Information checked ·
On this page
- Basis for applying
- A: annual income ≥ HK$2.5m. B/C: an eligible bachelor’s degree plus the specified experience or graduation period.
- Job offer
- No offer required initially
- Initial stay
- Normally 36 months for A; 24 for B/C
Categories A, B and C: check the entry criteria
Common checks: a valid travel document, normal immigration requirements, no security concern or known serious crime, and ability to support yourself. Afghan, Cuban and North Korean nationals are excluded. Each person can receive initial TTPS permission only once. Overseas Chinese applicants must also check overseas permanent residence, or at least one year of overseas residence immediately before applying from overseas.
A Hong Kong job offer is not required for the initial application.
| Category | Core criteria | Initial stay and quota |
|---|---|---|
| A | Annual income of at least HK$2.5 million, or equivalent, in the year immediately before application. | Normally 36 months; no annual quota. |
| B | An eligible university bachelor’s degree and at least three years of work experience in the preceding five years. | Normally 24 months; no annual quota. |
| C | An eligible university bachelor’s degree awarded in the preceding five years, with less than three years of work experience. | Normally 24 months; annual quota of 10,000, first come first served. |
General entry requirements also apply. Check the applicable university list: a master’s or doctorate does not replace the bachelor’s requirement for B or C. Non-local graduates of locally accredited full-time Hong Kong undergraduate programmes should check IANG; Category C does not apply to them.
For B/C, the bachelor’s qualification and study mode must qualify: honorary, distance/online, evening, self-taught or part-time degrees are excluded. Qualifications from extension, subsidiary and continuing-education units cannot automatically be treated as degrees from the listed university. Check all awarding institutions for joint programmes. B experience is full-time employment or self-employment after graduation; C’s five-year period is counted by graduation year.
Three backgrounds that can lead to the wrong category
Do not choose a category from a master’s institution, graduation date or experience alone. The self-check guide examines three backgrounds; its examples explain eligibility checks, not approval outcomes.
Application documents: common items and A/B/C evidence
| Applies to | Documents to prepare |
|---|---|
| Everyone | Recent photo; travel-document identity and validity pages; HKID if held; latest entry/extension record and e-Visa if in Hong Kong. Mainland residents without travel documents provide a PRC identity card as directed. |
| Category A | Previous-year tax assessments, payment records or other accepted income evidence; work-history evidence. For income from an owned business, ownership and audited accounts, profit/loss or profits-tax evidence. |
| Category B | Eligible bachelor’s certificate, transcript and qualification verification; work records stating dates and duties, supporting at least three years within the previous five. |
| Category C | Eligible bachelor’s certificate, transcript and verification; check graduation date and actual work history against the category. |
| Conditional identity items | Mainland employer/authority consent; Macao, Taiwan or overseas Chinese residence/identity evidence as applicable. |
| Dependants | Each person’s photo, travel document and relevant Hong Kong entry records; marriage, birth or recognised partnership evidence. |
Use the official income definition for Category A and the prescribed institutions and degree verification for B/C. Turnover, total assets, bank balances and personal investment returns cannot replace evidence of qualifying Category A income.
Submit conditional documents where applicable; Immigration may request more. Documents not in Chinese or English need an accepted certified translation. Start with a background summary; send identity and financial records through the controlled project channel.
If you currently hold, or held within the previous six months, permission under a talent scheme as principal or dependant, the employer must also complete the online form or ID 990B with the applicable employment evidence. For an established/joined Hong Kong business, the company completes it. These applications need the additional checklist in the official guidance.
Renewal eligibility and evidence
Renewal requires evidence of employment with stable income in Hong Kong, or an established/joined operating business. Prepare valid identity, current stay and employment/business records; incorporation alone or occasional visits is insufficient.