What this guide covers
- Prepare identity and existing-permission records for mandatory official fields first, then choose evidence for your renewal route.
- Clarity, consistent dates and cross-checkable facts matter more than attachment volume.
- This guide separates official document lists from our organisation suggestions. Individual supplementary requests take priority.
Connect your identity to your current permission
The identity records need to connect the person applying with their current permission to stay. The GovHK service lists a Hong Kong identity card, travel-document pages showing personal particulars and the latest conditions and limit of stay, and the latest e-Visa where applicable.
Follow the mandatory fields, and check whether an older document still holds relevant immigration records. After replacing a document, the new particulars page alone may not connect to the stay recorded in the old one.
- Principal applicant: identity card, valid travel document and latest permission/e-Visa records.
- Every dependant: their own documents and stay records, plus sponsor identity and permission evidence.
- Changed details: formal records linking old and new names, documents or numbers.
- Dates: confirm you remain within permitted stay and check travel-document validity and service restrictions.
We suggest a household document/expiry table, but it cannot replace each person’s formal records. Do not edit original document images to make differing information appear consistent; explain differences with verifiable evidence.
Employment: contracts, pay and duties
Paragraph 76 lists documents that may include an employment contract, latest salary-payment notice, bank advice or statement showing the most recent salary payment, and a detailed employer-issued job description on company letterhead, stamped and signed by an authorised person. Reflect current employment: pay, job or responsibility changes need to connect old offers with new records.
If pay records do not match at first glance, a short explanation can save the reader from guessing. We suggest noting the payslip and bank-credit months in the index and explaining any difference in payer name or amount.
A credit containing reimbursement should not all be counted as salary, and an offer for work that has not begun cannot be described as months of paid employment. The cited paragraph does not prescribe the same statement period for everyone; follow a supplementary letter when it requests a particular period.
Business: provide the records that apply
| Group | Applicable items in the official guidance | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate structure | Business registration, incorporation or overseas-company registration, current shareholder/director information and relevant registers | Identify the entity and your role |
| Finances and transactions | Latest audited statements; where unavailable, management accounts with banking and transaction evidence | Explain genuine operations and financial position |
| Operations | Office tenancy, staff list with MPF proof, company profile | Explain premises, people, suppliers and markets |
| Your role and plans | Duties, remuneration, actual investment and proof, development plans | Connect personal input with business development |
These follow paragraph 77 and apply according to circumstances. Explain why an item does not apply and what evidence is available rather than silently deleting it.
For a business younger than a complete accounting year, identify reporting dates clearly. Keep forecasts separate from completed performance.
Add relevant residence and family evidence
First and further ordinary General Points Test extensions involve different settlement requirements. The guidance does not set one universal number of residence records or days.
We suggest organising genuine leases, accommodation, children’s schooling or other living records and explaining cross-border or lengthy absences in a timeline. These support facts; no fixed collection of bills guarantees approval.
Dependant permission is generally linked to the sponsor, but each person still needs an application. Do not simply reuse first-application evidence when relationships, guardianship, marriage or household arrangements have changed.
A parent or legal guardian must sign for dependants under 16. Prepare other evidence according to the service and individual request.
Make the files readable and ready to upload
GovHK currently accepts JPEG, PDF, GIF, PNG or specified TIF formats, with each file no larger than 5MB. Documents without photographs can be greyscale; those containing photographs should be in colour.
Upload counts differ by field, so check the current interface. Reopen compressed files to inspect text, stamps and signatures, rather than checking size alone.
- Group by official upload field, then name files by date and type rather than “latest final version 2”.
- When combining pages, preserve order and necessary reverse sides so the source remains identifiable.
- For documents outside Chinese or English, attach translations certified by a qualified translator under the official requirements. Machine translation is not certified translation.
- Retain the entire submitted version locally, together with confirmations, receipts and supplementary correspondence.
Check these six possible omissions before filing
- A travel-document cover without personal particulars or current permission records.
- An employer letter lacking detailed duties or the required signature, stamp and letterhead.
- Business registration without applicable accounts and real transactions.
- Failure to check spouse and child applications separately, assuming one payment completes the family.
- Outdated documents without explanations of pay, document, ownership or address changes.
- Evidence covering a different period from the supplementary request.
If a document is unavailable, first establish whether it is mandatory or specifically requested in your case, then ask the issuer and Immigration about acceptable handling. Filling the space with unrelated photographs will not resolve the missing evidence.
The practical aim is to support the important facts with credible records and complete submission while enough lawful stay remains.
Frequently asked questions
Does this checklist guarantee no supplementary requests?
No. The department may seek further information or originals. Complete basic documents do not necessarily satisfy every assessment requirement.
Must every document be notarised?
Do not extend one certification rule to every record. Follow service and individual instructions. Other-language certified translations have separate requirements; provide originals or specific certification when requested.
Does the 5MB limit allow unlimited uploads?
No. Each field has its own file-count limit. Check the current interface and preserve readability and sensible grouping.
May I redact bills or bank records?
Retain the information needed to identify people, dates, relevant transactions and application facts. For uncertain privacy or confidentiality issues, ask whether alternative evidence or a particular treatment is acceptable.
Official sources and further reading
This guide draws on the sources below, last checked on 2026-11-13. Before acting, recheck the relevant authority’s current eligibility, fees and annual arrangements.
Hong Kong Immigration DepartmentQMAS Guidance Notes, ID(C) 982 (07/2026), paragraphs 72–79Checked 2026-11-13 · Open official sourceGovHKOnline extensions of stay: QMAS entrants and their dependantsChecked 2026-11-13 · Open official sourceHong Kong Immigration DepartmentDependants: supporting documents, extensions and conditions of stayChecked 2026-11-13 · Open official sourceCheck whether each item is an official requirement, case-specific evidence or an editorial suggestion. Other people’s experiences may help, but decisions on your case remain with Immigration or the relevant authority.
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