Moving to Hong Kong is exciting, but it can be a daunting experience when you want to bring your pet with you. Hong Kong has its own regulations regarding anyone bringing a pet from abroad, and they must know about pet immigration before they can stay with their pet. You certainly don't want to leave your fluffy friends behind, and this article will explain the application procedures for bringing pets to Hong Kong such as registered vets, licensing requirements, and how to be a responsible pet owner while in Hong Kong.
Can I bring my pet to Hong Kong?
Before arriving in Hong Kong and bringing your pet, you must apply for a special permit and pay the specified fee to bring your pet. That regulation relates to pet imports to Hong Kong, and must be transferred by the most direct route or the fastest way from the exporting country to Hong Kong. Animals must be transported to Hong Kong as Manifested Cargo. The pet will be transported with a label with the current IATA LAR (Live Animal Regulations).
For pet relocation to Hong Kong, you must prepare moving and immigration tasks including your belongings, arranging transportation, booking flights, and handling documentation. Hong Kong has regulations for all types of pets brought in, and as a rabies-controlled area, there is a lot to take care of when you bring a pet into Hong Kong.
What are application procedures for bringing animals to Hong Kong?
Before you carry out pet immigration, you can prepare several things below to make it easier for you to bring your pet to Hong Kong.
Pet microchip
The dogs and cats you bring must be implanted with an ISO or AVID microchip. If the microchip cannot be found or read, the owner or importer must provide their own microchip scanner. If the microchip is not found anywhere on the body, the pet will be returned to the country of origin at the expense of the owner or importer.
Vaccinations
Dogs must be fully vaccinated against Hepatitis, Distemper, and Parvovirus. Cats must be fully vaccinated against cat flu and Feline Panleukopenia. Both dogs and cats must be fully vaccinated no more than one year or at least 14 days before entering Hong Kong. Dogs and cats from Groups 1 and 3 do not need to be vaccinated against rabies, but it is still recommended to vaccinate against rabies if your pet comes from a Group 3 country. Especially for pets from Group 2 countries, you must be vaccinated against rabies at least 30 days and no more than 1 year before you go to Hong Kong.
Health certificate
Dogs and cats must pass a health check, the health certificate can be made by the government vet, and not more than 14 days before the export.
Import permit
Dogs and cats can only enter Hong Kong with a special permit. The permit can be obtained from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of Hong Kong. The permit requires at least 3 working days to process the application. After you get the special permit, the import permit is valid for 6 months.
Pet transport Hong Kong
Before thinking about steps to get pet immigration, you need to think about which country your pet comes from. This is necessary because it will determine whether your pet will be quarantined first, or other requirements depending on the source of the pet. Hong Kong government differentiates the source of animal entry into three groups.
The first group of countries are the United Kingdom, Australia, Hawaii, Fiji, Ireland, New Zealand, Japan, and Jersey administrative region. The first group does not require pet entry quarantine and can enter Hong Kong smoothly because it has gone through pet vaccines and pet microchip.
The second group of countries are Bermuda, Austria, Bahrain, Finland, Canada, Cyprus, Guam, Italy, Germany, Malta, Luxembourg, Papua New Guinea, Norway, Solomon Islands, Seychelles, Switzerland, Spain, Vanuatu, Taiwan, Belgium, Bahamas , Brunei, Denmark, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, France, Jamaica, Iceland, Mauritius, Maldives, Portugal, New Caledonia, South Korea, Portugal, Sweden, Netherlands, Singapore, United States, and Virgin Islands. The second group does not require pet quarantine.
For other countries that are not included in the first and the second group of countries, the pet must be quarantined for 120 days upon entry to Hong Kong, and the cost is HK$5,520 for cat and HK$10,800 for dog.
Pet travelers to Hong Kong must prepare vaccination records, microchip implantation, pet health certificate, dog or cat license, import permit, Hong Kong pet import as cargo, and do not include bringing dangerous animals that are prohibited from entering Hong Kong such as American Pit Bull Terriers, Japanese Tosa, Brazilian Fila, and Argentine Dogo.
Is there an agency that can handle pet immigration?
If you are confused about the many steps you have to prepare to bring your fluffy friend to Hong Kong, SMEBrother can help you with pet immigration. We offer the following services : IATA-approved pet crates for transportation, advising the best way for your pet to Hong Kong, handling all pet travel and immigration procedures, managing all import and export documentation with the AFCD (Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department) , planning the best immigration route for your booking airlines, and pet transportation procedures.
寵物移民最新懶人包
SMEBrother has helped many pet owners to transport their furry gamily to Hong Kong with great reputation and trust. We will efficiently handle the Hong Kong's pet immigration matters and ensure that your pet will have a safe journey including equipment and documentation. We offer competitive pricing for your pet's entry into Hong Kong, ensuring transparency without any additional costs at the end and there will be no hidden costs.
Contact us immediately before you arrange a trip to Hong Kong, provide us with your information about you and your pet's travel, and let us think about the best steps to ensure your pet gets to Hong Kong and has taken care of all the necessary documents.
Did you know that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Hong Kong are growing every year as seen from SME performances and resilience after Covid-19 recovery and growth of the economy? There are now more than 340,000 SMEs in Hong Kong with 45% of its workforce in the private sector and constituting more than 98% of the city's business establishments. More than 1.3 million people have filled job opportunities SMEs have created to date. As an entrepreneur who wants to start opportunity in Hong Kong, you need to think about the stability of your business starting from a cost perspective. If you are confused about how to handle costs and require you to take out a loan, we will discuss guaranteed loans for SME in this article.
What is a SME loan?
Small and Medium Enterprises need cost stability for progressive impact on the industry and society. An SME loan is a type of business loan designed for entrepreneurs who want to plan to start and run their own business. SME Loan makes it easier for them to promote and support local industries for overall economic growth of Hong Kong.
The borrowers need to repay the loan amount according to the fixed interest rate. SME loans are very suitable for starting a business or for further expanding their business. Each lender has its own requirements and available offers and with different terms.
What is the purpose of SME loan?
The purpose of an SME loan is finance working capital or capital expenditure requirements for business in manufacturing, trading, production, processing, or service. Small businesses need funding to survive in their business so that they always get off the ground. There are many things that must be tackled, such as maintaining inventory, managing operations, upgrading equipment, or recovering from losses.
Should I Apply BUD Fund or TVP?
While medium businesses want to expand their business even further with loans so that they can remain steady in business competition while trying to expand the reach of their business. Sometimes there are certain conditions where companies have to take loans for their survival. As long as the company is able to return it according to the interest rate, the company's finances can become more stable and guarantee the progress of its business.
Is business loan and SME loan the same?
Many people still cannot differentiate between business loans and SME loans, thinking that they are the same thing. Even though they are both loans, their functions are different and what that means for your business.
Business loans will be taken to established businesses for various needs such as warehousing needs, renting more property, launching new products, hiring new employees, or other major needs. It can be differentiated from a term business loan, there are those who want to take short-term financing for short-term needs, or long-term needs as long as the company can show a good credit history.
While SME loans are needed by small and medium businesses who want to finance their daily operations or expand their business. SME loans can also be used to increase working capital, purchase equipment and inventory, but these are all initial steps so that the money the company has can be used for other, more priority needs. The loan amount is not as big as a business loan, but can still be used for marketing purposes, legal services, or hiring a few fresh talents.
Another thing that differentiates these two types of loans is documentation. The larger the loan amount required, the more documentation that must be prepared, such as shareholder lists, financial statements, directors and partners list, income tax returns, etc.
Benefits of guaranteed loans for SME
There are many benefits that can be obtained when a small or medium business gets guaranteed loans for SME. Here are some of the benefits you can get:
Flexible
With so many loan offers from lending institutions or banks, you will expect some great offers. Try to always look at those financial services backed by government schemes, provided interest rates and various terms as per your business needs. If you want to use an SME loan, you must be as flexible as possible to suit your business needs. Pay attention to repayment time and interest rates depending on your business progress and the scope of your financial returns.
Easy to avail
Almost all local banks and private financial institutions provide SME loans with their own terms. All of this is in order to advance SMEs which can have a positive impact on income growth in Hong Kong. Now you can do SME loan applications both offline or online. But don't be careless in making the decision to take a loan, because you have to determine how you will repay the loan and other conditions that must be taken into account.
Helps grow your business
If your business already has financial assistance to start or advance the business to a certain level, you can focus on work. Every step you take will have support costs, depending on your business decision to continue the business while looking at your company's financial ability to repay the loan you took.
Is there an agency that can provide guaranteed loans for SME?
SMEBrother is a professional business consultant in Hong Kong who has extensive knowledge of government-guaranteed SME loan programs. You will be helped to analyze the market and understand different government SME loan programs, fast corporate financing plans, and flexible formulas for you to repay the loan. You can get a maximum loan amount of up to 9 million with a maximum repayment period in 10 years with an annual interest rate of 2.5%.
SMEBrother is your most professional and reliable comprehensive business service partner, because we understand the customer's business model and financing needs, analyze whether your case and the company's ability to take loans is in accordance with the SME government guarantee program. We will assist customers to prepare required documents and help customers to choose the best option for commercial loan products among dozens of banks in Hong Kong.
SMEBrother will always be there starting from consultation, submitting the application case, following up the bank progress, striving for the maximum loan amount, taking lowest interest, up to loan approval as soon as possible. All of this is to help the customer's company grow as your SME BRO.
Many business owners like to open companies in Hong Kong because the company's decisions are fair and environmentally friendly. Business rules that are not too strict include changing personnel for various company positions. One of the most important personnel changes in a company is the position of director because this position holds important decisions in carrying out special business operations on behalf of the company. We must study the legal change of directors in Hong Kong, because it can be applied to all Hong Kong companies.
Hong Kong allows local and foreign directors and shareholders to leave or assume their position in a company. Companies in Hong Kong are allowed to change their structure, such as changing personnel such as directors or company secretaries whenever they need or according to their desires. Before changing a director in a Hong Kong company, there are several things that must be done. This article will discuss what is needed to change directors in Hong Kong companies.
Can a director be replaced?
So far we know that a director is a high position in a company and cannot be replaced. But in Hong Kong, directors can be replaced and that is legal in every Hong Kong company, as long as the requirements are met. You can look for assistance with this task by taking care of proper steps and documents needed for new directors. If everything is ready, the process will only take 1 or 2 days.
Every Hong Kong company must prepare at least one person to be the company director and one person to be the company secretary. It doesn't matter if a company has many directors, long as none of them have the double position of company secretary.
Reasons why directors can be replaced
There are many reasons why a company must change its director. What we know is that every Hong Kong company must have at least one active director for arranging for incorporation. Changing a company's board of directors can occur as a result of necessity or voluntarily. Reasons why a company must replace its directors are resignation, death, removal, or other circumstances. All Hong Kong companies must act within the company incorporation laws for legal change of directors.
For example, if a director resigns voluntarily, it must be with the approval of the other directors, and the company can ask the director to resign in the correct way to avoid being sacked. Every director who wants to resign must follow the terms of their contract, until they agree to resign and the company's register must quickly make the change.
The second example is the removal of directors through different means. If there are directors who do not meet the legal requirements in Hong Kong, they can be removed from their position.
The disqualification can be done instantly when they do not meet any of the compliance requirements. the company's shareholders can pass a resolution to remove the director as long as it does not violate any contractual agreement and legislative rule. Or the final example is a court order that can help change company directors.
What is the procedure to change the director?
There are two ways to change directors, namely by adding a director or removing a director. To add a director, some paperwork needs to be prepared. The form of a resolution is required to be signed by all the directors with the following information should be included such as the effective date of the change, full name, permanent addresses, and signed resolution.
Highlight the situation during the legal change of directors, because we must be clear that there is no conflict between the directors and company owners so that the process runs smoothly. After the resolution is received, the notice of change of director form must be submitted within 15 days until the resolution becomes effective.
All complete documents will be processed within 2 working days at the Hong Kong companies registry. The exact time to change the new director can be done during the next annual return.
What are the requirements to become a company director in Hong Kong?
The Hong Kong government has regulations that for every company there must be at least one director and it must be a natural person. That person may not serve as the company secretary. Directors can be local citizens or foreigners. The requirements are: the candidate must be at least 18 years old, citizen or foreigner, must have a valid passport, there is no limitation to the number of possible directors and at least one natural person, can be a corporate director or individual.
Why a Notary Is Essential for Every Single Business
Before legal change of directors, directors must understand specific statutory duties and responsibilities. The director must act in the best interests of the company, responsible for filing the profit tax returns and employees' returns, ensures that the company makes relevant filings and complies with all statutory laws, maintains accurate company records and carries out full accounting, monitors the company progress and achieve all set-out goals, making strategies and priorities on behalf of the company.
Some of the documents required for a Hong Kong company's change of director are: Letter of consent of new director, a signed director's resolution, resignation letter if necessary, change of director date, death certificate if the previous director died, full name of director which is the same as in their passport, permanent address of new director, identity card or information page of international passport.
Who can help with Legal change of directors in Hong Kong?
SMEBrother is the right place to help you with structural changes in the company. We will provide you with company incorporation services, one of which is changing directors for any reason. SMEBrother can handle all documentation and company registrations, to ensure that your company's needs comply with Hong Kong laws and we do it as quickly as possible.
Our experience is sufficient to handle your change of director processes and other company needs in accordance with Hong Kong law. If you want to learn more about the services we can provide for your business, please contact us.
Established in 2014, SMEBrother aims to provide reliable financial solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises, SMEBrother has since assisted over 2000 clients, prioritizing each client's satisfaction wholeheartedly.
Covering a diverse range of government funding initiatives such as the Technology Voucher Programme (TVP) and the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading, and Domestic Sales (BUD), our suite of services at SMEBrother comprises a one-stop support for funding, as we have experts that specializes in handling government funding programs.
This support includes initial consultations, aid in document preparation, drafting project proposals, overseeing project advancement, and offering guidance on acceptance criteria and standards.
Which one should I apply?
BUD (Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales) funding and TVP (Technology Voucher Programme) funding are both financial assistance programs aimed at supporting businesses, but they have different focuses and criteria, so before you apply and make a decision, you should see which one you need the most first, we will make it easier for you to understand by providing information below.
BUD Fund
BUD funding supports a broad range of business development activities, including market expansion, product development, and operational improvements. It also may cover various aspects of business growth, such as marketing, human resources, technology adoption, and training.
Within the framework of the BUD Fund, both the "Mainland Programme" and the "FTA Programme" extend subsidies on a one-on-one basis. With these programmes, Hong Kong enterprises can receive funding of up to HKD 7 million to financially support initiatives such as brand enhancement, facilitate business upgrades and transformations, market promotions.
The objective of this funding is to bolster the competitiveness of enterprises operating in Mainland China, Southeast Asia, and markets under free trade and investment agreements.
Businesses from different sectors and industries may be eligible for BUD funding, as long as their proposed projects contribute to overall business growth and development, preferably non-listed enterprises registered in Hong Kong and enterprises with substantive business operations in Hong Kong.
TVP Funding
TVP Funding specifically aims to enhance the technological capabilities and competitiveness of businesses. It provides subsidies to eligible businesses for adopting and utilizing technological solutions and services.
This could include investments in hardware, software, consultancy services, or technology-related training. Do remember that unlike BUD Fund that focuses on a more generalized and covers a wider spectrum of business activities, TVP Fund only focuses on supporting businesses in adopting and utilizing technological solutions and services to improve efficiency, productivity, and innovation.
That being said, the programme requires businesses to invest in specific technology areas such as hardware, software, consultancy services, or technology-related training. With a funding ratio of up to 75% (3/4 of the project), the programme enables businesses to start their projects immediately upon submission of their application. So for an example, the government will provide you $350,000 for a $400,000 project; $150,000 for a $200,000 project, and so on and so forth.
With this programme, each enterprises can receive HKD $600,000 at most, targeting the enhancement of their competitiveness, enhancement of business operations, or facilitation of transformation through technological systems. To qualify for the TVP, applicants must be companies registered or established in Hong Kong, with significant business operations in the region. Furthermore, the business must be relevant to the project for which the application is made as stated earlier.
Conclusion
In summary, while both BUD funding and TVP funding aim to support business development, BUD funding offers a broader scope and flexibility, and you can use it to discover mainland China and Free Trade Agreement Markets or upgrade, brand and transform if you already have a company there, while TVP funding is more focused on technology adoption and innovation to enhance business competitiveness, and you can use it to boost your efficiency of your company's services or technology.
If you want to know more or have a question regarding BUD fund and TVP fund, feel free to consult SMEBrother by calling +852 6705 9572 or send us a private message through whatsapp.