour Organisation, with a wide range of employees' rights such as statutory minimum wage, rest days, statutory holidays, paid sick leave, maternity leave, paternity leave and annual leave, severance and long service payment, employees' compensation for work injuries, occupational safety and health and Mandatory Provident Fund schemes covered by a comprehensive set of labour legislation.

The Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) system was launched in December 2000 to help Hong Kong's workforce save up for their retirement.

As an employee, whether full-time or part-time, your employer will enrol you in an MPF scheme within the first 60 days if you have been employed for a continuous period of 60 days or more. Both employees and employers are required to make mandatory contributions of 5% of the employee's relevant income into the employee's MPF account, subject to the minimum and maximum relevant income levels. Mandatory contributions made for an employee are fully and immediately vested in the employee once they are paid into his/ her MPF account. Any investment return derived from the mandatory contributions is also fully and immediately vested in that employee. An employee can also claim tax deduction under salaries tax for the MANDATORY contributions made to an MPF scheme, subject to a maximum amount as prescribed in the Inland Revenue Ordinance.

Further details on the MPF system can be found at the website of the MPF Schemes Authority.

Under the MPF system, employers are legally obliged to enrol their new employees, whether they be full-time or part-time, in the MPF scheme they are participating in within the 60-day enrolment deadline. Employers must make mandatory contributions for their employees with their own funds. They must also deduct the employee's contributions from his/ her relevant income for each contribution period (generally the wage period).

Business owners who are self-employed persons (SEP) are also required to enrol themselves in an MPF scheme and open an SEP account within the first 60 days of becoming self-employed. They are required to make mandatory contributions equal to 5% of their relevant income to an MPF scheme on a monthly or yearly basis. You may refer to the website of the MPF Schemes Authority for details.

Hong Kong adopts the territoriality basis of taxation, whereby only income/ profit sourced in Hong Kong is subject to tax and that derived from a source outside Hong Kong by a local resident is in most cases not taxed in Hong Kong. Therefore, Hong Kong residents generally do not suffer from double taxation. Many jurisdictions which tax their residents on a worldwide basis also provide their residents operating businesses in Hong Kong with unilateral tax credit relief for any Hong Kong tax paid on income/ profit derived from Hong Kong.

Notwithstanding this, the Government recognises that there are merits in concluding Comprehensive Double Taxation Agreements (CDTAs) with our trading partners to help investors better assess their potential tax liabilities on economic activities and provide an added incentive for overseas companies to do business in Hong Kong. As of May 2025, Hong Kong maintains CDTAs with 52 jurisdictions while negotiating with 18 more.

Education Bureau announced the revision of the eligibility criteria for government-subsidised post-secondary student places and subsidies on 31 July 2025. The revision will apply to the 2027/28 academic year and thereafter (the application cycle for the 2027/28 academic year commencing in October 2026).

Upon revision of the eligibility criteria, holders of dependant visa/entry permit who were below 18 years old if the first issued with such visa/entry permit by the Immigration Department, they require to reside in Hong Kong for two years immediately preceding the first day of their respective programmes. Regarding first-year student places, to facilitate institutions' admissions procedures, the two-year period will be specified appropriately by the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS) office or the institutions concerned having regard to the first day of the respective programmes. Whether the residency requirement is met is determined at or before the start of each academic year and shall remain the same for the remainder of that academic year. The first day of the academic year of a programme is determined by the programme's start day. Regarding other government-subsidised post-secondary student places, including those in relation to sub-degree, senior year undergraduate and taught postgraduate programmes of University Grants Committee-funded universities, the relevant institutions are required to process the applications in an approach similar to the above-mentioned one.

The Government will put in place a transitional arrangement for the above-mentioned revision, whereby the residency requirement for the 2027/28 academic year (its application cycle commencing in October 2026) will be set at one year. The two-year residency requirement will be implemented starting from the 2028/29 academic year.

If you already have a job offer in Hong Kong, you may ask the human resources department of your prospective employer on some advice on accommodation. There are also many online platforms where you can search and book for hotels and guesthouses for short-term stay, while you take time to explore the city and decide on your preferred area of stay. It is advisable to stay in licensed hotels and guesthouses, which you can search by district from the Home Affairs Department's website.

Serviced apartments are also a good choice, particularly if you are coming with your family and wish to have a more homelike and spacious living space. Serviced apartments come with an equipped kitchen, amenities and periodic housekeeping service, and are usually more cost effective for longer stays.

As there can be quite a demand for quality hotels and serviced apartments, you are strongly advised to book well in advance of your move.

Hong Kong is one of the top international financial centres and home to many major global banks. Before you move, you may wish to explore with your local bank if they have a presence in Hong Kong. If your bank has a global network, they may be able to open a local bank account for you in Hong Kong while you keep your bank account in your home country. You may also consider opening an offshore bank account which enables you to keep your money with the same bank in a central location irrespective of where you will be moving.

Hong Kong has a world-class health system consisting of public and private medical sectors providing comprehensive and efficient healthcare services.

The public medical sector, comprising hospitals and institutions as well as general and specialist out-patient clinics run by the Hospital Authority and Department of Health, provides quality healthcare to Hong Kong citizens who are holders of Hong Kong identity card (and children under the age of 11 who are Hong Kong residents) at highly subsidised and very affordable rates.

Hong Kong also has a robust private medical sector with practitioners trained both locally and from around the world. On top of 12 private hospitals, there are plenty of general practitioners' and specialists' clinics and Chinese medicine practitioners. You can also find further information on primary care medical practitioners at the Government's primary care directory.

As in many places, services provided by the public medical sector in Hong Kong are always in great demand and waiting times for non-urgent or stable cases can be long. To give yourself a wider option in healthcare, it is recommended that you take out health insurance. There are many insurance providers and health insurance plans in Hong Kong from which you can choose from. Local health insurance plans cost less as they only cover medical expenses incurred in Hong Kong. Depending on your needs, you may wish to consider international health insurance plans which give your more flexibility by being transferable to different countries but understandably attract a higher premium.

Depending on where your driving licence was issued, you may apply for direct issue of a Hong Kong full driving licence without test in Hong Kong.

If your driving licence was not issued by one of the recognized countries or places specified by the Transport Department, you can apply for a temporary driving licence which is subject to, among other things, your having applied for a driving test within 3 months after the date of arrival in Hong Kong, to drive in Hong Kong before obtaining a Hong Kong full driving licence. If the holder of a temporary driving licence subsequently fails in any part of the driving test, the temporary driving licence will be cancelled immediately and the relevant holder cannot apply for another temporary driving licence.

Please refer to the Transport Department website for further information.

Yes you can. Vehicles imported into Hong Kong are not subject to any customs tax. Nevertheless, before importing a vehicle, you are required to ensure that it meets the applicable requirements for registration and that it is fully compliant with air quality and noise emission standards. You may refer to the Transport Department's website for details.

Before setting foot in Hong Kong, you have to apply for a Special Permit from the Agricultural, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) to bring your pet to Hong Kong. Depending on the source country and the availability of the required health and vaccination certification, your pet may not be required to undergo the four-month quarantine period. Please refer to AFCD's website for further details. You can also seek advice from AFCD directly if required.

Dogs and cats less than 5 months old or more than 4 weeks pregnant; Pit Bull Terrier (also known as the American Staffordshire Terrier), the Japanese Tosa, the Dogo Argentino and the Fila Braziliero (and any dog of their crossbreeds); and Bengal cats not of 5th or above 5th generation shall not be imported/ transshipped. You may wish to refer to AFCD's website for further information and updates.

The Hong Kong education system comprises of kindergarten education, 6 years of primary education and 6 years of secondary education. The 12 years of free primary and secondary education are mainly provided by public schools. There are also private schools comprising Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) schools, private independent schools and international schools including those run by the English Schools Foundation (ESF).

Kindergarten education in Hong Kong is optional, but virtually all children aged 3 to 5 were attending kindergartens in the 2021/22 school year. Kindergartens are run privately, but the Government provides a subsidy sufficient for the provision of good quality half-day service to local non-profit-making kindergartens joining the kindergarten education scheme. Further details on kindergarten education can be found at the website of the Education Bureau (EDB).

For primary and secondary education, public sector schools form the majority in the free 6-year primary and 6-year secondary education. These consist of government schools operated directly by the Government; and aided schools and Caput schools that are fully subvented by the Government, mostly run by religious, charitable or clan organisations, and managed by their own incorporated management committees or school management committees. Primary and secondary education are also provided by DSS schools, which enjoy greater flexibility in charging school fees whilst receiving Government subvention mainly based on enrolment, and self-financed private schools, which provide alternatives to parents. Further details on primary education and secondary education can be found at EDB's website.

The Government is committed to developing a vibrant international school sector mainly to meet the demand for international school places from non-local families living in Hong Kong and families coming to Hong Kong for work or investment. In the 2021/22 academic year, there were 54 international schools in Hong Kong, which generally operate on a self-financing basis and offer different non-local curricula.

Further details can be found at the International Schools in Hong Kong website.

EDB provides support services for arrived children, including the 6-month full-time Initiation Programme and the 60-hour Induction Programme, and provides public sector schools and DSS schools admitting these students with a School-based Support Scheme Grant to run school-based support programmes for them, so as to help them better integrate into the local community and overcome learning difficulties. All these support services are available to arrived children from the Mainland, non-Chinese speaking children and returnee children. Placement service and information on study pathways are also provided for them as appropriate. Further details can be found at EDB's website.

For admission to Primary One of government and aided primary schools in September, parents may participate in the Primary One Admission System. In the ‘Discretionary Places Admission’ Stage, parents may apply to only one government or aided school in or outside the school net in which they reside. Children who have not been offered a discretionary place will participate in the ‘Central Allocation’ Stage. For admission to Secondary One (S1) in September, parents may participate in the Secondary School Places Allocation (SSPA) System to apply for an S1 place in government, aided and caput schools as well as DSS secondary schools participating in SSPA. In the ‘Discretionary Places’ Stage, parents may apply to any two secondary schools participating in the SSPA System, irrespective of school nets. New arrivals can also apply directly to the School Places Allocation Section of EDB from May to August for a subsidised S1 place for their children.

For international schools, they generally accept applications from new students throughout the year but could have long waiting lists.

Under the existing education policy, school-age dependants of incoming talent are eligible to enrol in public sector schools to receive free primary and secondary education. They may also enrol in other schools (including Direct Subsidy Scheme schools, international schools and other private schools).

Under the Immigration Ordinance (Cap. 115), where permission is given to a person to land or remain in Hong Kong, the Immigration Department may impose a limit of stay or other conditions of stay. Such persons must comply with the conditions of stay imposed by the Immigration Department during their stay in Hong Kong and are required to depart Hong Kong on or before the expiry date of their limit of stay. The limit of stay in Hong Kong of dependants is normally linked to that of their sponsors. In the case that a sponsor ceases to apply for an extension of stay or the application is rejected, the dependant will no longer be eligible for residence in Hong Kong and is required to depart Hong Kong together with the sponsor before the expiry of their limit of stay.

In general, unless a person has the right of abode or right to land in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), he/she requires a visa/entry permit to study here. For those who have not applied or fail to obtain the extension of stay under the TTPS, their school-age children for primary and secondary education who meet the related policy requirements (including having been admitted by relevant non-public sector schools) may apply to the Immigration Department for a visa/entry permit to enter the HKSAR for study. At present, such arrangement does not apply to, among others, Chinese nationals of the Mainland. For details, please refer to the relevant website.