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Order of "to do" after 14 day quarantine

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  1. #11

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    Original Post Deleted
    OPs nationality is likely to dictate a very strict bank opening process.
    shri likes this.

  2. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by mdh2014:
    This is very helpful. So I can pay cash for the first two month's rent (or whatever is required) and THEN go and set up my bank account? I think I'm tracking with you there.
    You can pay cash, BUT... depending on the type of apartment and your monthly rental - landlords may be very cautious dealing with someone who walks in and tries to rent with cash.

    Also, if your apartment happens to be company owned - payment would have to be made by cheque. Also management fees and other deposits might be required at time of rental. Again, some of them can be paid with cash - but it is painful to be doing cash transactions across town.

    You don't need a ID card to buy a SIM card. Get that. Then your ID... and then bank acct - which as mentioned above, will be a bit painful if you're a US national - talk to your employer and see if where other US nationals employed by them have been opening bank accounts.

  3. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by shri:
    You can pay cash, BUT... depending on the type of apartment and your monthly rental - landlords may be very cautious dealing with someone who walks in and tries to rent with cash.

    Also, if your apartment happens to be company owned - payment would have to be made by cheque. Also management fees and other deposits might be required at time of rental. Again, some of them can be paid with cash - but it is painful to be doing cash transactions across town.

    You don't need a ID card to buy a SIM card. Get that. Then your ID... and then bank acct - which as mentioned above, will be a bit painful if you're a US national - talk to your employer and see if where other US nationals employed by them have been opening bank accounts.
    We paid cash after finding out registering the LLs other bank took 2-3 business days. No problem paying in cash. Expect to pay 3months rent plus 1/2 month to an agent.

    There is a huge distinction between having an address to give and having "proof of address". You need a bill from specific institutions addresed to you to prove you live there. HK is really hung up on this proof of address thing, 3months max on the date of issue. Lots of catch 22s.

    Make your HKID appointment for the day you leave quarantine, you'll get temp paper ID and that along with PP and IF you brought a proof of addess from your home country you should be able to open a bank account. You can pretty much buy a 6GB/m SIM anywhere near a town center for $100 until you get settled and want to get a 2yr contract.

    HK is all about copious amounts of paper work, faxes, physical signatures, printed copies of your IDs and other outdated methods of bureaucracy. When you leave quarantine just pretend you've travelled back in time to the turn of the century and you'll be fine!
    Last edited by Cornmeal; 13-09-2020 at 07:29 PM.

  4. #14

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    If I were you I would stay in temp accommodation until all the other stuff sorted. Hotel rooms, serviced apartments are cheap at the moment - possibly cheaper than an apartment. You could easily stay somewhere for a month and get all the other stuff sorted whilst starting to view places.

    We stayed in hotel for 1 month and easily sorted ID, bank, and viewed 10 or so apartments in that time and moved in exactly 1 month after landing in HK. Of course we didn't have 2 weeks quarantine to cope with too but if you can stand another month in temp accommodation I would. You don't want to rush in to entering into a contract. There will be plenty out there.


  5. #15

    Back in 2009 (ish( we got our first apartment lease on the strength of the work visa acceptance. Flew over here for a week, did some apartment hunting. Signed the lease with a copy of the work visa acceptance and went back home, packed up and came back a month later. Moved straight in and went to get the HKID a week or two later. Can't imagine things have changed much since.


  6. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by london008:
    Back in 2009 (ish( we got our first apartment lease on the strength of the work visa acceptance. Flew over here for a week, did some apartment hunting. Signed the lease with a copy of the work visa acceptance and went back home, packed up and came back a month later. Moved straight in and went to get the HKID a week or two later. Can't imagine things have changed much since.
    Wow! I hope you're right about that, but 2009 is a long time ago.

  7. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by mdh2014:
    Wow! I hope you're right about that, but 2009 is a long time ago.
    I'm sure you could do it this way today too, but obviously with Q. you wouldn't. But even back then there was no reason to do it that way. Finding an apartment in HK is quick and easy to the extent that in 'normal times' they won't even bother showing you places further than a month in advance if you're honest enough to tell them your move in date.

    Because of that now, I'd advise saying you plan to move in within the next month, even if you don't.