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Compare jurisdictions, side by side.

Pick up to 4 countries and see residency, company, banking, family, and risk notes line up. No prices, no marketing packages - just the working notes.

 HK flagHong Kong

Asia

GB flagUnited Kingdom

Europe

CL flagChile

Latin America

OverviewHong Kong remains an active jurisdiction for company formation, banking introductions, and selected residency routes. Bordercase coordinates with licensed Hong Kong company-services and immigration partners.The United Kingdom is a major global jurisdiction with structured (and competitive) residency, business, and skilled-worker routes. Bordercase coordinates with licensed UK partners for filings.Chile is a stable Latin American economy with structured residency routes, strong civil infrastructure, and growing relevance for international founders. Bordercase coordinates with licensed Chilean partners for filings.
Best for
  • Founders
  • Banking
  • Holding structures
  • English admin
  • Founders
  • Skilled workers
  • Global hub
  • Banking
  • English admin
  • Latin America hub
  • Stable economy
  • Founders
  • Families
CurrencyHKDGBPCLP
LanguageCantonese / EnglishEnglishSpanish
Time zoneUTC+8UTC+0UTC-4
EU memberNoNoNo
SchengenNoNoNo
Residency

Hong Kong residency routes:

  • General Employment Policy (GEP)
  • Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS)
  • Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS)
  • Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (CIES) - recently revived
  • Dependant routes

UK residency routes:

  • Skilled Worker visa - employer-sponsored
  • Innovator Founder visa - for endorsed founders
  • Global Talent visa - for endorsed experts
  • Self-Sponsorship via own company (with substance)
  • Family routes - spouse / partner / dependents
  • Ancestry visa for eligible Commonwealth nationals

Chilean residency routes:

  • Temporary residence - employment, retirement, or qualifying activity
  • Investor / entrepreneur routes
  • Family reunification
  • Permanent residence typically after a qualifying temporary period
Company setup

Hong Kong Limited companies are widely used for trading and holding structures. Annual filings, audited accounts, and a company secretary are required. Substance expectations and BEPS-driven changes affect ongoing planning.

UK Limited companies are widely used internationally. HMRC corporation tax, VAT thresholds, and PSC (people with significant control) reporting apply. Substance expectations have tightened.

SpA (Sociedad por Acciones), Ltda, and SA are standard structures. SII tax registration, RUT, and patent municipal registration follow.

Banking

Local banking has tightened materially; some non-resident structures face long onboarding or rejection. EMIs and Singapore / Dubai banking are common alternatives. Bordercase coordinates introductions through current partners.

Resident banking is mature but onboarding is slow for non-residents. Many international founders use UK EMIs (Revolut, Monzo Business, etc.) alongside high-street accounts. Bordercase coordinates introductions for cross-border cases.

Residency unlocks personal banking. Corporate banking depends on activity. Bordercase coordinates introductions for cross-border cases.

Family

Family relocation is supported on most residency routes. Schools (local, private, ESF, international) are competitive; international school waitlists are real.

Family reunification is supported. Schools (state, private, international) are widely available; competition for top schools is real.

Family reunification is supported. Schools (public, private, English, German, French) are concentrated in Santiago.

Risks

Risks Bordercase watches for in Hong Kong:

  • Company-only setups without substance face banking and audit friction
  • Banking has tightened materially
  • Political / policy shifts must be factored into long-horizon planning
  • Annual audit and filing discipline is real

Risks Bordercase watches for in the UK:

  • Tax residency triggers (Statutory Residence Test)
  • Sole-rep / Innovator endorsement standards have tightened
  • Brexit-era operational variation between UK and EU services
  • Sponsorship Compliance for licensed sponsors

Risks Bordercase watches for in Chile:

  • Tax residency triggers and worldwide-income reporting
  • Processing variations between regions
  • RUT timing for non-residents
Documents

Typical Hong Kong documents:

  • Passport
  • CV
  • Education certificates
  • Employment history
  • Company documents (where applicable)
  • Family certificates with notarisation

Typical UK documents:

  • Passport
  • Certificate of Sponsorship (for sponsored routes)
  • TB test (for certain nationalities)
  • Maintenance funds evidence
  • Apostilled / certified documents for family routes

Typical Chilean documents:

  • Passport
  • Apostilled foreign documents (birth, marriage, criminal record)
  • Proof of income or investment
  • Health insurance
  • Spanish translations where required

Country pages stay the authoritative source. This view is a side-by-side; nothing here promises a particular outcome.