Hong Kong visas and residence: what property owners and investors can actually get

Many buyers assume that owning property in a city gives them a path to live there. In Hong Kong it does not. This article sets out what a visit looks like, which residence routes do exist, how the investment scheme treats real estate and how permanent residence works. It is general information, not immigration advice, and the rules change. We could not open the Immigration Department or InvestHK pages in full, so most figures come from summaries of official pages, government replies and law-firm notes. Confirm every number on immd.gov.hk and newcies.gov.hk before you plan around it. The market side is in our Hong Kong property guide for foreign buyers and the day-to-day costs in cost of living in Hong Kong.

Visiting: viewing a property

Polish citizens can visit Hong Kong without a visa for up to 90 days, according to the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Berlin, which covers Poland, and several secondary sites agree. The office adds that your passport should be valid for at least six months after the planned departure. A visit lets you view flats and meet a solicitor, but it is not a basis for living or working there. Check the current conditions on the Immigration Department website before you travel. Mainland China has separate entry rules, see visas and residence in mainland China.

Does buying property give you residence?

No. We found no scheme that grants residence for buying a home. Property is a separate decision from your immigration status, and you can own a flat in Hong Kong as a non-resident. The only place real estate appears in an immigration scheme is inside the investment scheme below, and sources disagree on how much of it counts.

The Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (CIES)

The New CIES, launched in March 2024, is the investment route. As described by law-firm and bank summaries:

• Amount: permissible assets of at least HK$30 million. Of this, at least HK$27 million goes into permissible financial assets and non-residential real estate, and HK$3 million into the CIES Investment Portfolio run by the Hong Kong Investment Corporation.
• Applicants: aged 18 or over, and foreign nationals, Chinese nationals with permanent residence abroad, Macao residents or Chinese residents of Taiwan. One summary lists nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and North Korea as excluded.
• Source of funds: net assets of at least HK$30 million to which the applicant is absolutely beneficially entitled, for the two years before applying. Summaries differ on whether the test is on net assets or on invested assets, so read the official wording.
• Holding period: one summary says the funds must stay in Hong Kong's financial markets for at least seven years. Another note describes a link between seven years of holding the portfolio and the seven-year ordinary-residence route to settlement.

Real estate is where sources conflict, and we do not choose between them. One summary says investment in residential property does not count. Manulife describes a cap of HK$15 million on real estate with residential property capped at HK$10 million. Mayer Brown says non-residential property is permitted up to HK$10 million. The honest conclusion is that a home alone cannot qualify you, that at most a capped part of the investment may be property, and that you need the official rules before relying on any of this. A press summary reports about 3,200 applications since launch, but we could not confirm the date of that figure.

The Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS)

TTPS has three categories:

• Category A: annual income of at least HK$2.5 million in the year before applying, with no quota. One guide says HK$3.5 million, which looks like an error since the other sources agree on HK$2.5 million.
• Category B: graduates of an eligible top university with at least three years of work experience in the five years before applying. The university list is built from four global rankings and, according to one summary, grew from 199 to 200 institutions on 1 January 2026.
• Category C: recent graduates of an eligible university with less than three years of experience. One guide reports an annual quota of 10,000 for this category. We could not confirm it.

The Standard reported more than 17,000 applications and more than 10,000 approvals by mid-March 2026, and a review of the criteria was planned for mid-year. We did not find its result. A scheme under review can change, so check the Immigration Department page.

Employment and points-based routes

• General Employment Policy (GEP): for people with a job offer from a Hong Kong employer. We found no official text, so we do not state its conditions.
• Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS): a points-based scheme. According to the Immigration Department page, you do not need a local job offer to apply. The March 2026 guidance notes (ID(E) 982) set out a General Points Test and an Achievement-based Points Test.
• Dependants: under QMAS, successful applicants may bring a spouse or civil partner and unmarried dependent children under 18, provided they can support and accommodate them without relying on public assistance. For GEP, a third-party guide describes the same kind of support test, which we have not confirmed.

Permanent residence after seven years

A non-Chinese national can become a permanent resident after at least seven continuous years of ordinary residence in Hong Kong, entering on a valid travel document, making Hong Kong their permanent home and making a declaration. Ordinary residence needs a qualifying visa such as an employment, dependant or student visa, and some groups, such as foreign domestic helpers, are excluded however long they stay. A non-Chinese permanent resident can lose the status after a continuous absence of 36 months. A fact check by Annie Lab in March 2026 found no new "bonus" criteria, so beware of claims of a shortcut.

Tax residence in short

Hong Kong taxes income on a territorial basis. Salaries tax applies to income from employment that arises in or is derived from Hong Kong, and for a non-Hong Kong employment only the part earned for services rendered in Hong Kong is taxed, with visits of up to 60 days in the year disregarded. Consultancy summaries give progressive rates from 2% to 17% or a standard rate of 15% on the first HK$5 million, whichever is lower. We did not check property tax on rental income or stamp duty here, see the property guide. Your tax residence in Poland or another country is a separate question, take advice in both places.

Healthcare for people who are not permanent residents

Public hospitals distinguish "eligible persons", mainly Hong Kong ID card holders and some children, from "non-eligible persons", a group that covers most expatriates on work or dependant visas and visitors. Non-eligible persons pay fees on a cost-recovery basis, and emergency care is provided on humanitarian grounds. The government replies we found date from 2012 to 2019 and do not give current amounts. We did not research private insurance prices, so budget for insurance and ask a broker for quotes before you move.

How it compares

• Hong Kong has no residence by buying a home. The investment route needs HK$30 million in financial assets, not a flat.
• Talent and points routes need income, education or experience, not capital.
• Residence by property is a feature of other countries, see retirement and passive-income visas compared and, for a remote-work example, Thailand's DTV and LTR.
• For the mainland, see the guide to buying in mainland China and Hong Kong.

Common mistakes

• Buying first and hoping for a visa later.
• Counting on a scheme from an old article: the schemes changed in 2023 and 2024, and TTPS was under review in 2026.
• Taking a wrong visa category, which can break the seven-year ordinary-residence clock.
• Ignoring health cover: non-eligible persons pay for public care.

FAQ

Can I get residence by buying a flat in Hong Kong? We found no such route. You can own a flat as a non-resident, but residence needs a separate scheme.

Does property count for the investment scheme? Sources conflict: some say residential property does not count, others describe capped amounts. Read the official rules before relying on it.

How long until permanent residence? At least seven continuous years of ordinary residence on a qualifying visa, plus a declaration, according to the Immigration Ordinance as summarised by the Immigration Department.

What this means for a normal buyer

• Treat property and immigration status as separate decisions.
• Do not pay for a flat on the assumption that it brings a visa.
• If you want to move, check TTPS, QMAS and GEP first and read the official wording.
• Budget for private health insurance if you are not a permanent resident.
• Take tax advice in both countries before you move.

If you are weighing Hong Kong against other markets, an independent buyer-side adviser can compare options and bring in a local solicitor. D.H. Realting works from Warsaw as an independent consultant.