Hong Kong has no retirement visa. Thailand, the Philippines and Cambodia all have one for someone with a pension and savings. A Western retiree can live in Hong Kong in only four ways: by investing about $3.8 million, through a close family member who lives there permanently, by having been a permanent resident in the past, or as a visitor with no right to stay.
For most people reading this, Hong Kong is out of reach. This article sets out each route as of November 2026, then compares the countries in Southeast Asia where you can qualify for far less.
The investor route: HK$30 million, at any age
The only way to buy residence in Hong Kong is the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (New CIES). It has no upper age limit and doesn't require you to work, which makes it the closest thing Hong Kong has to a retirement visa.
- You must show net assets of at least HK$30 million (about $3.8 million), held throughout the six months before you apply.
- You then invest HK$30 million in Hong Kong. HK$27 million goes into permitted assets: Hong Kong-listed shares, bonds, authorized funds or property. The other HK$3 million goes into a government-run portfolio that is locked for seven years, with no guarantee of capital or returns.
- A home counts only in part. Residential property counts for at most HK$10 million (about $1.3 million), and only if it's a single property bought for HK$30 million or more. A retiree who buys a HK$30 million flat still has to invest another HK$20 million.
- You must be able to cover your living costs without relying on any return from the investment.
The visa runs for two years, then three, then three, and you must be in Hong Kong to apply for each extension. After seven years of living there you can apply for permanent residency.
So a retiree needs the $3.8 million, plus enough separate income or savings to live in one of the most expensive cities in Asia.
Family sponsorship
Hong Kong lets residents sponsor close family as dependants, and this is the one route that works for a retiree who doesn't have millions of dollars to invest.
Parents aged 60 or over can be sponsored only by a child who is a Hong Kong permanent resident or who holds right to land or unconditional stay, according to the Immigration Department's dependant guidebook. A son or daughter working in Hong Kong on an employment or talent visa can bring a spouse and children, but not parents. For a child who moved to Hong Kong as an adult, permanent residency normally takes seven years of living there.
The child must show they can support you at a standard "well above the subsistence level" and provide suitable accommodation. No income figure is published, and approval is at the department's discretion. Stays are granted for two years, then two, then three. After seven years you can apply for permanent residency, but approval isn't automatic: the law lets the department consider whether you have a reasonable income of your own.
A spouse or registered partner can be sponsored by a permanent resident, and by most people living in Hong Kong on a work or investment visa. Overseas same-sex marriages and civil partnerships have qualified since 2018. Cohabiting partners who aren't married or registered don't qualify.
Former permanent residents
A non-Chinese permanent resident who leaves Hong Kong loses that status after 36 months' continuous absence, but automatically gets right to land instead. Right to land lets you live in Hong Kong with no visa, no conditions and no income test, however long you've been away. You have to apply in person in Hong Kong to confirm your status.
Visa-free visits
British citizens can visit Hong Kong for up to 180 days at a time. Americans, Canadians, Australians, and citizens of Ireland, Germany, France and the Netherlands get 90 days, according to the Immigration Department's list (updated August 2026).
Some people try to live in Hong Kong on back-to-back visits. The department states that taking up residence requires a visa, and an officer has discretion at every arrival to decide whether to let you in. Officers assess visitors who come unusually often and may refuse them entry or shorten their stay.
Cost of living, healthcare and tax
With rent, food, utilities and transport, a retired couple should expect to spend about $4,500 to $5,500 a month in Hong Kong. Government rental data put a 60-square-meter flat in the New Territories, the cheapest region, at about HK$17,700 a month, or about $2,300 (Rating and Valuation Department, September 2026). In Kowloon the same flat costs about $3,300.
Once you hold a Hong Kong identity card, which anyone allowed to stay more than 180 days must get, you generally pay public hospital rates: HK$300 (about $38) a day in a general ward, against HK$7,400 (about $940) for a non-resident. Hong Kong also taxes only income that arises in Hong Kong, so a pension from abroad is generally outside its tax system.
Where you can qualify instead
Each of the six countries we cover has a route a retiree can use for far less than Hong Kong requires. Vietnam's is a workaround, and Malaysia's needs capital, though much less than Hong Kong's.
| Country | Main route for retirees | Minimum age | Money required | Typical monthly cost for a couple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong | New CIES investor visa | 18 | HK$30 million (about $3.8 million) invested in Hong Kong | About $4,500 to $5,500 |
| Thailand | Non-O retirement extension, renewed yearly | 50 | 800,000 baht (about $24,000) in a Thai bank, or income of 65,000 baht (about $2,000) a month | About $3,300 |
| Philippines | SRRV permanent residence | 50 | A $15,000 deposit with a lifetime pension of at least $800 a month, or $30,000 without one | About $2,200 |
| Cambodia | ER retirement extension, renewed yearly | 55 | No published minimum. An officer decides whether your income is enough | About $3,200 |
| Indonesia | Second Home visa (E33E), five years | 55 (the regulation says 60) | $50,000 in an Indonesian state bank, plus $3,000 a month in income | About $3,000 |
| Malaysia | MM2H Silver, five years | 25 | A $150,000 deposit, plus a home bought in Malaysia (about $170,000 at the cheapest) | About $3,250, owning your home |
| Vietnam | No retirement visa. Most retirees use 90-day e-visas, renewed by leaving the country | None | None | About $2,850 |
Thailand has the closest match to Hong Kong for anyone who wants a large Asian city with good private hospitals: Bangkok. The retirement extension is the route most foreign retirees there use, and many American, British, Canadian and Australian pensions meet its income test. Our article on Thailand's retirement visa routes compares it with the five- and ten-year visas.
The Philippines gives permanent residence for a bank deposit, with no yearly renewal, and English is widely spoken. Our article on the SRRV explains the tiers.
Cambodia has the lowest published requirements: from 55, no deposit and no income minimum. Our article on retiring in Cambodia covers the drawbacks.
Indonesia asks for a state-bank deposit and $3,000 a month in income for its five-year second-home visa. The official sources disagree on whether the minimum age is 55 or 60.
Malaysia requires capital: the federal program needs a deposit and a home purchase, about $320,000 at the cheapest, as compared to Hong Kong's $3.8 million. Kuala Lumpur and Penang are the most Hong Kong-like cities on this list.
Vietnam has no retirement visa, and many retirees live there on 90-day visas, leaving the country to renew them. Our article on border runs explains what that involves. Vietnam does have a family route: a parent or spouse of a Vietnamese citizen can get a residence card for up to three years.
If you're not sure which of these you qualify for, Country Match checks your age, income and savings against each country's visa rules in about three minutes. The country pages detail every route.