Tips for a stress-free relocation to Hong Kong

Moving to a new city, especially a fast-paced and dynamic one like Hong Kong, can be exciting. Whether you're relocating for work, family, or personal development, thorough planning is crucial for a smooth transition. To assist you in navigating this journey, here are some practical tips to ensure a stress-free relocation.

Plan your move during the off-season

Relocation to Hong Kong is a highly seasonal business, especially between June and September, when families often prefer to move during summer breaks. If, however, you're not bound by this timing, consider moving during the off-season and avoid moving during the Chinese New Year or summer vacation. This period offers several advantages:

• More flexibility: Moving companies are less busy, giving you more scheduling options.

• Lower costs: Reduced demand could lead to more competitive rates for moving, storage and additional services.

• Better holiday preparation: Settling in before major holidays allows you to enjoy the festivities without the stress of moving.

But if you're relocating with children, you should also consider school arrangements.

Plan ahead for school enrolment

If you want your children to integrate into the local community and culture as soon as possible, consider enrolling your children in mainstream schools in Hong Kong. The Education Bureau provides various support programmes and assistance to help students adjust to the local education system, language and culture. Still, please note that non-local children need to hold valid documents to enter public sector schools.  For details, please refer to the prevailing EDB Circular on “Entry of Non-local Children and Children Holding a Form of Recognizance to Schools in Hong Kong”.

If you wish to apply for admission to K1 classes of kindergartens joining the Kindergarten Education Scheme (hereafter referred to as “the Scheme”) for your children, you are required to submit an application for Registration Certificate for Kindergarten Admission (“RC”) to the Education Bureau from September to November of the school year prior to your children’s year of admission.

Or, if you would like to enrol your children in publicly-funded primary and secondary schools, subject to age eligibility, they may participate in Primary One Admission (POA) or Secondary School Places Allocation (SSPA) at the commencement of the next school year (i.e. September). Please note the following key dates (Note 1) :

	Application period (the dates/periods listed below fall within the school year prior to school admission) (Note 2)	Date of results announcement (the dates/periods listed below fall within the school year prior to school admission) (Note 2)
Admission Arrangements for Nursery (K1) Classe (Note 3)	September to November Application for RC (Note 4) Application for admission to K1 classes of the parents’ preferred kindergartens	Before mid-December To be informed by kindergartens of the admission application result
POA	Late September Application for Discretionary Places of government and aided primary schools	November
	September to January Application for participation in Central Allocation of P1 place	Early June
	January to August Children who have not participated in POA can apply to School Places Allocation Section of the Education Bureau for a P1 place in government and aided schools for the next school year	To be informed by batches in early June, end of June, mid-July and mid-August; and to be informed individually after mid-August
SSPA (Note 5)	Early January to mid-January Application for Discretionary Places of government, aided and caput schools & Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) secondary schools participating in SSPA	Early July
	Early April to early May P6 students studying in schools that participate in SSPA can apply for participation in Central Allocation of S1 places	Early July
	May to August P6 students studying in schools that have not participated in SSPA can apply to School Places Allocation Section of the Education Bureau for a subsidised S1 place for the next school year	To be informed by batches in early July, end of July and mid-August; and to be informed individually after mid-August

Note:

(1) Subject to the official announcement of the Education Bureau each year.

(2) If you plan to arrange your children to study in K1, P1 or S1 in September 2025 (i.e. the first month of the 2025/26 school year), the September and January mentioned in the table refer to September 2024 and January 2025 respectively.

(3) The Government has implemented the Scheme from the 2017/18 school year.  All Scheme-KGs can only admit children holding valid registration documents, i.e. “RC” or “Kindergarten Admission Pass” (“AP”), and shall collect such valid registration documents from the children at the time of registration.  Parents are required to apply timely and obtain a valid registration document to complete the registration procedure for admission to a K1 class in a Scheme-KG.  

(4) Upon receipt of the applications with all necessary information and documents provided, it generally takes six to eight weeks for the Education Bureau to complete processing of the applications and issue the RC/AP to parents by post.

(5) For DSS secondary schools not participating in SSPA, the application period and date of results announcement are set at the schools' discretion.  For details, please contact the schools or browse the school websites.

Alternatively, if you want your children to study non-local curricula, international schools are an option among parents as well.  Application for admission to international schools usually opens about one year (or even an extra few months earlier) before the start of academic year.  Some schools accept rolling-application all-year round, while others work with fixed application deadlines.  It is thus wise to plan in detail and at least more than one year ahead for the admission of your child.  For more details, you can refer to “International Schools”.

Declutter before you move

Decluttering before your move can help maximise your new living area and reduce the items you need to transport. For belongings that won't fit in your new place but you want to keep, consider using a mini-storage service for temporary safekeeping. For a more seamless and personalized moving experience, you may want to consider services from immigration consultants and international transport companies. Hong Kong Talent Engagement (HKTE) has partnered with integrated settlement services partners to assist you with various aspects of your relocation. For more information on these support services, please visit our Supporting Services page.

Setting up utilities in your new home

Unless you plan to stay in a serviced apartment or have secured a tenancy agreement that covers utilities with the landlord, you will likely need to sign up for water, gas, electricity, and Internet. Fortunately, most Hong Kong utility companies make this process easy for you with online services to open new accounts:

• Water Supplies Department
• Electricity company
  If you live on Hong Kong Island or Lamma Island – Hongkong Electric Company
  If you live in Kowloon, New Territories or other outlying islands – CLP Power Hong Kong Limited
• Gas company – Towngas

For those aspiring tech-integrated smart living, consider subscribing to a local Internet Service Providers (ISP) offering IoT-powered smart home services to embrace the future of urban living in the Smart City of Hong Kong.

Here’s to a smooth and stress-free settling!

When strategically planned, relocating to Hong Kong can be a smoother and more cost-effective process. By carefully scheduling your move, booking essential services in advance, and leveraging off-peak periods, you can sidestep peak season stress and settle into your new chapter with ease. Happy moving!