Visa Application
Visa Application
A student visa is a must for non-local students (unless you have right of abode in Hong Kong) who wish to study in Hong Kong and you will need to apply for it before you arrive. A person who enters Hong Kong as a visitor cannot become a student at a school, university or any other educational institutions.
The visa application process normally takes around six to eight weeks at the Immigration Department after all required documents are received. To avoid delays in enrolment, please submit the visa application at your earliest convenience.
The information below applies to overseas students. For students from Chinese Mainland, Macau and Taiwan, please refer to the Chinese version of this page.
How to apply
1) An application form for “Entry for Study in Hong Kong” (ID995A), with relevant parts on pages 1-4 duly completed and signed. A passport-sized photo must be properly affixed to the form. Please read the “Guidebook for Entry for Study in Hong Kong” carefully before completing the application form. Both the form and the guidebook can be downloaded from the website of the Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) at www.immd.gov.hk/eng/forms/hk-visas/study.html. You may refer to our sample. Please submit the SIGNED application form with your signature.
2) A copy of your identity and travel documents:
Identity and travel documents required | Remarks | |
| Chinese Mainland | • Mainland ID | - |
| • Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macau (EEP) | EEP is not required for the visa application process, but you must present it when entering Hong Kong. If you do not currently have an EEP, please submit the visa application first. You may apply for the EEP while your visa application is being processed. For those who already hold an EEP, please ensure its validity covers your entire study period. If it does not, please renew it before entering Hong Kong, and do not include your EEP information in the application form. | |
| • Household Registration Card | If you have changed your name before, please provide proof of the previous name(s) used. | |
| Taiwan, China | • Taiwan ID | - |
| • Passport | Pages showing personal particulars, photo, passport validity (which should preferably cover the normative period of study for the admitted programme), signature, and details of any re-entry visa held (if applicable). | |
| Macau, China | • Macau SAR ID | - |
| • Visit Permit for Residents of Macau to HKSAR | It is preferred that the passport validity covers the normative period of study for the admitted programme. If the validity of the Visit Permit for Residents of Macau to HKSAR does not cover your graduation date, please renew it as soon as possible. (Portuguese passport holders, please provide the information of your passport.) | |
| Other passport holders | • Passport | Pages showing personal particulars, photo, passport validity (it is preferred that the validity covers the normative period of study for the admitted programme), signature, and details of any re-entry visa held (if applicable). If the validity of your passport is insufficient to cover your graduation date, please renew it as soon as possible and include the renewed passport in your visa application. |
3) A copy of the financial statement of the applicant*;
OR
Financial statement of the applicant’s parents or guardians*; and
a) A Letter of Undertaking confirming his/her full financial support for the expenses of the applicant’s study in Hong Kong.
b) A copy of the parents’ or guardian’s passport/ Mainland ID.
* Financial standing (e.g., photocopies of bank statements, savings account passbooks, scholarship offer letter, tax receipts, and employment certificates) should cover 1 year of expenses for your study in Hong Kong (approximately HKD$260,000).
4) If the applicant is under the age of 18, one of the applicant’s parents should authorise the sponsor (the University) or his/her relatives or friends in Hong Kong to act as the guardian.
a) Submit a consent letter duly signed by one of the applicant’s parents (Sample).
b) Submit a copy of the passport of the consent letter signer.
5) If you currently hold another visa, please submit a copy of the visa, landing slip (if any), HKID (if any), and Letter of Undertaking for the current visa (as requested).
6) If your dependants wish to join you to reside in the HKSAR, please submit the application(s) directly to the Hong Kong Immigration Department on your own. For details, please visit the Hong Kong Immigration Department website.
Necessary documents should be sent to Global Affairs Office (GAO) by courier before a specific deadline. GAO will then submit the application to the Hong Kong Immigration Department for approval. It normally takes around six to eight weeks to process a visa application. Once granted, a e-Visa will be sent to you via email.
Visa fee
Please note that once the visa application is being processed by GAO, the visa processing fee, which is HK$ 630, cannot be refunded. Further details will be provided in Email Notifications.
E-Visa and Student Visa Activation
The Immigration Department has implemented the “e-Visa” arrangement. Upon receiving the e-Visa, you have to bring it with you when you travel to Hong Kong. Upon arrival in Hong Kong, you need to show the e-Visa to an Immigration Officer to activate your student visa. You will then receive a landing slip showing “Student-Permitted to remain until DD-MM-YYYY”. It bears your name, travel document number, arrival date, conditions and limit of stay in Hong Kong.
Without the landing slip, your student visa is not activated and you will NOT be able to register with The Education University of Hong Kong.
Notes:
- All applications are processed and determined by the Hong Kong Immigration Department. Approval is entirely discretionary and subject to changes in government policies. The Director of Immigration reserves the absolute discretion to refuse any application, even if it meets all eligibility criteria.
- For students from Taiwan, the single-entry permit is granted when the visa application was approved. Taiwan students may apply for a "Multiple Entry Permit" (MEP) and transfer the endorsement onto the MEP to facilitate future travel to and from Hong Kong after entering Hong Kong on the first time. The following documents are required: Passport, Identity card of Taiwan, student visa, recent passport size photo, ID931 (Application for a Multiple Entry Permit for the HKSAR) and ID405 (Application for an Endorsement to a Travel Document). You may download the application form from the Hong Kong Immigration Department website.
- The information in this web page serves as reference only. Please visit the web page of The Immigration Department of the HKSAR regularly for the latest information.
