FAQs

The IA is a new insurance regulator independent of the Government. The objectives of its establishment are to modernise the regulatory infrastructure to facilitate the stable development of the Hong Kong insurance industry, provide better protection for policyowners, and comply with the requirement of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors that insurance regulators should be financially and operationally independent of the government and industry. On 23 September 2019, the IA will take over the regulation of insurance intermediaries from the three Self-Regulatory Organisations ("SROs"). The three SROs are the Insurance Agents Registration Board established under The Hong Kong Federation of Insurers, The Hong Kong Confederation of Insurance Brokers and Professional Insurance Brokers Association.

Q2.1    What is Common Reporting Standard？What is Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information？

The Common Reporting Standard ("CRS") is a standard for the Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information ("AEOI") between participating jurisdictions to enhance tax transparency and fight against cross-border tax evasion. The Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information ("AEOI") is a new system that involves the transmission of financial account information from Hong Kong to an overseas tax jurisdiction with which Hong Kong has entered into an AEOI agreement. For more details, you may visit the website of Inland Revenue Department (IRD) https://www.ird.gov.hk/eng/welcome.htm, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) http://www.oecd.org/ or contact your tax advisor.

Q2.2    What information does reporting financial institution collect and report？

In general, information including your name, address, tax identification number, date of birth, place of birth, jurisdiction to which the information is reportable, policy number and the account balance or value as of the end of the calendar year of financial accounts held by reportable persons will be collected by reportable financial institution and reported to IRD.

Q2.3    Who will be the reportable persons under AEOI？

A financial institution resident (or known as "located") in Hong Kong will identify the financial accounts held by individuals or entities liable to tax by reason of residence in the AEOI partner jurisdictions. The financial institution (including Well Link Life) will collect and furnish to the Inland Revenue Department ("IRD") information of the identified account holders (individual or entity) and the financial account information on an annual basis. IRD will then transmit the information to the tax administration of the relevant jurisdiction of which the account holder is tax resident.

Q2.4    Why am I asked by Well Link Life to provide my tax residency in the self-certification?

Under the Amendment Ordinance, Well Link Life being a reporting financial institution is required to apply the due diligence procedures to identify the tax residency of the account holders and controlling persons for the purpose of AEOI. Therefore, an account holder is required to provide his tax residency to a reporting financial institution.

Q2.5    How will I know whether or not I am a tax resident of an overseas jurisdiction?

In general, whether or not an individual or entity is a tax resident of a jurisdiction is determined by having regard to the person's physical presence or stay in a place (say, whether over 183 days within a tax year) or, in the case of a company, the place of incorporation or where the central management and control of the entity lies. The above is for reference only and Well Link Life cannot provide any tax advice and/or the definition of a tax resident. If you have any tax or tax residency questions, please seek legal and/or tax advisor's advice.

Q2.6    What if there are changes in circumstances that affect my tax residency?

Account holders should advise Well Link Life of any change in circumstances which affects their tax residency status or causes the information contained in a self-certification to become incorrect. Generally, account holders should provide Well Link Life with a suitably updated self-certification form within 30 days of such change in circumstances

Q2.7    What is a self-certification form？

A self-certification is a formal declaration that the account holder makes in connection with his/her tax residence. An account holder is required to make a formal declaration when he/she is applying for an insurance policy and/or the account holder has subsequent changes in circumstances and/or when Well Link Life has doubt about your tax residence. A beneficiary is also required to make a formal declaration when he/she is submitting a death claim.

Q3.1       What is FATCA？

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) has been effective since July 1, 2014. FATCA is a tax law enacted in the United States, aims to prevent the non-compliance with U.S. tax obligations by U.S. taxpayers holding foreign financial accounts. 

If you would like to find out more details about Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), you may browse below website for further information :

• Press release from Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, dated Nov 13, 2014 : HK and US sign agreement to facilitate compliance with FATCA by financial institutions in HK
  https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201411/13/P201411130432.htm
• Website of website of the United States Internal Revenue Service - FATCA
  https://www.irs.gov/businesses/corporations/foreign-account-tax-compliance-act-fatca

Q3.2       What is the impact of FATCA？

On an annual basis, banks and other financial organizations (including Well Link Life) will be required to report information on financial accounts held directly or indirectly by US Persons. We will therefore be reviewing our existing customer base to confirm the FATCA status of our customers and where necessary we may need to engage our customers from time to time to help us understand them better including requiring customers to provide us with further information and documentation.

Q3.3       How do I know I am affected？

FATCA legislation will affect both personal and business customers who are treated as a 'US Person' for US tax purposes. The FATCA legislation will also affect certain types of businesses with US owners. 
The term US Person includes the following (but is not limited to):

1. A citizen of the US, including an individual born in the US but resident in another country/territory (who has not given up their US citizenship)
2. A person residing in the US, including US green card holders
3. Certain persons who spend a significant number of days in the US each year
4. US Corporations, US Partnerships, US estates and US trusts

For more information regarding FATCA, please visit the IRS website or contact your tax advisor.
 

Q3.4       Am I only affected if I am a citizen of the US？

No. If an individual's account holds any of the following seven criteria, Well Link Life may engage you in order to establish your status as either a US Person or Non-US Person in accordance with FATCA.

1. US citizenship or US residence
2. US place of birth
3. US address including US P.O. boxes
4. US telephone number
5. Repeating payment instructions to pay amounts to a US address or an account maintained in the US
6. Current Power of Attorney or signatory authority granted to a person with a US address
7. In care of or hold mail address which is the sole address for the account holder

Q3.5       What does FATCA mean for me if I am not a US person？

For most customers, FATCA will have minimal impact, and there will be no action required. However, Well Link Life may still engage you to establish your status as a non-US Person if we have reason to believe you are potentially a US Person for FATCA purposes.

Q3.6       Do I need to proactively inform Well Link Life when my status changes to a US person？

If a change in circumstances makes any information on a certificate or other documentation for FATCA incorrect, then the person named on the certificate/documentation must inform Well Link Life within 30 days of the change and provide a new certificate or documentary evidence.

Q3.7       What information will Well Link Life report to the local tax authority or the IRS？

The information reported to the IRS or to the local tax authority will depend on the FATCA status of the customer. This information will typically be of a personal nature (for example, Name, Address, US Taxpayer Identification Number), and of a financial nature (e.g. Account number, Account balance/Value).

In order to facilitate your settlement of premiums, premium levy and other related payments, below payment methods are available:

1. Visit our Wealth Management Centre in person
2. Payment by cheque
3. Payment via JETCO (ATM Machine)
4. Designated Bank Branches
5. Direct Debit Authorization via Bank Account

Points to note

• Third Party Payment is not accepted. All premium, premium levy and related payments should be paid by the Policyowner, the Life Insured or Beneficiary
• Payment by Credit Card is only applicable to selected products. For details, please call our Customer Service Hotline for enquiry.
• Please reserve 3 working days for us to handle related payment transactions
• For policies with policy currency in non-HKD, we accept policy currency or HKD to settle policy payment, while for policies with policy currency in HKD we only accept HKD to settle policy payment

A. Visit our Wealth Management Centre in person

• You may bring along the payment notice to one of our Wealth Management Centres to settle payment by cheque or via credit card

B. Payment by Cheque

• Send the cheque by mail to " Units 16-18, 11/F., China Merchants Tower, Shun Tak Centre, 168-200 Connaught Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong "
• Please issue crossed cheque with the payee name as "Well Link Life Insurance Company Limited"
• Indicate Policy Number and Name of Policyowner at the back of the cheque
• Please do not send cash/cash cheques/post-dated cheques

C. Payment via JETCO (ATM Machine)

• You can settle your premium, premium levy and related payment via JETCO ATM Machines (only applicable to settlement with HKD)
• Please select the HKD account of your ATM card for further processing
• Select "Bill Payment" Service
• Select "Merchant Code Entry" : 9682
• Enter "Bill Type" : e.g. 01 (Premium Payment and Levy)
• Enter your Policy Number
• Enter the payment amount in HKD
• Check and confirm your payment details
• Upon completion, the ATM screen will display "Transaction Accepted" and please collect your receipt
• Please pass your receipt to Well Link Life

D. Designated Bank Branches

• You may visit designated BEA or DBS Bank branches to settle premium, premium levy and related payment. Please indicate your policy number for the payment transaction
• Accept cash, cheque, bank draft and bank account transfer
• The maximum acceptable cash payment per policy and per policy year is HKD100,000 / USD12,500 / RMB83,000
• Please pass your receipt to Well Link Life

E. Direct Debit Authorization via Bank Account

• You may choose to settle premium and levy via autopay through your HKD bank account. Please complete, sign and return the Direct Debit Authorization (DDA) to authorize Well Link Life to debit the premium and levy from your designated HKD bank account.
• It usually takes 2 months to set up a new DDA arrangement, therefore, we suggest you submit the form along with 2 months premium to us or keep using the existing DDA arrangement until the new one is effective.
• Once the DDA is set up, we will debit your policy on the 2nd or 16th of the payment due month.
• Before the debit is made, please ensure that there is sufficient amount in your bank account to avoid any bank charges due to Autopay reject.

​Q5.1       How to register / login to the E-Service Policy Management Platform ?

For your first time visit to eService online platform, please visit Well Link Life corporate website and complete below simple steps :
 

1. To register using policy number

1. Select "Well Link Life" or "Well Link Insurance"
2. Enter policy number and Captcha
3. Enter Identity Number and Date of Birth
4. Enter verification page, select verification code receipt method and entre verification code
5. Enter and confirm password according to the password rules

2. To register using Identity number

1. Select Identity Type and enter Identity number and Date of Birth
2. Enter Captcha
3. Enter verification page, select verification code receipt method and entre verification code
4. Enter and confirm password according to the password rules

For registered customer, please login by entering the username and password, then press "Login"

For 1st time login : please enter the identity number stated on the application form of your policy (e.g. Hong Kong Identity Card / People's Republic of China Identity Card / Passport).

After the 1st time login, system will indicate that you can register a 2nd login username. You may choose to register your 2nd login username later via "Personal Information" page. Upon successful of registration, you may use your mobile number or email address as 2nd login username.

Q5.2       Is the E-Service Policy Management Platform provides 24 hours services ?

You can enjoy a safe and speedy online policy management platform service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you have not registered for this service, please do so as early as possible so that you can enquire your policy, process policy changes and submit claims notification anytime, anywhere through the electronic policy service platform. However, we may occasionally perform system updates and maintenance works at midnight.

Q5.3       Is the E-Service Policy Management Platform safe to use？

We attach great importance to online data security. Each time you use the service, you must enter your username and personal password to confirm your identity to protect your valuable personal information. The data sent to your browser has been secured to ensure that your data is safely transferred from our servers to your computer. To prevent unauthorized users from using your computer and accessing your personal information when the computer is idle, the online policy management platform service has a timeout automatic logout function, and the system will automatically log out after the service webpage has been idle for more than 15 minutes.

Please fill in the Application for Change in Policy (General) form with updated correspondence address and contact phone numbers. You may submit your application of related changes via our E-Service Policy Management Platform

Please fill in the Application for Change in Policy (Coverage) form and return to the Company along with the required premiums, premium levy and interest (if applicable). If the Direct Debit Authorization is no longer effective, please also send us the Direct Debit Authorization form. Well Link Life may require customers to perform medical examination at the customer's expense or to provide medical evidence to us to approve the application of reinstatement. Please contact your insurance consultant for details.

Please fill in the Application for Change in Policy (Coverage) form and return to the Company along with the required premiums. You may contact your insurance consultant for the additional coverage and relevant cost. Well Link Life may require customers to perform medical examination at the customer's expense or to provide medical evidence to us to approve the application of addition of benefit.

Policyowners are given a cooling-off period to review the terms and conditions of their long-term insurance policies. Under which, policyowners have the right to cancel new policies within the Cooling-off period and request for a refund of the premium(s) paid. Please note that Cooling-off Period is applicable to new life insurance policy, and not for any new supplementary contracts attached to an existing policy. The Cooling-off period is 21 calendar days immediately after the delivery of (i) the policy or (ii) the Cooling-off notice (informing the policyholder of the availability of the policy and the expiry date of the cooling-off period) to the policyholder or the policyholder's representative, whichever is the earlier. If the policy document is not received, customer should immediately contact the insurance consultant for further follow up.

You need not worry when your insurance consultant has left the Company. According to the company procedures, a new servicing insurance consultant will be assigned, who will follow up on your policy matters. Your benefits and rights under your policy will not be affected in any case. You may also contact our Customer Care Centre for enquiry and follow-up on your policy during our office hours.