Restaurants & licensing
Hong Kong RFE scheme: choosing a route for restaurant licensing
Planning a food-business licence? Understand the RFE option, how it differs from installation work, and what to clarify before appointing your team.
If there is fire or immediate danger
Leave the premises using a safe route and call Hong Kong emergency services on 999. Do not remain to investigate or use a lift.
Legal information
This guide helps with initial planning; it is not legal advice or an engineering assessment of your premises. Confirm the requirements against the use, approved plans, licence conditions, written directions and current official documents.
Quick answers
Does appointing a fire contractor include RFE certification?
Not necessarily. They are different registrations and service scopes. We can first review the fire-installation work and help clarify the professional appointments needed.
Check whether your premises are covered
The RFE scheme launched on 1 November 2025. Its first phase covers licence applications for general and light refreshment restaurants, factory canteens, composite food shops and food factories, including bakeries.
FSD continues to offer its assessment and certification services. Before selecting a route, explain your licence category and current application stage, then clarify which work the proposed appointment will cover.
Separate assessment, installation and licensing
RFE registration covers risk assessment, fire service installations and ventilation systems as separate classes. Installation contractors carry out work within their registered scope; contractor registration alone does not establish RFE status.
For a clear appointment, ask for separate responsibilities for assessment, drawings, works, testing and certification. Record who owns each deliverable. The licensing authority remains responsible for the final licence decision.
Compare the whole licensing workflow
Start a quotation discussion with the issued fire requirements, latest layout and progress photos. Ask the team to identify outstanding work. Comparing certification fees alone can hide drawing revisions, rectification and further inspection costs.
If the fit-out is still being designed, share the proposed fuel, seating and kitchen arrangements. Coordinate equipment purchases with the assessment programme so unresolved requirements are checked before installation.
Practical checklist
- Identify the food-business licence category
- Collect issued requirements and application status
- Verify the appointed professional's registration class
- Separate assessment, works and certification fees
- Agree document handover and reinspection arrangements
Discuss fire works for your restaurant licence
Tell us the licence category and application stage. Existing fire requirements and drawings help us define the installation scope.
- Review existing installations and proposed changes
- Clarify responsibilities with engineers and fit-out teams
- Arrange a survey and quote for the agreed scope
Official sources
The official documents below provide the full requirements and any updates.
Related reading
Restaurant fire safety in Hong Kong: planning, fit-out and licensing
What fire work does a restaurant need? Prepare the premises details, cooking plan, issued requirements and inspection records before arranging a survey and quotation.
Read articleRFSIC Classes 1, 2 and 3: checking the right contractor scope
Before appointing a fire contractor, check the registered entity, class and installation type. The classes define work scope, not a ranking of service quality.
Read articleHong Kong FS251 certificate: inspection, forms and online submission
Understand FS251 annual inspections, the 14-day issue and copy-submission requirement, and the 2026 online and QR-code changes before requesting an inspection quotation.
Read articleRELATED SERVICE
Arrange a restaurant fire-services survey and quote
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Discuss the work your premises need
Share the premises, proposed scope and timing. For tender enquiries, include the brief and submission deadline. Available drawings and recent reports help us review the work; you can contact us before everything is ready.
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