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If I've just arrived in Hong Kong to settle there, as a non-HK-national, how could I go about getting a Hong Kong bank account?

I'm interested in the kinds of documents one would have to produce, and especially any that might be troublesome for a new arrival? For example, if you're staying in a hotel, is that going to be OK for address, or would you need to wait until you've moved into somewhere more permanent?

(Note - this is an attempt to produce a more site on-topic version of this question)

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You will require the following

  • Your travel document (passport)
  • Your HKID Card
  • A paper bill addressed to your name, with your home mailing address OR a lease agreement in your name.

This is an example of what they expect: Standard Chartered - documents required.

You could probably get away without a bill with your home address (since you're staying in a hotel) if you have a letter of employment from your employer. This would also be required if you have yet to obtain your HKID.

Alternately if you have an HSBC Premier account (or maybe the top tier Standard Chartered) in your home country, your HSBC Premier account representative will be able to handle opening an account for you prior to your arrival. Unfortunately Advance and regular HSBC clients are not privy to this service.

Over the past few years they have gotten a lot stricter, and these requirements are not optional.

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  • Address verification is pretty strict in my experience. I forgot to bring a bill with my name and address on it and the bank refused to process the application, even though my father was with me and has an active account with them. I'd recommend trying to open an account at a branch within expat areas too as they tend to know how to handle these situations better.
    – Sam
    May 5, 2014 at 0:25
  • Yes, they are very strict about you needing to live in Hong Kong now. This wasn't the case 5 years ago, but now a bill or letter of employment is absolutely necessary.
    – Kevin Willock
    May 6, 2014 at 6:54

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