Free Hong Kong guide: why your MPF waits for a grant
Free guide for British expats in Hong Kong
Your MPF is part of your estate, so no nomination form releases it to your family.
A 16 page guide written for British expats in Hong Kong. It covers why your MPF is estate property rather than a nomination that pays out directly, the fixed intestacy order under Cap. 73, and the Home Affairs Department certificates that release money before a grant issues. It also sets out how a Hong Kong will and a UK will can be run together.
- 16 pages
- Updated August 2026
- No payment details
- Why your MPF forms part of your estate
- Intestacy shares under Cap. 73, situation by situation
- Joint assets, insurance nominations and what passes outside
- Probate, resealing a UK grant and UK inheritance tax
Twenty minutes of reading that could save your family weeks without access to money.
What happens to your estate
With a valid will
The Wills Ordinance (Cap. 30) follows the English pattern: writing, signature, two witnesses present at the same time. Hong Kong has no forced heirship, so you can in principle leave your estate to anyone, subject only to a claim for reasonable financial provision under Cap. 481. The executor applies for probate, and the Registry says a simple, straightforward case usually takes about five to seven weeks.
Without a will
The Intestates' Estates Ordinance (Cap. 73) applies a fixed formula with no judicial discretion. A married person with no children does not automatically leave everything to the spouse: the spouse shares with parents, or with full siblings if no parent survives, once the estate exceeds the statutory legacy. The guide gives the statutory legacy figures that Hong Kong practitioners consistently cite, and flags that statutory sums can be revised, so they should be confirmed against Cap. 73 itself before anyone relies on them.
Outside your will entirely
Property and bank accounts held as joint tenants pass to the surviving owner by survivorship, and life insurance with a valid beneficiary nomination generally pays the named beneficiary under the policy terms. ORSO schemes vary, so the scheme's own trust rules decide. The MPF is the exception people get wrong: it forms part of the member's estate, it is claimed by the personal representative against a grant, and no trustee beneficiary form creates a statutory bypass.
With a valid will
Without a valid will
Assets outside the will
Key facts
- Part of the estate The MPFA is explicit that a deceased member's MPF forms part of their estate. It is claimed by the personal representative against a grant of probate or letters of administration, or by the Official Administrator for small estates, so nothing is released on a nomination form alone.
- 5 to 7 weeks The Probate Registry says a simple, straightforward case usually takes about five to seven weeks, and pledges grants within 28 working days of payment of court fees for applications filed through solicitors. Sole-name accounts and the MPF stay frozen until the grant issues.
- Within one hour The Home Affairs Department can issue a certificate for release of money for funeral expenses, pledged within one hour of a complete application and free of charge, with the bank paying the funeral supplier direct. A separate maintenance certificate for dependants is issued within five working days.
- Part of the estate Why it matters. Your MPF is claimed by your personal representative against a grant, so a trustee beneficiary form releases nothing on its own.
- 5 to 7 weeks Why it matters. A simple grant takes about five to seven weeks, and sole name accounts and the MPF stay frozen until it issues.
- Within one hour Why it matters. A Home Affairs certificate can release funeral money within an hour, free of charge, paid to the funeral supplier direct.
What is inside the guide
Wills and estate planning for British expats in Hong Kong How Hong Kong probate works, why your MPF needs a grant, and how to run a Hong Kong will and a UK will together. Free download · 2026 edition · 16 pages
Common questions
Does my MPF beneficiary form pay my family directly?
No. The MPFA is explicit that a deceased member's MPF forms part of their estate, so the trustee pays the personal representative against a grant, or the Official Administrator for small estates. There is no statutory nomination that pays MPF to your family directly. If quick money for the family is the goal, the guide points to life insurance with a named beneficiary or a survivorship account instead.
Does my MPF beneficiary form pay my family directly?
No. The MPFA is explicit that a deceased member's MPF forms part of their estate, so the trustee pays the personal representative against a grant, or the Official Administrator for small estates. There is no statutory nomination that pays MPF to your family directly. For quick money, the guide points to life insurance with a named beneficiary instead.
Is it really free?
Yes. No payment details, no trial, no catch. The guide shows you how we think before you decide whether to use us for anything.
Will you fill my inbox?
We send the guide, and nothing else unless you tick the box for the email series. Every email in it has an unsubscribe link that works first time.
Is this legal advice?
No. The guide is general information for British expats, written in plain English. Expat Legacy is a will writing service rather than a law firm.
About the author
Jamie Lee, founder of Expat Legacy, has drafted more than 2,000 wills for British expats. He has lived the expat life himself since 2004.
Twenty minutes of reading, or your family waiting on a grant
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