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British National
(overseas) visa

A Pathway to British Citizenship for Hong Kong Nationals

The British National (Overseas) route (also known as the BNO visa) offers a ‘pathway to British citizenship’ for Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) and their family members. The BNO visa grants successful applicants the right to live, work and study in the UK for up to five years.

Eligibility

You can apply for a BNO visa if you’re 18 or older and either:

  • A British National (Overseas).
  • The child of a British National (Overseas) born on or after 1 July 1997.

Your permanent home must be:

  • in Hong Kong, if you’re applying from outside the UK.
  • in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Hong Kong if you’re applying in the UK.

Your family members

Your family members can apply for a BNO visa if they are eligible. A dependant can include your:

  • Husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner
  • Child or grandchild under 18
  • Partner’s child under 18
  • Parent, grandparent, brother, sister, son or daughter (18 or older) if they live with you and they’re highly dependent on you because of illness, disability or their age.

Children over 18 can also apply in the following circumstances:

  • If you are a BNO and your own child over 18 wishes to apply, they must make their own application for a BNO visa separately from you.
  • Your partner’s child aged over 18 can apply as your dependant if they were born on or after 1 July 1997 (their partner or child is also eligible).

note:

A separate application must be submitted for each family member.

Partners and children under 18 do not have to apply at the same time as you, but your visa must still be valid when they apply. Other family members must apply within 2 days of your application. 

Costs

When you apply for a BNO visa, you will need to have enough money to:

  • Pay the visa application fee – It costs £180 if you are applying for 2 years and 6 months, or £250 if you are applying for 5 years.
  • Pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) – TheIHS costs £1,035 per year, or £776 per year for under-18s.
  • Support yourself and your family in the UK – You will need to show that you have enough money to pay for your housing and to support yourself and your family for 6 months, unless you have been living in the UK for at least 12 months. How much you need depends on how many family members are applying with you. For example, you will need about £2,000 as a single adult, and £9,200 as a couple with 2 parents and 2 adult children.

note:

You and your family members will each need to pay the visa application fee and the IHS.

How to apply

You must apply online for a BNO visa. You can apply from outside or inside the UK.

As part of your online application, you will need to prove your identity. How you do this depends on what type of passport you have. You will need to either:

  • Use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your passport (if you have a BNO, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) or EEA passport).
  • Attend an appointment at a Visa Application Centre (VAC).

Processing times

You’ll usually get a decision within 12 weeks of your application date, whether you applied from inside or outside the UK.

You may be able to pay to get a faster decision using the Home Office priority services.


How long you can stay

When you apply for a BNO visa, you can apply to stay for either:

  • 2 years and 6 months.
  • 5 years.

You can apply to extend your visa as many times as you like once you are in the UK. After 5 years’ continuous residency, you may be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).  After you have held ILR for 1 year, you will usually be able to apply for British citizenship.

Permitted activities

With a BNO visa, you can:

  • Work in most jobs (except you cannot work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach)
  • Study (including at school, college or university).

You cannot usually get benefits (public funds), although some exceptions apply.

How we can help

Since the Hong Kong BNO visa opened for applications in 2021, Smith Stone Walters has helped many individuals and families to secure permission to enter the UK under this route.

To speak to a qualified immigration advisor about your requirements, please contact us today.

Frequently asked questions

Hong Kong, a former British colony, was returned to Chinese control in 1997. British National (Overseas) status is a class of British nationality created for Hong Kong residents as part of the handover agreement. Residents who successfully applied for the status before 1 July 1997 were issued with a British passport displaying their BNO status.

Although BNOs are afforded certain rights such as holding a British passport and getting consular assistance and protection from UK diplomatic posts, they are still subject to immigration controls and do not have the automatic right to live or work in the UK. BNOs are also not considered UK nationals by the European Union (EU).
A BNO visa allows you to work in most jobs, with no minimum skill or salary thresholds and no requirement to obtain sponsorship from your employer. The only restriction is that you cannot work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach.
Once you have a BNO visa, you might be able to get access to benefits in the UK in certain financial circumstances. For example, you might be eligible for help with housing and essential living costs if you cannot afford this or if you have a very low income.
There is no English language requirement under the BNO visa route. However, if you choose to later apply for settlement in the UK, you will need to prove your knowledge of English as part of the ILR application process.
You can apply for settlement or Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) if you have a BNO visa and if you’ve spent 5 continuous years in the UK. It costs £2,885 for each person applying.

You can usually apply for British citizenship one year after you get ILR. It costs £1,431 for each adult and £1.214 for each child applying.

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