A complete and well-organized document package can speed up your mortgage approval. This guide covers all the documents you'll need, organized by employment type and situation.
📋 Basic Documents (Everyone Needs)
Identity Documents
- Hong Kong Identity Card (both sides)
- Passport (if applicable)
- Proof of address (utility bill, bank statement within 3 months)
Property Documents
- Provisional Agreement for Sale and Purchase (PASP)
- Formal Agreement (if signed)
- Floor plan
- Land search results
👔 For Employed Applicants
Income Proof
- Latest 3 months payslips
- Employment letter (stating position, salary, employment date)
- Latest tax return or tax demand note
- MPF contribution records (optional but helpful)
Bank Statements
- Latest 3-6 months bank statements (salary account)
- Statements showing salary deposits
🏢 For Self-Employed Applicants
Business Documents
- Business Registration Certificate
- Latest 2 years audited financial statements
- Latest 2 years tax returns (Profits Tax)
- Company bank statements (6-12 months)
Personal Documents
- Personal tax returns (2 years)
- Personal bank statements (6 months)
- Proof of dividend/director's fee payments
💼 For Commission-Based Income
Additional Documents
- Commission statements (12-24 months)
- Employment contract showing commission structure
- Bank statements showing commission deposits
- Tax returns showing total income
⚠️ Note on Commission Income:
Banks typically use an average of 12-24 months commission income for calculations. Highly variable income may result in more conservative lending.
🏠 For Rental Income
Rental Documents
- Tenancy agreements
- Bank statements showing rental deposits
- Property ownership proof
- Property tax returns
💡 Tip:
Banks typically count 70% of rental income for mortgage calculations to account for potential vacancies and expenses.
📊 Document Preparation Tips
- Organize chronologically: Arrange documents from most recent to oldest
- Make copies: Keep originals safe, submit copies
- Ensure clarity: All documents should be clear and legible
- Translate if needed: Non-English/Chinese documents may need certified translation
- Check dates: Ensure documents are within required timeframes
- Complete all pages: Include all pages of multi-page documents
⏱️ Processing Timeline
| Stage | Typical Duration |
|---|---|
| Document submission | 1-2 days |
| Initial review | 3-5 working days |
| Valuation | 3-7 working days |
| Credit check | 1-3 working days |
| Final approval | 2-5 working days |
| Total | 2-4 weeks |
💡 Speed Up Your Application:
- Submit complete documents from the start
- Respond quickly to bank queries
- Have additional documents ready if requested
- Consider using a mortgage broker for guidance
Conclusion
Preparing your documents in advance can significantly speed up the mortgage approval process. Keep this checklist handy and start gathering documents as soon as you begin your property search.
📐 Related Tools
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