How visas work here
Hong Kong talent visa fees: ImmD specified-scheme fees
Since 26 February 2025, every application under ImmD’s specified talent and capital investment schemes pays a HK$600 application fee, then a visa fee of HK$600 or HK$1,300 if approved.
At a glance
- Application fee
- HK$600 per application, never refunded
- Visa fee, stay of 180 days or below
- HK$600
- Visa fee, stay of 181 days or more
- HK$1,300
- In force since
- 11 a.m., 26 February 2025
- Visa fee before the change
- HK$230 flat rate
Since 11 a.m. on 26 February 2025, the Immigration Department charges a two-part fee on applications under its specified schemes, the main talent and capital investment routes. You pay a HK$600 application fee when you apply, then a visa issuance fee if ImmD approves. The application fee is not refunded in any circumstance, whatever the result.
The amounts
| Fee | When you pay | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | When you apply for entry, a change of conditions of stay or an extension of limit of stay | HK$600, not refunded |
| Visa issuance fee | After approval, for a limit of stay of 180 days or below | HK$600 |
| Visa issuance fee | After approval, for a limit of stay of 181 days or more | HK$1,300 |
The fees came in under the Immigration (Amendment) Regulation 2025. Before that, these schemes charged no application fee and a flat visa fee of HK$230. The Government said it set the new amounts with reference to similar applications in overseas jurisdictions, to recover the cost of processing.
Which schemes pay these fees
The schemes named in the Government’s announcement and on ImmD’s scheme pages include:
| Scheme | Our guide |
|---|---|
| Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) | TTPS guide |
| General Employment Policy (GEP) | GEP guide |
| Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP) | ASMTP guide |
| Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS) | QMAS guide |
| Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG) | IANG guide |
| Admission Scheme for the Second Generation of Chinese Hong Kong Permanent Residents | ImmD page |
| Technology Talent Admission Scheme (TechTAS) | TechTAS guide |
| New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (New CIES) | New CIES guide |
| Vocational Professionals Admission Scheme | ImmD page |
GEP is on the list. The Government’s announcement names it alongside TTPS, ASMTP, QMAS, IANG and the second-generation scheme, so a work visa under GEP pays the same fees as a talent pass. ImmD’s specified schemes page has the current list.
Who pays: principals and dependants
Each applicant pays, whether a principal applicant or a dependant. A spouse or child applying as your dependant under a specified scheme pays their own application fee and, if approved, their own visa fee. An extension is a new application, so the application fee is charged again each time you extend.
A hypothetical example using ImmD’s amounts: a GEP applicant applies with a spouse and one child. That is three applications, so HK$1,800 in application fees. If all three are approved with a limit of stay of 181 days or more, the visa fees are HK$3,900, for HK$5,700 in total. If any application is refused, its HK$600 is not returned.
The same logic applies when you extend. Someone extending under TTPS, for instance, pays HK$600 to apply and, if granted a further limit of stay of 181 days or more, HK$1,300 for the visa: HK$1,900 for that one extension.
How the fees fit into an application
- Confirm your scheme is a specified scheme on ImmD’s page, and count how many people are applying.
- Pay the application fee for each person when you submit. On ASMTP, for example, ImmD says it will not start processing until it has every required document and the fee.
- Wait for the decision. Paying the fee does not mean approval, and the fee stays with ImmD if the answer is no.
- If approved, pay the visa issuance fee for the limit of stay ImmD actually granted, not the one you asked for, then collect your e-Visa.
Common mistakes
- Do not budget with the old HK$230 figure. It changed on 26 February 2025.
- Do not assume visit, study or training visas follow this table. ImmD’s fee tables list those separately.
- Do not confuse ImmD’s fees with a firm’s fees. A consultancy’s charge is separate and set by the firm. We only print a firm’s fee when the firm has published it.
Fees and decisions
These are government charges for processing, not a price for a result. ImmD decides every application, and Hong Kong has no immigration consultant licence. If you want help preparing a file, you can compare visa firms in our directory.
Questions people ask
Does the HK$600 application fee apply to GEP work visas?
Yes. The General Employment Policy is one of the specified schemes the Government named when the fee took effect on 26 February 2025, alongside TTPS, ASMTP, QMAS, IANG and the second-generation scheme. ImmD’s TechTAS, New CIES and Vocational Professionals pages say the same fee structure applies to those schemes.
Do I get the application fee back if my visa is refused?
No. ImmD says the application fee is non-refundable in any circumstance, whatever the result. That includes a refusal and a withdrawn application.
Do dependants pay the specified-scheme fees?
Yes. A dependant applying under a specified scheme pays the HK$600 application fee and, if approved, the visa issuance fee, in the same way as the principal applicant.
Do I pay again when I extend my stay?
Yes. The application fee applies to each application for entry, for a change of conditions of stay and for an extension of limit of stay. If the extension is approved, you pay the visa fee for the new limit of stay.
Do visit, study or training visas use these fees?
No. The Government said the February 2025 change left fees for other types of visa and entry permit unchanged. Check ImmD’s fee tables for the current amounts for those.