Hong Kong lets most visitors in without a visa and restricts what they may do once there.
Entry
Nationals of around 170 countries can visit without a visa, for periods ranging from 7 to 180 days depending on nationality.
Two conditions apply regardless: you must have adequate funds to cover your stay without working, and you must hold onward or return tickets, unless you are transiting to the Chinese Mainland or Macao.
If your permitted visa-free stay is shorter than your trip, you must apply for a visa or entry permit before you travel. You cannot arrive and sort it out afterwards.
What a visitor may not do
A visitor commits an offence by taking employment, paid or unpaid, joining a business, or enrolling as a student. Volunteering, helping at a friend’s business, or working remotely in a way that shades into local employment are not exempt because no money changed hands.
You also cannot change your immigration status while here as a visitor.
Penalty
Breaching a condition of stay carries a maximum fine of HK$50,000 and two years’ imprisonment.
What a business visitor may do
As a visitor you may:
- Negotiate, present, and sign contracts. The whole process of concluding a contract is permitted.
- Deliver an unpaid speech at an event, for up to 14 consecutive days per permitted stay.
- Promote products at an exhibition, but not sell goods or supply services to the public.
- Supervise an exhibition booth, but not construct it. Construction must be done by people who are lawfully employable in Hong Kong.
Indian nationals, Mainland residents and Hong Kong passport holders
Indian nationals must complete pre-arrival registration online before a visa-free visit, and must submit any visit visa application directly to the HKSAR Immigration Department rather than through a Chinese mission.
Mainland Chinese residents need an Exit-entry Permit with the relevant endorsement before entering.
Holders of a HKSAR Passport or Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card need no visa or entry permit for any purpose.
Where applications go
Visa applications may be submitted to the nearest Chinese diplomatic or consular mission, or directly to the Hong Kong Immigration Department.
Whether you need to apply at all depends on your passport. VisaHQ answers whether your passport needs a visa, and quotes a fee where it does.
Check whether you need a visa, and where yours should go (affiliate link)