Bringing Your Family to Hong Kong: A Guide to the Dependent Visa in 2026
September 5, 2026 | Hong Kong Immigration
Most people planning a move to Hong Kong spend the bulk of their research on their own visa — the General Employment Policy, the Top Talent Pass Scheme, the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, whichever route fits their situation. The dependent visa often gets treated as an afterthought, something to sort out once the main application is approved. That’s a mistake. Hong Kong’s dependant visa has its own eligibility rules, its own document list, and its own timeline, and the requirements differ meaningfully depending on which visa your family is attached to.
What’s genuinely relevant for 2026 isn’t a single dramatic policy change — the core dependant visa framework has been stable for years. What has shifted is the landscape around it. Hong Kong now runs more talent and investment admission schemes than it did five years ago, from the Top Talent Pass Scheme to the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme launched in March 2024, and each of these opens its own dependant pathway with its own extension pattern. On top of that, the visa fee structure was overhauled in 2025, and that revised structure is still what applies going into 2026. If you’re researching this now, it’s worth working from the current rules rather than assumptions carried over from an older visa category.
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Who Qualifies as a Dependant
who can be included as a dependant depends on which one applies to you.
If your sponsor holds a visa for employment or study
Admitted as a professional under the General Employment Policy, the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals, the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates, the Technology Talent Admission Scheme, for business investment, for training, or for full-time degree study at a local institution — eligible dependants are limited to a spouse (including certain legally recognized civil partnerships) and unmarried dependent children under 18.
If your sponsor is a Hong Kong permanent resident, or a resident with the right to land or on unconditional stay
The eligible dependant list is broader: spouse, unmarried children under 18, and parents aged 60 or above.
In both cases, the Immigration Department looks favorably on applications where there’s reasonable proof of a genuine relationship, no adverse record against the applicant, and evidence the sponsor can support the dependant at a standard well above subsistence level with suitable accommodation in Hong Kong.
Who Doesn't Qualify
This entry arrangement doesn’t apply to a few specific groups. Most Mainland Chinese residents fall outside it, with exceptions carved out for cases where the sponsor was admitted for employment under one of the professional schemes, for business investment, for training, for full-time degree study, or as an entrant under one of the investment or talent schemes like the Top Talent Pass or the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme. Former Mainland Chinese residents who’ve held a Macao identity card for less than seven years are also excluded, unless they gained Macao residence through the One-way Permit Scheme. Nationals of Afghanistan and North Korea are excluded from this arrangement entirely, regardless of their relationship to a sponsor.
The Application Process
- Confirm your sponsor’s visa category. This determines which dependants are eligible and which document set applies, so it’s the starting point before anything else.
- Gather supporting documents from both applicant and sponsor. Most schemes now build the dependant application directly into the sponsor’s own online submission, so this is often handled as one combined process rather than two separate ones.
- Submit online. Applications go through Hong Kong’s official application system, with all documents uploaded and any applicable application fee paid before processing begins.
- Processing. For a first-time dependant visa application, the Immigration Department states it normally takes about six weeks once every required document and fee have been received — though, as with the main visa categories, an incomplete submission won’t start the clock.
- Visa issuance. Approved applicants pay the visa issuance fee and receive an e-Visa, presented on arrival in Hong Kong alongside a valid travel document.
Documents You'll Typically Need
From the applicant (the dependant):
- A recent photograph
- A valid travel document
- Hong Kong identity card, if already held
- Proof of the relationship to the sponsor — marriage certificate, birth certificate, family photographs, or similar supporting evidence
From the sponsor:
- Hong Kong identity card
- Valid travel document showing current permission to stay
- Proof of financial standing — bank statements, tax receipts, or salary slips
- Proof of accommodation, such as a tenancy agreement or rental receipts
Any document not already in Chinese or English needs a certified translation before submission.
How Long Does It Take?
A first-time dependant visa or entry permit application normally takes around six weeks to process once the file is complete. Extension applications move faster — the Immigration Department cites roughly two to three weeks once all documents and fees are received, though this can run longer during the summer rush period between June and August, when application volume tends to spike alongside the school year.
What Fees to Expect
Hong Kong restructured its visa fees for dependants under specified schemes in 2025, and that structure still applies heading into 2026. Dependants of sponsors admitted under a specified scheme — which includes GEP, the Top Talent Pass Scheme, the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals, and several others — pay a non-refundable application fee, plus a separate visa issuance fee once approved. As with the main applicant categories, the issuance fee is tiered by the length of stay granted. Since fee schedules do get revised, confirm the current figures on the Immigration Department’s fee table before budgeting rather than relying on an older quoted number.
Can Dependants Work or Study?
This is one of the most common questions, and the answer depends on the sponsor’s category. Dependants of Hong Kong permanent residents, residents with unconditional stay, and people admitted for employment under schemes like GEP, ASMTP, or the Technology Talent Admission Scheme are generally not prohibited from working in Hong Kong. The exception is dependants of student sponsors — they’re prohibited from working unless they’ve obtained prior permission from the Director of Immigration. Every dependant, regardless of category, can study in Hong Kong without needing prior permission.
Length of Stay and Renewing the Visa
How long a dependant visa lasts, and how it renews, depends on the sponsor’s own visa category.
For dependants of Hong Kong permanent residents or unconditional-stay residents, extensions generally follow a three-year, then three-year pattern for a spouse or child, and a two-year, two-year, three-year pattern for parents aged 60 or above.
For dependants of employment-based sponsors — GEP, ASMTP, the Technology Talent Admission Scheme, and similar routes — the dependant’s length of stay is normally linked directly to the sponsor’s own visa, following whatever extension pattern applies to the sponsor (commonly a three-year, then two-year pattern for these categories).
For dependants of student sponsors, the initial grant is normally 12 months, subject to annual extension.
Extension applications for dependants tied to a specified scheme should be submitted within three months before the limit of stay expires, and in all cases at least six weeks before expiry. Applications will only be considered if the applicant continues to meet the eligibility criteria and there’s no change in circumstances that would undermine the sponsorship — for example, a change in marital status between a dependent spouse and the sponsor, or the sponsor’s death.
The Path to Right of Abode
Dependants who have ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of at least seven years may apply for the right of abode under Hong Kong law, the same threshold that applies to the main visa holder. This is worth factoring into long-term family planning, particularly for dependent children who arrive young and may end up building most of their education and early adult life in Hong Kong.
Where Applications Tend to Run Into Trouble
The most common issues we see aren’t exotic. They’re financial standing documentation that doesn’t clearly show the sponsor can support the dependant well above subsistence level, relationship evidence that’s thin or inconsistent (particularly for civil partnerships or longer-term relationships without a marriage certificate), and accommodation proof that doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. None of these are hard problems to solve with the right preparation — they’re just the kind of thing that’s easy to underestimate when the dependant application feels like a formality attached to the “real” visa.
Why you should choose Simard & Associates as your Immigration Lawyer?
Global mobility decisions deserve thoughtful analysis. If you’d like to explore your options further, our team can provide structured, expert guidance based on current policy and your long‑term objectives.
At Simard & Associates, we bring expertise, dedication, and a personalized approach to every immigration case. With a proven track record of success, we guide you through the complexities of immigration law with confidence and care. Our team is committed to providing tailored solutions, ensuring your application process is smooth, efficient, and stress-free. Whether you’re pursuing residency, citizenship, or visas, Simard & Associates is your trusted partner for achieving your immigration goals.
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