Register your own business in HK without a working visa

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  1. #1

    Register your own business in HK without a working visa

    Hi everyone ...
    I was reading earlier on the site that you can register your own business in hong kong with just your passport ... Can you then sponsor yourself for a working visa if you don't have one or change your current working visa? Is there anyone with some experience in this domain? Can you register anykind of business or does it have to be a particular domain like import export or whatever ...
    merci
    max


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Posts
    12,383

    You can open a business, but you technically cannot work in Hong Kong / take a salary unless you have some sort of visa to work or do business in Hong Kong. Most of the "register a business with a passport" type folks are people who use Hong Kong for their offshore business.

    The business can be of any soirt, typically something you have experience in and can convince immigration that you can run this business profitably in Hong Kong and hire locals etc ..


  3. #3

    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    hong kong
    Posts
    3,484

    Yes you can and I did it myself before. Get a good accountant / legal to write up your visa application with all the stuff they want to hear.

    Fortunately I have a real business ( now in China longing for january to return I might add ) with accounts and a trading profile.

    I wouldn't advise it for those just seeking a residence. There is a chance they will find you out and say " thanks but no thanks " at the airport.


  4. #4

    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Posts
    8

    Hy Boris
    what are the fees and the time line to register a new business and are there categories for business (small medium ect)?
    Thanks
    Ornia


  5. #5

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    Dec 2002
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  6. #6

    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Kowloon, Hong Kong
    Posts
    46

    A Polish Chef

    Quote Originally Posted by KnowItAll:
    The business can be of any soirt, typically something you have experience in and can convince immigration that you can run this business profitably in Hong Kong and hire locals etc ..
    Hi KnowItAll, so if I wanted to open a say an Polish restaurant (for the sake of asking), I have to hire local Chinese cooks to do my Authentic Polish food? This seems odd, I would like to think that i can import Chefs and give them working Visa's.

    As a person who has a HKID due to a working visa in an unrelated industry, I should be able to open an export business (not related to my visa) or a restaurant or consulting business ?

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Posts
    4,043

    Boris... are you sure you aren't oversimplifying this a bit?

    If he has tons of money invested in property or a business, it is a slam dunk but just registering a company and then "sponsoring" yourself is not that simple.

    I started a company with 4 local HK folks and I still needed to apply for a work investment visa and it took some work to complete all the information required and it must be based on a solid business plan and address what special skills you have that some local person couldn't provide and also indicate what jobs you were creating here.