How to Apply for a Hong Kong Bank Card

A Hong Kong bank card is an important tool for mainland residents who want to invest overseas or manage money across borders. This article explains the complete application process.

Why Apply for a Hong Kong Card?

US and Hong Kong stock investing: participate directly in the US and Hong Kong markets
Global collections: tools that collect and process payments for independent sites, such as Stripe, often require sellers or developers to have a Hong Kong card;

Choosing a Bank

I applied for my Hong Kong cards in September 2025, so readers should consider the timeliness of the information. Everything here is based on my own experience; I checked a wide range of information and asked people who had already completed applications while preparing this guide. After comparing them, I selected the following banks:

HSBC
ZA Bank
Bank of China (Hong Kong)
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia)
Airstar Bank

I successfully completed applications with HSBC and ZA Bank (both succeeded immediately on the same day); Airstar Bank succeeded after one day; my applications to Bank of China (Hong Kong) and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China failed;

My advice is to apply for HSBC first and ZA Bank second. Once either of these two applications succeeds, most of the problem is solved;

After clearing Hong Kong customs, connect to Hong Kong Wi-Fi or use mobile data (you can buy Hong Kong data through Alipay) and apply. There is no need to book a bank-counter appointment in advance; applying directly through the mobile app is the most convenient option;

Documents to Prepare

Mainland identity card
Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao
Entry and exit record (search for “National Immigration Administration” in WeChat, select “Entry and Exit Record Query”, and download the electronic PDF)
Proof of mainland residential address (not required)

HSBC Application Steps

First download HSBC’s app from the app store. It is called HSBC HK. The account we apply for in Hong Kong is the HSBC One account, also called the “Red Lion”. There is no minimum threshold to open it; you can open one by going to Hong Kong.

Requirements for opening the account:

ZA Bank Application Steps

ZA Bank’s app is well made and feels very smooth to use. It frequently offers coupons. P6EL33 is my ZA Bank invitation code; you can enter it when registering, and both the inviter and invitee receive a reward;

Transferring Money from a Mainland Card to a Hong Kong Card

Through the Cross-border Payment Connect feature, you can transfer money from a mainland bank card to a Hong Kong card without a service fee;