New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (New CIES) guide

The New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (New CIES) lets people with substantial assets live in Hong Kong by investing at least HK$30 million here. Two government offices are involved. InvestHK checks your net assets and later your investment. The Immigration Department decides the visa and every extension. You cannot skip the InvestHK step.

Who can apply

ImmD’s New CIES page says the scheme is open to:

• foreign nationals;
• Chinese nationals who have obtained permanent resident status in a foreign country;
• Macao SAR residents; and
• Chinese residents of Taiwan.

Stateless people who have permanent resident status in a foreign country with proven re-entry facilities are also eligible. The scheme does not apply to nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. You must be 18 or over when you apply to InvestHK for the net asset assessment.

The money tests

There are two separate tests, both set out in the Rules for the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme.

• Net assets: net assets or net equity, to which you are absolutely beneficially entitled, with a market value of at least HK$30 million throughout the six months before you apply for the net asset assessment.
• Investment: at least HK$30 million invested in permissible investment assets that you are absolutely beneficially entitled to.

A residential property investment must be one single property with a transaction price of HK$30 million or more. InvestHK’s investment requirement page lists the permissible financial assets. The Government has announced enhancement measures since launch, so read the current Rules, not an older summary.

How to apply, step by step

1. Apply to InvestHK for the net asset assessment, with evidence of your assets over the six months before the application.
2. If InvestHK is satisfied, it issues a Certifying Proof for Fulfillment of Net Asset Requirement.
3. Submit your entry application to ImmD and pay the application fee.
4. If ImmD gives approval-in-principle, it grants a visa or entry permit to enter Hong Kong as a visitor for not more than 180 days, so you can make the committed investment.
5. Make the investment within that period and gather proof that the full amount has been invested.
6. Once you have shown the investment is made, ImmD grants two years’ stay. This is the formal approval.
7. For later extensions, show ImmD that you still meet the eligibility criteria and the portfolio maintenance requirements. InvestHK issues a Certifying Proof for Fulfillment of Portfolio Maintenance Requirements for this.

Fees

New CIES is a specified scheme under the fee change of 26 February 2025. Each ImmD application carries a HK$600 application fee that is not refunded whatever the result, and if approved a visa fee of HK$600 for a limit of stay of 180 days or below, or HK$1,300 for 181 days or more. Our specified-scheme fees guide explains how dependants are charged. Investment costs, fund fees and any adviser’s fee are on top.

How many people use it

At its two-year milestone in March 2026, the Government reported nearly 3,200 applications, with expected investment of about HK$95 billion. The earlier Capital Investment Entrant Scheme is a separate scheme that ImmD has suspended.

Common mistakes and getting help

• Going to ImmD before InvestHK has issued the net asset proof.
• Counting assets that dipped below HK$30 million at any point in the six months.
• Buying a home and assuming the full price counts. Residential real estate counts up to HK$10 million.
• Letting the portfolio fall below the maintenance requirements before an extension.

If you plan to run a business rather than hold investments, read our entrepreneur visa guide instead. Hong Kong has no immigration consultant licence, and no firm can replace the InvestHK or ImmD assessment. You can compare firms that name New CIES in our directory.