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How To Start A Business In Hong Kong As A Foreigner – Must Have Resources

July 16th, 2018

Posted by / in Investment Visas, Musing / 1 response


 

I recently gave a talk at Campfire Collaborative Space on the topic of how to start a business in Hong Kong as a foreigner, which in essence is the journey of getting a Business Investment Visa as an Entrepreneur after the implementation of the Enhancement Measures in 2015 and the Audit Commission Report Number 66 from 2016.

PRACTICE UPDATE: How the content must now be read in light of current ImmD policy:

Historically, this presentation segment examined the so-called “Startup Visa”—the enhancement measures introduced by the Hong Kong government to facilitate entrepreneur visas for founders admitted into recognized incubation and accelerator programs. The Geeza framed this pathway as a welcome, formal endorsement of the innovation ecosystem, contrasting it with the mainstream entrepreneur route. However, the Geeza noted that while government accreditation offered a helpful statutory nod, the mainstream entrepreneur visa historically remained so flexible and accessible that founders rarely needed to jump through the administrative hoops of an official incubator just to secure immigration approval; a standard, bootstrapped commercial venture with modest seed capital, serviced office space, and a credible business plan could easily win approval on its own merits.
The game has changed from an optional fast-track into the only remaining lifeline for early-stage and seed-level founders. Following the post-April 2026 administrative shift, the mainstream investment as entrepreneur pathway has hardened into a rigid corporate audit aligned with TTPS Category A operational substance (~HKD 2.5M enterprise scale), strictly requiring HKD 1.5M–2.0M in deployed corporate bank liquidity, an executed commercial lease for exclusive physical premises (“four walls”), and active MPF payroll for 2–3 local permanent residents. Consequently, admission into an officially accredited government incubator (such as Cyberport, HKSTP, or Design Incubation Programme) is no longer merely an alternative—it is the sole viable mechanism under which ImmD will waive these brutal corporate hardware requirements. Without verified endorsement from an accredited government incubation program, an uncapitalized startup filing under the entrepreneur stream will face swift and summary refusal.

In this segment I discuss the 10 must have resources for being approved for a Hong Kong Business Investment Visa, which we provide for free on our website (the link to the resources is in the post).

The Rest of the Talk

Introduction

How We Got Here

Must Have Resources

The Startup Visa

Business Investment As An Entrepreneur (Visa)

Three Elements To Approval

Have You Got Enough Money?

Is Your Business Sustainable?

A Properly Set Up Office

How About Local Jobs?

Economic Sector Advantages

Hiring Yourself

D-I-Y Application

 

Important Materials Referenced In The Presentation

10 Must-Have Resources for Any Hong Kong Investment Visa Application

Accredited Startup Programmes in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Visa Handbook Free Kits

Your Questions Answered

 

More Stuff You May Find Useful Or Interesting

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Hong Kong investment visa – 3 case examples which would not get approved

Hong Kong investment visas – what’s involved?

How onerous is the sponsorship role in a Hong Kong investment visa application?

VISIT OUR PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE or VISIT OUR FREE D-I-Y VISA GUIDE

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The Hong Kong Visa Geeza (a.k.a Stephen Barnes) is a co-founder of the Hong Kong Visa Centre and author of the Hong Kong Visa Handbook. A law graduate of the London School of Economics, Stephen has been practicing Hong Kong immigration since 1993 and is widely acknowledged as the leading authority on business immigration matters here for the last 24 years.

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