EMF — SME Export Marketing Fund
The Trade and Industry Department's small-ticket reimbursement for SME export promotion: each application is calculated on a 1 (government) : 3 (applicant enterprise) matching basis of approved expenditure, capped at HK$100,000, whichever is lower; the cumulative ceiling is HK$1,000,000 per enterprise, with no limit on the number of applications. It covers export-promotion spending such as exhibitions, advertising and promotional activities; funding for setting up or enhancing a corporate website or mobile app carries its own sub-ceiling of half the cumulative limit (HK$500,000), and no new application of that kind is accepted within two years of being funded. Applicants must be **non-listed** enterprises registered in Hong Kong under the Business Registration Ordinance with substantive business here. Accepted year-round, one application per activity.
You have a non-listed Hong Kong-registered enterprise doing export business and want to exhibit, advertise or run promotional activities to reach markets abroad — EMF is the easiest one to start with, claimed activity by activity, without having to package a project the way BUD requires.
You need market-expansion money in the millions — that's BUD (HK$7M cumulative, 50:50). Listed companies and non-profit organisations are ineligible, and you cannot apply if you are the organiser, co-organiser or a service provider of the promotional activity (or a company related to them).
- Deadline / window
- Accepted year-round, submitted activity by activity; there is no limit on the number of applications until the cumulative ceiling is used up
- For whom
- **Non-listed** enterprises registered in Hong Kong under the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310), with substantive business in Hong Kong (not a shell, not principally operating outside Hong Kong); an enterprise means a legal person carrying on business for profit, so non-profit organisations are ineligible; you must not be the organiser, co-organiser or a service provider of the activity, or a company related to them; funding to related enterprises is aggregated against the cumulative ceiling
- Application form, business registration certificate, and proof of the promotional activity (contracts, invoices and payment records for the exhibition / advertising / event)
- Documents showing the enterprise has substantive business operations in Hong Kong
How EMF differs from BUD
Both are TID money for expanding markets, but they work differently. EMF is a small-ticket channel reimbursed activity by activity, with no project plan required; BUD is a project-based matching grant of up to HK$7M cumulative at 50:50, requiring a defined branding / upgrading / market-expansion plan. If you're starting out and simply want to attend a few trade fairs, EMF is faster; BUD only becomes relevant once you have a formed expansion plan in the millions.
On the matching ratio, trust the official page
Both the Chinese and English official pages state that each grant is computed on a '1 (government) : 3 (applicant enterprise) matching basis' of total approved expenditure, or HK$100,000, whichever is lower — meaning the government's share is about a quarter of approved expenditure. Plenty of second-hand articles still circulate the older '50% funding' line; don't budget on it. Adjustments like this often come without a press release, so confirm on the official page before each claim.
- 1
Self-check the three eligibility tests
Registered in Hong Kong under the Business Registration Ordinance and **not listed**; substantive business in Hong Kong (not a shell, not principally operating elsewhere); and not the organiser, co-organiser or service provider of the activity, nor related to them.
Pitfall: Using the Hong Kong company purely as an invoicing shell while all real operations sit on the mainland — the 'substantive business' test is where such claims most often fail.
- 2
Plan your claims around activities
Unlimited claims, but each caps at HK$100,000 against a HK$1,000,000 cumulative ceiling; website / app claims additionally sit under the HK$500,000 sub-ceiling with a two-year cooling period. Stagger big trade fairs and a website rebuild.
Pitfall: Rebuilding the website twice within a year and claiming both — the second falls inside the two-year cooling period and simply won't be accepted.
- 3
Keep the full evidence trail
Exhibition and advertising contracts, invoices and payment records must all be in place; the matching basis means the three parts you pay yourself also have to reconcile.
Pitfall: Paying cash with no traceable record, leaving you unable to prove the expenditure actually happened.
- 4
Submit, then track your cumulative balance
Accepted year-round, submitted one at a time. Note that funding to related enterprises is aggregated — splitting claims across several group companies does not get you past the HK$1M ceiling.
Pitfall: Splitting applications across related companies expecting HK$1M each — the rules aggregate related enterprises.
What does 1:3 matching actually put in your pocket, and how big is the drop from the old terms?· First-hand insight in the works
Pending a first-hand interview with an enterprise that has claimed recently.
How strictly is 'substantive business in Hong Kong' assessed, and how small an operation still passes?· First-hand insight in the works
Pending a first-hand interview.
- 01Your next overseas trade fair is booked → read the official guide to check which expenditure items qualify, then prepare the paperwork per event.
- 02You need market-expansion money in the millions → see BUD (HK$7M cumulative, 50:50, for mainland and FTA markets).
- 03Worried the buyer won't pay → export credit insurance (ECIC) covers the risk of not being paid, complementing EMF.
Figures follow TID's SME funding site — the EMF grant-ceiling and eligibility pages, which agree across the Chinese and English versions — with the official guide dated May 2025. The scheme sets no company-age, turnover or headcount threshold, so those three fields are omitted. Enquiries: 2398 5127 · emf_enquiry@tid.gov.hk.
A note on definitions: many second-hand articles still say '50% of approved expenditure', which conflicts with the 1:3 matching on the current official pages. This page follows the official pages and the figure is on the periodic re-check list.