Hong Kong extension of stay: when and how to apply

If you are in Hong Kong with a limit of stay and want to stay longer in the same status, you apply to the Immigration Department (ImmD) for an extension of stay. It is a fresh decision, not a renewal stamp. ImmD looks at your scheme’s criteria again, you must be in Hong Kong when you apply, and for most talent, employment and dependant stays the application has to be made online.

Who applies, and on which form

The general form is ID 91, Application for an Extension of Stay. ImmD’s extension of stay page says people admitted under the following schemes, and everyone on dependant status, must apply through ImmD’s online application system and upload their supporting documents:

• General Employment Policy (GEP)
• Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP)
• Technology Talent Admission Scheme (TechTAS)
• Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG)
• Admission Scheme for the Second Generation of Chinese Hong Kong Permanent Residents
• Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS)
• Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS)
• Capital Investment Entrant Scheme

If your status is not on that list, the ID 91 page and the page for your status tell you how to file.

When to apply

There is no single deadline for every scheme, and ImmD’s pages do not all use the same window. The TTPS guidebook and the QMAS guidance notes tell applicants to apply as early as possible within three months before the limit of stay expires, and in all circumstances at least six weeks before. Some other ImmD pages and guidebooks describe a four-week window. Check the current page for your own scheme. Either way, do not leave it to the last weeks: ImmD says routine applications normally take two to three weeks once it has every document it needs.

How to apply, step by step

1. Check your current stay. Note the date your limit of stay expires and the condition attached to it: employment condition or time limitation only. That decides what ImmD will look at.
2. Read your scheme’s extension criteria. For example, a TTPS extension needs proof that you have taken up employment in Hong Kong with a stable income, or that you have established or joined a business here.
3. Be in Hong Kong. For applications reaching ImmD on or after 1 January 2024, you must be physically in Hong Kong when you apply and when you pay for and collect the e-Visa.
4. Submit online and upload documents. Use ImmD’s online application system if your scheme is on the list above, and pay the application fee where your scheme charges one. ImmD’s GEP page, for example, describes the extension as made with the relevant application fee paid.
5. Send anything ImmD asks for quickly. The two-to-three-week figure runs from receipt of all necessary documents, and ImmD says it varies with the case and the number of applications it has.
6. Pay for and collect the e-Visa while you are in Hong Kong.

How long an extension usually lasts

These are what ImmD normally grants to successful applicants. They are not automatic. The top-tier stream is for people who have been in Hong Kong under GEP or TTPS for at least two years and had assessable income for salaries tax of at least HK$2 million in the previous year of assessment. For TTPS, ImmD asks for proof such as the notice of salaries tax assessment issued by the Inland Revenue Department. ImmD describes the GEP top-tier pattern as “2+6” years.

Stay patterns changed on 28 December 2022. ImmD’s enhancement measures FAQ says the initial GEP and ASMTP stay went from two years to three for applications made on or after that date. Older guides quoting a “2+3+3” pattern describe the earlier rules.

Business-based TTPS extensions

If you have set up or joined a business, ImmD says it may consider a TTPS extension favourably where the proof shows the business is operating healthily and sustainably and can contribute to Hong Kong’s economy. The factors it lists include turnover, financial resources, the investment sum, local jobs created, economic benefits and how long you have stayed in Hong Kong. Our TTPS guide has the rest of the scheme.

Common mistakes

• Planning to file from abroad. Since 1 January 2024 you must be in Hong Kong to apply and to pay for and collect the e-Visa.
• Using a visit to wait for a talent decision. ImmD’s TTPS page says Mainland residents visiting Hong Kong may not ask to prolong their stay on the grounds that they have applied under the scheme.
• Confusing a new passport with an extension. If you renew your travel document, ImmD’s transfer of endorsement service shows your current status on the new document. It is a separate application.
• Assuming the pattern repeats by itself. Each extension is a new application with its own documents.
• Relying on an old summary. Stay patterns changed in December 2022 and the in-Hong Kong rule in January 2024.

Questions and outside help

ImmD takes enquiries at enquiry@immd.gov.hk and on (852) 2824 6111. Hong Kong has no immigration consultant licence, so no official register lists visa advisers. A firm can prepare the file, but ImmD decides it. If you want help, compare the visa firms on our list. If you are changing jobs at the same time, read changing employment on a Hong Kong visa first.