Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China vs Republic of Indonesia
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and Republic of Indonesia government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- Immigration Department
Immigration Department (Hong Kong SAR) - verified
- Direktorat Jenderal Imigrasi (Directorate General of Immigration)
Directorate General of Immigration (Indonesia) - verified
- Immigration Department - General Employment Policy
Immigration Department (Hong Kong SAR) - verified
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
Hong Kong's Immigration Department runs a suite of talent and employment admission schemes rather than a single points-based system. The headline routes are the General Employment Policy (GEP) for sponsored professionals, the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS) and Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) for talent without a prior job offer, and the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG). Most schemes are residence tracks: seven years of continuous ordinary residence can lead to the right of abode.
- Official portal
- Immigration Department (Hong Kong SAR)
- Languages
- Chinese, English
- Currency
- Hong Kong dollar
Republic of Indonesia
Indonesia regulates foreign stay through the Directorate General of Immigration, now under the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections, with most applications filed via the official e-visa portal. The headline routes are the employer-sponsored Work KITAS, the Investor KITAS for PT PMA company stakeholders, the multi-year Golden Visa and Second Home Visa for self-funded residents, and the KITAP permanent-stay permit. Work-permit approvals also involve the Ministry of Manpower.
- Official portal
- Directorate General of Immigration (Indonesia)
- Languages
- Indonesian
- Currency
- Indonesian rupiah
How Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and Republic of Indonesia differ
| Dimension | Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China | Republic of Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 8 | 7 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 5 | 3 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 8 | 5 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | GEP residence -> extensions -> right of abode/permanent resident status after 7 years of continuous ordinary residence. | — |
| Dominant skilled visa | General Employment Policy (GEP) | Work KITAS (Limited Stay Permit) |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | No fixed published floor | — |
| Skilled visa processing time | Hong Kong Immigration says General Employment Policy applications are normally finalised in four weeks once all documents and fees are received. | — |
| Skilled visa government fees | A Hong Kong GEP application with an initial stay over 180 days costs HKD 1,900 in listed Immigration Department fees. | — |
| Official languages | Chinese, English | Indonesian |
| Currency | Hong Kong dollar | Indonesian rupiah |
| Primary regulator | Law Society | PERADI |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 0 | 0 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
General Employment Policy (GEP)
- Salary minimum
- No fixed published floor
- Government fees
- A Hong Kong GEP application with an initial stay over 180 days costs HKD 1,900 in listed Immigration Department fees.
- Processing time
- Hong Kong Immigration says General Employment Policy applications are normally finalised in four weeks once all documents and fees are received.
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Republic of Indonesia
Work KITAS (Limited Stay Permit)
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Routes unique to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
Routes unique to Republic of Indonesia
Visa routes side by side
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (8)
General Employment Policy (GEP)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial stay normally up to 36 months on employment conditions; extensions typically follow a 3+3+2-year pattern.
Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial stay normally up to 36 months under the General Points Test (or a longer initial period for Achievement-based applicants); renewable.
Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial stay of 36 months (Category A) or 24 months (Categories B and C); renewable on meeting the criteria.
Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial stay of 24 months on time limitation only; renewable subject to meeting the criteria.
Technology Talent Admission Scheme (TechTAS)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Employment-based stay aligned with the company quota and the applicant contract; renewable subject to continued eligibility.
Entry for Investment as Entrepreneurs
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial stay normally up to 36 months on employment (business) conditions; extensions follow the standard pattern.
Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (CIES)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial stay granted under the scheme, renewable while the investment and asset requirements continue to be met.
Entry for Residence as Dependants
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Stay normally aligned with the sponsor permitted period of stay; renewable alongside the sponsor.
Republic of Indonesia (7)
Work KITAS (Limited Stay Permit)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Commonly issued for periods of up to about two years, renewable while employment continues.
Investor KITAS (Limited Stay Permit for Investors)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Commonly issued for periods of up to about two years, renewable while the qualifying investment and role continue.
Golden Visa (5 and 10-year)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Granted for 5 or 10 years depending on the qualifying tier, renewable.
Second Home Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Issued for multi-year periods (commonly a 5 or 10-year track), renewable subject to conditions.
Family / Spouse KITAS
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Commonly issued for periods of up to about two years, renewable while the family relationship continues.
Student KITAS (Limited Stay Permit for Study)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Aligned to the study programme, commonly up to about one or two years and renewable while enrolled.
KITAP (Permanent Stay Permit)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Issued for a multi-year period and renewable, with provisions for extended validity.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China or Republic of Indonesia?+
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China’s General Employment Policy (GEP) requires a salary of at least No fixed published floor; Republic of Indonesia’s Work KITAS (Limited Stay Permit) is the dominant skilled route. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Does Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China or Republic of Indonesia have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China has more: 5 of its covered routes can be pursued without an employer sponsor, against 3 for Republic of Indonesia. No-sponsor routes — such as digital-nomad, self-employment, and points-based skilled migration — matter most if you do not yet have a job offer.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China vs Republic of Indonesia immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/hong-kong/vs/indonesia. Last verified 27 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons