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    Student visa guide

    Hong Kong student visa 2026: cost, requirements and how to apply

    The Student visa or entry permit issued by the Director of Immigration, sponsored by the institution that admitted you and delivered as an e-Visa costs $42 in fees nobody can skip, up to $126 if every situational extra applies.

    By Global Admissions Editorial · Checked against 4 official sources

    How much does a Hong Kong student visa cost in 2026?

    Applying for a student visa in Hong Kong on the Student visa or entry permit costs $42 in fees you cannot skip: Student visa or entry permit ($42). Situational extras (university visa sponsorship and handling fee, extension of stay when your first limit of stay runs out, visa for a spouse or dependent child and certified Chinese or English translations) add up to $84 more. Tuition, living costs and proof-of-funds sit outside this total. All amounts are US dollars, last checked August 2026.

    Student visa or entry permit issued by the Director of Immigration, sponsored by the institution that admitted you and delivered as an e-Visa cost breakdown

    Every line the Hong Kong application puts on your card, in US dollars, as of August 2026.

    Student visa or entry permit$42
    HK$330 as an ordinary visa under the Immigration Regulations, paid only after the application is approved and issued as an e-Visa Immigration Department: Fee tables
    Mandatory total$42
    What the Student visa or entry permit issued by the Director of Immigration, sponsored by the institution that admitted you and delivered as an e-Visa costs before any optional service.
    Situational extras, only if they apply to you
    University visa sponsorship and handling fee$0
    Your institution is normally the local sponsor and files on your behalf; the Immigration Department neither sets nor collects what the institution charges for that service Immigration Department: Visas and entry permits for students
    Extension of stay when your first limit of stay runs out$42
    HK$330 for a change of condition of stay including an extension; degree students are usually granted the full length of the program up to six years, so many never pay it Immigration Department: Fee tables
    Visa for a spouse or dependent child$42
    HK$330 each, and only students on full-time undergraduate or postgraduate local programs at degree-awarding institutions may sponsor dependants Immigration Department: Fee tables
    Certified Chinese or English translations$0
    Required for any document in another language; the sworn or authorized translator sets the price, not the department Immigration Department: Visas and entry permits for students
    If every extra applied$126
    Worst case. Most applicants pay none or one of these.

    Amounts are US dollars. Hong Kong bills in its own currency, so the exact charge moves with the exchange rate. The native figures are in the notes column where the fee schedule publishes them.

    Things to watch

    • You pay after approval, not with the application. The result notification carries a payment link and you download the e-Visa yourself once the fee clears.
    • Chinese residents of the Mainland get an entry permit instead of a visa, at the same HK$330, and their institution handles both the filing and the payment.
    • Staying on to work afterwards costs more than the student visa did. The Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates is a specified scheme, so it carries a HK$600 scheme application fee plus HK$1,300 for a visa covering more than 180 days, about USD 244 in total.
    • USD figures convert at HKD 7.8 to the dollar. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority keeps the currency inside a HK$7.75 to HK$7.85 band against the US dollar under the Linked Exchange Rate System, so these figures barely move.

    Hong Kong student visa requirements and documents checklist

    8 documents every applicant provides.

    DocumentWho needs itWhat it involves
    Acceptance letter from an eligible institutioneveryoneThe program has to be a full-time locally accredited post-secondary course, a part-time locally accredited taught postgraduate local program, or a full-time course on the register of non-local higher and professional courses under Cap. 493. source
    A local sponsor in Hong KongeveryoneUsually the institution that admitted you. If you nominate an individual instead, they must be 18 or over, a bona fide Hong Kong resident, acquainted with you, and financially able to support you and house you. source
    Application forms ID 995A and ID 995BeveryoneYou complete ID 995A and your sponsor completes ID 995B. Both are free from Immigration Department offices or downloadable, and each accompanying dependant fills in Part B of your ID 995A. source
    A recent photograph affixed to page 2 of ID 995AeveryoneOne photograph for you and one for each accompanying dependant. source
    Copy of your valid travel documenteveryoneThe pages showing personal particulars, date of issue, date of expiry and any re-entry visa. If you are already in Hong Kong, add the page with your latest arrival stamp, landing slip or extension label. source
    Proof you can pay for the course and support yourselfeveryoneThere is no fixed sum. The test is that you can meet course fees, living costs and accommodation without working and without recourse to public funds, evidenced by bank statements, passbooks, tax receipts or salary slips. Where the institution is your sponsor, the evidence is yours rather than the sponsor's. source
    Certified Chinese or English translation of any other-language documenteveryoneThe translation has to be certified as a true translation by a sworn, court, authorized, certified, expert or official translator. An uncertified translation will not be accepted. source
    Guardian arrangements if you are under 18everyoneOne of your parents has to authorize the sponsor or a relative or friend in Hong Kong as your guardian, with a consent letter signed by both, plus proof of your accommodation arrangement. source

    How to apply for a Hong Kong student visa

    1. Get an acceptance letter and check the program qualifies

      Entry for study in public or aided schools is not permitted outside post-secondary education, and student visas are not issued for part-time short courses at all, so the type of program decides eligibility before anything else.

      source
    2. Nominate your local sponsor and complete both forms

      When the institution sponsors you it does not have to file its own identity or financial documents, which is why almost every student lets the university sponsor rather than an individual.

      source
    3. Submit the application to the Immigration Department

      Online through GovHK, or by post to the Receipt and Despatch Sub-Unit at Immigration Headquarters in Tseung Kwan O. Applicants who are Chinese residents of the Mainland must submit through the institution.

      source
    4. Wait about six weeks

      That is the department's own stated processing time once it holds a complete file, and it will not start until every document is in. Chasing the application can slow it down.

      source
    5. Pay after approval and download your e-Visa

      The result notification carries a payment link. Once the HK$330 is paid by card, PPS, Faster Payment System or a Mainland e-wallet, you download or print the e-Visa yourself.

      source
    6. Enter Hong Kong and collect your length of stay

      Students on full-time locally accredited local and non-local post-secondary programs are normally granted a stay matching the program, capped at six years on entry. Other courses usually get 12 months or the length of the course, whichever is shorter.

      source

    Hong Kong student visa processing time

    The Immigration Department states six weeks to process a student visa or entry permit once it has every required document. It will not begin until the file is complete, so a missing translation or bank statement resets the clock rather than shortening it.

    Immigration Department: Visas and entry permits for students · checked August 2026

    Hong Kong student visa work rights, dependants and what comes after

    Work rights

    A student's condition of stay bars employment, paid or unpaid, and every exception needs prior permission from the Director of Immigration. Students on full-time locally accredited local programs at degree level or above, lasting at least one academic year, may take up to 20 hours a week of part-time on-campus work and unrestricted work over the summer, plus study-related internships arranged by the institution. Since 1 November 2024 that same group, excluding exchange students, has been temporarily exempted from those restrictions and may work in Hong Kong for as long as their limit of stay or their No Objection Letter runs. Students on non-local programs get internships only.

    sourcecompare all countries

    Dependants

    Students on full-time undergraduate or postgraduate local programs at local degree-awarding institutions may sponsor a spouse or civil partner and unmarried dependent children under 18. Dependants are normally granted 12 months on entry, extended annually, and while they may study in Hong Kong they are barred from working without the Director of Immigration's prior permission.

    source

    After graduation

    Graduates use the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates. Anyone who has taken an undergraduate or higher qualification on a full-time locally accredited program of at least one academic year, or an equivalent at Qualifications Framework level 5 with 120 credits, may apply. Applying within six months of the graduation date makes you a recent graduate, who needs no job offer and gets 24 months' stay on time limitation only. Apply later and you need an offer at a level commonly taken by degree holders at market pay, for the same 24 months.

    sourcecompare all countries

    Language requirement

    The Immigration Department sets no language test of its own; the level comes from the institution that admits you. What it does require is that any document not in Chinese or English arrives with a translation certified as true by a sworn, court, authorized, certified, expert or official translator.

    source

    Hong Kong student visa requirements for Nepali students

    The full Hong Kong visa guide for Nepali students, with the fee in your currency.

    Excluded from the general study entry arrangement

    Nepali nationals sit outside the ordinary rules alongside nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba, Laos, North Korea and Vietnam, so the usual route to a student visa is closed.

    source

    One narrow route stays open

    Nepali applicants may still enter for full-time locally accredited local programs at undergraduate level or above offered by University Grants Committee-funded institutions. Self-financing programs, the institutions' continuing and professional education arms, exchange places and short-term study are all excluded.

    source

    Hong Kong student visa requirements for Vietnamese students

    The full Hong Kong visa guide for Vietnamese students, with the fee in your currency.

    Excluded from the general study entry arrangement

    Vietnam is on the same excluded list as Nepal and Laos, so a Vietnamese student cannot use the ordinary study entry route.

    source

    UGC-funded degree programs only

    The single opening is a full-time locally accredited local program at undergraduate level or above at a UGC-funded institution, excluding its self-financing arm, its continuing education arm, exchange and short courses. Check which arm of the university runs your program before you apply.

    source

    Hong Kong student visa requirements for Chinese students

    The full Hong Kong visa guide for Chinese students, with the fee in your currency.

    You apply through the university, not directly

    Applications from Chinese residents of the Mainland must be submitted to the Immigration Department through the institution that admitted them, and the institution also handles payment and collection of the e-Visa.

    source

    An entry permit rather than a visa, at the same price

    Mainland residents receive an entry permit. A single-entry permit outside the talent admission schemes costs HK$330, the same as an ordinary visa.

    source

    Non-local programs need Mainland approval too

    Mainland students may take full-time locally accredited non-local programs at undergraduate level or above only where the program has been approved by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. Short-term study is capped at 180 days in any 12-month period.

    source
    United States
    From $535 all-in
    United Kingdom
    From $1,760 all-in
    Canada
    From $175 all-in
    Australia
    From $2,250 all-in
    Germany
    From $190 all-in
    France
    From $183 all-in

    FAQ

    Frequently asked questions

    How much is the Hong Kong student visa fee?
    The Student visa or entry permit application charge is $42 (Student visa or entry permit). That is also the all-in mandatory total. Optional extras add up to $84 on top.
    Can you work on a Hong Kong student visa?
    A student's condition of stay bars employment, paid or unpaid, and every exception needs prior permission from the Director of Immigration. Students on full-time locally accredited local programs at degree level or above, lasting at least one academic year, may take up to 20 hours a week of part-time on-campus work and unrestricted work over the summer, plus study-related internships arranged by the institution. Since 1 November 2024 that same group, excluding exchange students, has been temporarily exempted from those restrictions and may work in Hong Kong for as long as their limit of stay or their No Objection Letter runs. Students on non-local programs get internships only. Source: Immigration Department: Frequently asked questions on the immigration policy on study (August 2026).
    How long does a Hong Kong student visa take?
    The Immigration Department states six weeks to process a student visa or entry permit once it has every required document. It will not begin until the file is complete, so a missing translation or bank statement resets the clock rather than shortening it. Source: Immigration Department: Visas and entry permits for students (August 2026).
    Can you bring your family on a Hong Kong student visa?
    Students on full-time undergraduate or postgraduate local programs at local degree-awarding institutions may sponsor a spouse or civil partner and unmarried dependent children under 18. Dependants are normally granted 12 months on entry, extended annually, and while they may study in Hong Kong they are barred from working without the Director of Immigration's prior permission. Source: Immigration Department: Visas and entry permits for students (August 2026).
    What's not included in the Student visa or entry permit fee?
    Tuition, living costs and the money you have to show in your account are separate from the fees on this page. Use our cost-of-study calculator at /tools/cost-calculator for a complete budget.
    When are these fees due?
    Application and biometric fees are paid before submission. Health surcharges (UK IHS, Australian OSHC) are paid as part of the visa application. Some fees (Anmeldung in Germany, OFII in France) are paid after arrival.

    Official sources

    Last verified August 2026.