legacyplanning.hk — Legacy planning in Hong Kong

legacyplanning.hk is an independently run Hong Kong information site edited by Hong Kong Succession Law Desk. It covers one subject: the legal tools available for legacy planning in Hong Kong, the formal requirements of each, and the rules by which assets and decision-making pass on death or on loss of mental capacity. The scope includes the formal requirements for wills and executors under the Wills Ordinance (Cap. 30), the types of grant, process and fees at the High Court Probate Registry, the order of distribution under the Intestates' Estates Ordinance (Cap. 73), life insurance beneficiary nominations and policy succession features, the Enduring Powers of Attorney Ordinance (Cap. 501) and the advance medical directive legislation in force from July 2026, survivorship on joint accounts and jointly owned property, notarised succession for Mainland property and deposits and the interface with the Mainland Civil Code, overseas assets and multiple wills, and the tax matters that remain after estate duty was abolished in 2006.

The site does not cover detailed trust design, family office tax arrangements, comparison or recommendation of specific insurance products, or strategy in contested estate litigation. Sources are limited to publicly verifiable documents: Hong Kong e-Legislation, Judiciary pages for the Probate Registry and High Court Registry, the Home Affairs Department's estate beneficiaries support pages, the Inland Revenue Department, the Health Bureau, the Law Reform Commission and the Department of Justice, legal texts published by the National People's Congress and the Supreme People's Court, and legal information pages marked as secondary. Every page carries an update date and sources; figures carry currency, date and origin, and where a figure cannot be verified the page describes the mechanism and defers to the latest official document.

The site is not a law firm, insurer, licensed insurance intermediary or trust company, gives no legal advice, sells nothing, accepts no instructions or applications, makes no referrals and carries on no sales or promotion in Mainland China. Decisions involving personal circumstances should be taken with a Hong Kong solicitor and professionals in your own jurisdiction. Corrections and additional material can be sent through the site's message form.

Operator

Hong Kong Succession Law Desk — Hong Kong Succession Law Desk is an independent Hong Kong information desk covering the law and tools of legacy planning: the Wills Ordinance, the Intestates' Estates Ordinance, the Probate and Administration Ordinance, the Enduring Powers of Attorney Ordinance, advance medical directives, insurance beneficiary nominations, joint assets and cross-border estates. Every page cites dated, publicly verifiable legislation and government sources; the desk gives no legal advice, sells nothing and makes no referrals.

This site is run by Hong Kong Succession Law Desk, an independent insurance information site providing general education and comparison. It is not an insurer, licensed insurance intermediary or bank, sells no insurance product and accepts no application. Content has not been reviewed, approved or endorsed by the Insurance Authority (IA). For applications, quotations and policy servicing, consult a Hong Kong insurer or licensed insurance intermediary.

Regulators and industry bodies cited on this site

Our material relies on regulations, guidelines and statistics published by the bodies below, cited page by page with dates. This site has no affiliation with, authorisation from, or endorsement by any of them.

Editorial principles

  1. We compile only public material from insurers, banks, regulators and official statistics, citing source and date per item; where the source is silent, we do not infer.
  2. We separate guaranteed from non-guaranteed, fact from opinion, regulation from practice; illustrations, back-tests and past performance do not indicate future results.
  3. We do not recommend products or promise returns, approvals or tax outcomes; personalised advice is the responsibility of licensed or exempt institutions and their appointed representatives.
  4. Cross-border content states the applicable jurisdiction; readers should obtain advice in their own jurisdiction.
  5. If you spot an error or outdated figure, tell us via the contact page; corrections are dated.

Editorial policy

Every article follows one process: define a single question, consult public documents from regulators, insurers and official statistics and record each source with its date, then have a second editor cross-check figures, terminology and the version of the rules cited. Pages are dated when updated. Guaranteed and non-guaranteed items, and facts and opinions, are labelled separately; nothing is inferred where sources are silent.