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  3. Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China vs Republic of Indonesia

🇭🇰 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: 27 June 2026

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 27 June 2026

Primary sources

  • Immigration Department

    Immigration Department (Hong Kong SAR) - verified 1 June 2026

  • Direktorat Jenderal Imigrasi (Directorate General of Immigration)

    Directorate General of Immigration (Indonesia) - verified 1 June 2026

  • Immigration Department - General Employment Policy

    Immigration Department (Hong Kong SAR) - verified 1 June 2026

🇭🇰

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 covered87
Routes without employer sponsor53
Routes leading to permanent residence85
Typical full settlement timelineGEP residence -> extensions -> right of abode/permanent resident status after 7 years of continuous ordinary residence.—
Dominant skilled visaGeneral Employment Policy (GEP)Work KITAS (Limited Stay Permit)
Skilled visa salary minimumNo fixed published floor—
Skilled visa processing timeHong Kong Immigration says General Employment Policy applications are normally finalised in four weeks once all documents and fees are received.—
Skilled visa government feesA Hong Kong GEP application with an initial stay over 180 days costs HKD 1,900 in listed Immigration Department fees.—
Official languagesChinese, EnglishIndonesian
CurrencyHong Kong dollarIndonesian rupiah
Primary regulatorLaw SocietyPERADI
Policy changes (last 12 months)00

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

  • Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS)

    skilled-migration

  • Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS)

    work-unsponsored

  • Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG)

    work-unsponsored

  • Entry for Investment as Entrepreneurs

    entrepreneur

Routes unique to Republic of Indonesia

  • Second Home Visa

    residence-general

  • Student KITAS (Limited Stay Permit for Study)

    study

  • KITAP (Permanent Stay Permit)

    residence-general

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.

Page
https://visaatlas.org/compare/hong-kong/vs/indonesia
JSON endpoint
https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons

Underlying comparison sources (3)

  • Immigration Department
  • Stay permits (Izin Tinggal Keimigrasian) - Directorate General of Immigration
  • Immigration Department - General Employment Policy

This is not legal advice

We publish neutral, sourced information about immigration routes. Rules and thresholds change often — always verify details on the official government source linked on this page and consult a regulated immigration advisor before applying.