How to Check a Hong Kong Employment Agency Licence
Check the business name before you sign terms, send candidate documents, or pay a charge. Keep the result beside the agency’s proposal so the record and the service offer stay tied to the same entity.
Search the official licence record
The Labour Department Employment Agencies Portal says an employment agency needs a licence or Certificate of Exemption before it undertakes job-placement business. The portal provides a search for agencies with a valid licence. Use the licensed employment agency guidance and search for the check.
Search the name shown on the service agreement. Record the result and the business name you entered. If the agency uses a brand that differs from the result, ask it to identify the entity in the official record that will provide the placement service.
Treat a valid portal result as a licence-record check. Use separate evidence to assess placement outcomes and the terms offered to an employer or job seeker.
Separate candidate charges from employer terms
The Labour Department states on its employment-agency portal that Hong Kong law caps what an agency may collect from a job seeker at the prescribed commission: 10 per cent of the first month’s wages after a successful placement. The department tells job seekers to obtain a receipt after payment.
Keep candidate charges in a separate section from the employer’s commercial terms. Ask the agency to state the payer, trigger, amount or basis, refund terms, and receipt for each charge. Do not copy an employer fee into a candidate comparison or infer a market rate from one proposal.
Compare written scope, fees, and remedies
Use the same request for each shortlisted agency:
| Field | Written answer to collect |
|---|---|
| Search scope | Roles, locations, and candidate group covered |
| Service | Screening, introduction, coordination, and follow-up included |
| Charge | Payer, basis, trigger, and document issued |
| Replacement or refund | Event covered, time condition, and stated remedy |
| Data handling | Documents requested and contact for return or correction |
| Escalation | Named agency contact and response route |
Leave any missing term blank and ask for a written answer. The written answer gives you a record for a later comparison.
Keep evidence and use official complaint channels
The Employment Agencies Administration handles the employment-agency provisions of the Employment Ordinance and Employment Agency Regulations. The Labour Department’s EAA page links the agency portal, Practical Guide, Code of Practice, and EAA contact details.
Save the portal result, agreement, messages, payment record, and receipt. The Employment Agencies Portal directs reports of suspected unlicensed operation or job-seeker overcharging to the EAA. Describe the event, attach the record, and keep your account within what the documents support.
Common questions
Does a Hong Kong employment agency need a licence?
The Labour Department states on its Employment Agencies Portal that an employment agency needs a licence or Certificate of Exemption from the Commissioner for Labour before it undertakes job-placement business.
How do I confirm an agency holds a valid licence?
Enter the business name from the service agreement into the portal’s licence search. The Labour Department tells employers and job seekers to use the portal’s search function to check whether an agency has a valid licence.
What is the most an agency can charge a job seeker?
The Labour Department sets out the prescribed commission rule on its Employment Agencies Portal: Hong Kong law caps what an agency may collect from a job seeker at 10 per cent of the first month’s wages after a successful placement. Ask for a receipt after payment.
Which laws does the Employment Agencies Administration enforce?
The Employment Agencies Administration administers Part XII of the Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57) and the Employment Agency Regulations (Cap. 57A), according to the Labour Department’s Employment Agencies Administration page.
Where can I raise a concern about an agency?
Use the EAA contact details on the Labour Department’s Employment Agencies Administration page. The Labour Department also links the Practical Guide and the Code of Practice for Employment Agencies there.
Sources
All information is compiled from sources available on the open internet.
- Looking for a Licensed Employment Agency — Labour Department Employment Agencies Portal. Accessed 2026-07-21.
- Employment Agencies Administration — Hong Kong Labour Department. Accessed 2026-07-21.