Moving to the UK from Hong Kong: Guide

The British National (Overseas) Visa

The British National (Overseas) visa opened in January 2021. GOV.UK says you can apply if you are 18 or older and you are either a British national (overseas) or the child of a British national (overseas) born on or after 1 July 1979. Your permanent home must be in Hong Kong if you are applying from outside the UK, or in the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Hong Kong if you are applying from inside it.

What GOV.UK publishes about the route:

• You choose a visa of 2 years and 6 months or of 5 years, and you can keep extending it while you are in the UK.
• You can live, work and study in the UK. No sponsor is needed.
• There is no English language requirement.
• You must show you have enough money to support yourself and any family applying with you for 6 months in the UK, including accommodation costs. This does not apply if you have already lived in the UK for at least 12 months. At least one of the financial documents must be dated within 31 days of the application.
• Family members usually apply at the same time as you. A partner, a child under 18, and an adult dependent relative can apply separately.
• After 5 years living in the UK you can apply for settlement (indefinite leave to remain).

GOV.UK's service standard for a decision on an application made outside the UK on this route is 12 weeks.

What the British National (Overseas) Visa Costs

These are the fees GOV.UK publishes, per person. The Home Office publishes them in pounds and gives no Hong Kong dollar price, so this guide gives no conversion.

• Visa for 2 years and 6 months: £206
• Visa for 5 years: £285
• Healthcare surcharge, adult: £2,587.50 for 2 years and 6 months, £5,175 for 5 years
• Healthcare surcharge, child under 18: £1,940 for 2 years and 6 months, £3,880 for 5 years

The visa fee is low compared with other routes, but the healthcare surcharge is the same £1,035 a year that applies generally, and £776 a year for a child, so it is the larger part of the bill. See our UK visa fees guide.

Visiting Rather Than Moving

The Immigration Rules visa national list names holders of a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport as an exception, so they do not need a visit visa. What is needed instead is an electronic travel authorisation, which costs £20, for a visit of up to 6 months. Everyone travelling needs their own, including babies and children. It is also needed to pass through UK border control on the way somewhere else; staying airside in the airport does not need one.

Other Visa Routes

• Skilled Worker visa. For people without British National (Overseas) status. Requires a licensed sponsor and a salary of at least £41,700 a year, or the going rate for the occupation code if that is higher, at degree level (RQF 6) for a new applicant since 22 July 2025. English at B2 has been required for new applications since 8 January 2026. See the Skilled Worker visa guide.
• Youth Mobility Scheme. Open to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport holders aged 18 to 30, but only after being selected in the scheme's ballot. British nationals (overseas) are separately eligible at 18 to 30. The visa costs £340 and lasts up to 24 months, you need £2,530 in savings, and the healthcare surcharge is £776 a year.
• Student visa. £558. See the student visa guide.
• Family visa. See the spouse visa guide. The minimum income requirement is £29,000 a year for a new application.
• Graduate route. 2 years after a UK degree, or 3 years after a PhD. For applications made on or after 1 January 2027 the 2-year period shortens to 18 months. See the Graduate route guide.

Document Requirements

• A valid passport or travel document. On the British National (Overseas) route this can be a British National (Overseas) passport or a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport; the Home Office checks the status on its own records.
• Evidence of where you live and, where relevant, evidence of your family relationships.
• Tuberculosis test certificate. Needed if you are coming for 6 months or more and have lived in Hong Kong, or another listed country, for 6 months or more within the last 6 months. It must be done at a Home Office approved clinic in Hong Kong. Each clinic publishes its own fee.
• No English language test on the British National (Overseas) route. An approved test is needed on the Skilled Worker and partner routes.
• Criminal record certificate. Not needed for most applications. GOV.UK asks for one from a Skilled Worker applying from outside the UK whose job is in education, healthcare, therapy or social services. The Hong Kong document is a Certificate of No Criminal Conviction from the Hong Kong Police Force.
• Money to support yourself. On the British National (Overseas) route, enough for you and your family for 6 months, including accommodation.

Healthcare

Paying the healthcare surcharge does not make the National Health Service free. It buys care on the same basis as a UK resident, so you then pay what a resident pays. In England that is £9.90 for a prescription and dental charges of £27.90, £76.60 or £332.10 depending on the band of treatment. Prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Hong Kong Community in the UK

People arriving on this route have settled across the UK rather than only in London: Manchester, Birmingham, Reading and Glasgow among others have new Hong Kong communities, with Cantonese-speaking churches, community groups and messaging groups offering support. The Home Office does not publish a count of Hong Kong residents living in the UK, so this guide gives none.

After Arrival

• Set up or sign in to your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account and check your online immigration status. There is no card to collect: biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024
• Apply for a National Insurance number
• Register with a doctor (GP surgery)
• Open a UK bank account
• Understand your employment rights

Path to Settlement and Citizenship

After 5 years living in the UK on the British National (Overseas) route, apply for settlement (indefinite leave to remain), which costs £3,226 for each person and needs the Life in the UK test and English at B1. Twelve months after receiving settlement, apply for British citizenship, which costs £1,709 plus a £130 ceremony fee.

Next Steps

Check first whether you hold British National (Overseas) status, then read the GOV.UK British National (Overseas) visa page, which sets out the eligibility, the documents and the current fees.

Questions and answers