Time-limited residence after admission; later permanent status depends on actual ordinary residence.
Hong Kong · New CIES
An investment route with a clear residence question.
Hong Kong can be an investment location, business hub and home. New CIES requires a committed investment; later permanent residence depends on your actual ordinary residence. Test the capital plan and the life plan separately.
THE ROUTE AT A GLANCE
Understand the route before you commit.
A programme name says little about the rights you and your family will actually be able to use.
HK$30m in net assets and qualifying investment: HK$27m in permissible assets, HK$3m in the CIES portfolio.
The official FAQ permits work, office-holding and self-employment after New CIES admission; check regulated professions separately.
After seven years of ordinary residence, an applicant may seek permanent residence. Without that residence test, unconditional stay requires at least seven years of approved New CIES stay, valid status and confirmed continuing compliance with the investment rules. Each requires a separate decision.
01 / STARTING POINTS
What could this route make possible for you?
A residence right is valuable when its effect fits your life, family or business purpose.
A location with a purpose
Decide whether Hong Kong will actually serve business, family or both.
Choose the asset deliberately
Set permissible asset classes against risk, liquidity and the wider portfolio.
Understand later status
Keep ordinary residence distinct from merely maintaining the portfolio.
02 / LEGAL EFFECT
What the status grants. And what remains separate.
Residence, work, family and tax are not compressed into one promise.
LEGAL INSTRUMENT
NEW CIES
Time-limited residence first. Permanent residence later requires ordinary residence in Hong Kong and a separate decision.
03 / BASIS AND CAPITALCheck asset eligibility, source of funds and property caps before investing.
What qualifies for this route.
HK$30m
Document net assets for the relevant six-month period.
HK$27m
Invest in assets permissible under New CIES.
HK$3m
Allocate to the CIES Investment Portfolio.
04 / LIFE BEHIND THE PERMIT
Residence alone does not settle daily life.
Who may join you, what you may do locally and how tax is affected are three distinct questions.
Family and daily life
A spouse, certain legally recognised partners and unmarried dependent children under 18 may be admitted as dependants subject to their own checks.
Work and business
The official FAQ permits work, office-holding and self-employment after New CIES admission; check regulated professions separately.
Tax position
A residence permit does not determine tax residence on its own. Home, actual presence, activity and applicable treaties require separate review.
05 / MAINTENANCE AND OUTLOOK
Keeping the status is part of the decision.
A sound plan considers admission alongside presence, renewal and the longer outlook.
Presence
Permanent residence requires at least seven years of ordinary residence in Hong Kong plus other legal conditions.
Renewal and duties
Maintain the qualifying investment and portfolio records throughout the scheme period; extensions are assessed separately.
Later status
After seven years of ordinary residence, an applicant may seek permanent residence. Without that residence test, unconditional stay requires at least seven years of approved New CIES stay, valid status and confirmed continuing compliance with the investment rules. Each requires a separate decision.
06 / PROCESS AND COSTS
The next step begins before applying.
First document net assets with InvestHK, then apply to Immigration. After approval in principle, make the qualifying investment and complete the investment assessment; an already completed qualifying investment may allow direct review for formal approval. A family-office holding vehicle has been possible since March 2026 only under additional conditions.
Calculate the whole decision.
Where minimum amounts are stated, they are legal eligibility thresholds at the documented source date, not estimates of total cost. We review fees and other costs for the individual case before filing.
- Qualifying investment or economic basis
- Government fees and translations
- Legal and tax review
- Family, insurance and location
- Ongoing duties and renewal
- Potential exit or status change
07 / FIT AND LIMITS
When this route belongs on your shortlist.
A suitable permit serves a specific purpose. Where its rights or duties do not fit, comparison with another route begins.
The deciding question
Is Hong Kong intended as an investment location, a home, or both?
Where this route stops
Investment alone does not evidence ordinary residence for later PR. The family-office option is not a shortcut without staffing and spending duties.
08 / WHAT NBF EXAMINES
Review the portfolio alongside the status path.
You receive an assessment of eligible assets, capital commitments and evidence for the seven-year status path.
Portfolio
Match asset classes, availability and continuing evidence to your holdings.
Family and activity
Review dependants' rights and your intended activity separately.
Seven-year path
Put residence, renewal and the later status question in sequence.
09 / SOURCES AND REVIEW
The basis for the decision stays visible.
Programme brochures can explain routes. Responsible authorities and the current case determine their legal effect and conditions.
EDITORIAL VERSION · 2 OCTOBER 2026Sources and reviewView sources
The stated rules are grounded in the linked sources. Conditions, administrative practice and fit for your case are checked again before an individual recommendation.
Check nationality, net-asset period, permissible assets and dependant status against current Scheme Rules; assess ordinary residence for PR individually.
THE NEXT DECISION
Will Hong Kong be an investment base, a home – or both?
New CIES calls for a sound investment plan. Later permanent residence also depends on how you actually live in Hong Kong. We put both decisions in the right order.
