Hong Kong Dependent Visa for Entrepreneur Families (2026)

A Hong Kong Dependent Visa (formally "Entry for Residence as Dependant") allows the spouse and unmarried children under 18 of a Hong Kong visa holder to live in the city. Dependants are not just permitted to reside in Hong Kong: they receive unrestricted work authorization, meaning your spouse can take up employment, freelance, or start and operate their own business.

For entrepreneurs relocating to Hong Kong, this is a critical consideration. Whether you hold a TTPS visa, a QMAS visa, or an Investment as Entrepreneur visa under the GEP, your immediate family can join you and contribute economically from day one.

The dependent visa is tied to the principal applicant's visa. It is valid for the same duration as the sponsor's current period of stay, and must be renewed alongside (or after) the sponsor's visa extension. If the principal applicant's visa lapses or is not renewed, dependent status also ends.

All dependants, including children, do not require prior permission from the Director of Immigration to take up employment or study in Hong Kong.

Eligible sponsors

You can sponsor dependants if you hold any of the following Hong Kong visa types:

• Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) -- all categories
• Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS)
• Investment as Entrepreneur visa under the General Employment Policy (GEP)
• Standard employment visa under the GEP (employer-sponsored)
• New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (New CIES)
• Hong Kong Permanent Resident status
• Admission Scheme for the Second Generation of Chinese Hong Kong Permanent Residents
• Technology Talent Admission Scheme (TechTAS)

As sponsor, you must demonstrate that you can support your dependants financially: adequate housing and a stable income or financial resources to maintain them without relying on public assistance.

Eligible dependants

The Immigration Department recognizes the following as dependants:

• Your spouse (legally married)
• The other party to a same-sex civil partnership, same-sex civil union, or same-sex marriage entered into in accordance with the law of the place of celebration and legally recognized by that jurisdiction
• The other party to an opposite-sex civil partnership or civil union (same recognition criteria)
• Your unmarried dependent children under the age of 18

Children can be the biological or legally adopted children of the sponsor or the sponsor's spouse or partner.

Who does NOT qualify as a dependant

• Parents (aged 60+ may apply only once the sponsor holds permanent residency)
• De facto partners or cohabiting partners without a legally registered relationship
• Siblings
• Children aged 18 or above (they must apply on their own visa)

Dependants in Hong Kong enjoy some of the broadest rights of any dependent visa globally. Unlike many jurisdictions where dependent spouses cannot work or need a separate work permit, Hong Kong grants full and unrestricted work authorization to all dependants.

Work and business rights

Your spouse on a dependent visa can:

• Work for any employer in Hong Kong without restriction or additional permits
• Freelance, consult, or take on contract work
• Register and operate a Hong Kong company as director, shareholder, or both
• Open business bank accounts in their own name
• Hire employees through their own company

There is no requirement to notify the Immigration Department when taking up employment or starting a business. The unrestricted work authorization is automatic upon grant of the dependent visa.

Study rights

All dependants (spouse and children) can study in Hong Kong without prior permission from the Director of Immigration. Children can attend public schools, aided schools, and international schools. Spouses can enrol in university programmes or professional courses.

What dependants cannot do

• Sponsor their own dependants (only the principal visa holder can sponsor)
• Maintain their status independently if the principal applicant loses their visa
• Apply for public housing or social welfare benefits (means-tested)

Each dependant builds their own 7-year clock toward Hong Kong permanent residency, starting from the date they enter Hong Kong on the dependent visa. This is independent of the principal applicant's PR timeline.

How it works

• After 7 years of continuous ordinary residence in Hong Kong, each dependant can apply for permanent residency in their own right
• The 7-year clock continues even if the principal applicant switches visa types (for example, from TTPS to an entrepreneur visa)
• If the dependant later obtains their own independent visa (for example, if your spouse qualifies for TTPS based on their own income), time already spent in Hong Kong counts toward the 7 years
• Children who turn 18 during the 7-year period must apply for their own visa to continue residence. Time spent as a dependent counts toward their PR clock

What happens if the sponsor loses their visa

The dependent visa is tied to the sponsor. If the principal applicant's visa is not renewed or lapses:

• Dependants must either find their own independent visa sponsorship (for example, employer-sponsored GEP, TTPS if eligible, or student visa)
• Or leave Hong Kong before their dependent visa expires
• Time already spent in Hong Kong still counts toward PR if they later return on a different visa

Can dependants sponsor others?

Not while on a dependent visa. Only the principal visa holder can act as sponsor. However, once a dependant obtains permanent residency, they can sponsor their own dependants (spouse and children under 18) and, if applicable, parents aged 60+.