Written by: Capital Content Editorial Team丨Professionally Reviewed by: Capital Content Editorial Supervisor丨Last Updated: 2026/09/07
Thinking of setting up a company in Hong Kong but not sure where to start? You usually need to decide on the company name and type first, prepare details of the founder members, directors, company secretary and Hong Kong registered office, then submit the Incorporation Form, Articles of Association and Notice to Business Registration Office to the Companies Registry. Non-Hong Kong residents can also incorporate a local limited company in Hong Kong, provided the company still meets the statutory requirements for directors, company secretary and registered office.[1]
Currently, the company registration fee for a local private company limited by shares is HK$1,545 for electronic submission and HK$1,720 for paper submission; these fees exclude business registration fees and levies. From 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, the registration fee and levy for a 1-year local company Business Registration Certificate total HK$2,350. The actual amount payable still depends on your application date, certificate period and the Inland Revenue Department’s current fee schedule.[2] [3]
For electronic submissions of private companies limited by shares, an electronic certificate is generally available within about 1 hour after the application is accepted; paper applications for companies limited by shares generally take about 4 working days. These are the government’s published general processing times and do not guarantee that every case will be completed within the same timeframe.[4]
Common company forms in Hong Kong include companies limited by shares and companies limited by guarantee. For ordinary commercial activities such as consultancy services, trading, cross-border e-commerce or professional services, applicants usually consider incorporating a private company limited by shares with share capital; non-profit organisations may consider a company limited by guarantee. The incorporation documents, fees and ongoing obligations of the two are not entirely the same, so you should not overlook the actual purpose of the company simply because “private limited company” is more common.[4]
A private limited company requires at least one natural person director, one shareholder, one company secretary and a registered office located in Hong Kong. Directors need not be Hong Kong residents; if the company secretary is a natural person, they usually must reside in Hong Kong; if the company secretary is a body corporate, its registered office or principal place of business must be in Hong Kong. The sole director of a company cannot also act as the company secretary of the same company.[1]
Hong Kong law does not prescribe a minimum paid-up capital for companies. In other words, you should not simply treat “HK$1” as the statutory minimum capital in all cases; the company should determine an appropriate number of shares and capital structure based on its shareholding arrangements, business plan, and requirements of banks and partners.[1]
A company name may be in English, Chinese, or both English and Chinese. Chinese names must use traditional Chinese characters. Before formal submission, you can use the search function on the Companies Registry’s e-Services website to check free of charge whether the proposed name is identical to an existing name. However, a name search does not mean the name has already been approved by the government; final approval still rests with the Companies Registry when it examines the application.[4]
In addition to checking for identical names, you should also check whether the company name may infringe others’ trademarks or other intellectual property rights. Approval of a company name does not automatically mean the name becomes a protected trademark; if you plan to use the name as a brand, you should separately check and consider trademark registration.[1]
Before submitting the application, you should prepare the following information:
| Role | General Requirements |
| Shareholder / Founder Member | At least one; may be a natural person or body corporate; shareholding ratios and number of shares should be determined in advance |
| Director | Private company requires at least one natural person director; directors need not be Hong Kong residents |
| Company Secretary | Natural person usually must reside in Hong Kong; body corporate must have a registered office or principal place of business in Hong Kong |
| Registered Office | Must be located in Hong Kong and capable of receiving government and statutory documents |
If you engage a company service provider to handle the application, they may require additional documents such as passport, identity proof, residential address proof, business plan, contracts or source-of-funds information due to customer due diligence, anti-money laundering requirements or bank account opening needs. These documents should not be treated as government documents that the Companies Registry requires for every application, as they may be requirements of the service provider or the bank.
A limited company incorporated in Hong Kong must have a Hong Kong registered office. The purpose of the registered office is to receive statutory notices, government correspondence and other formal documents; it should not be understood merely as a display mailing address. If you are considering using a business centre or virtual office service, you should verify that the address is a physical Hong Kong address, whether the service provider holds the applicable Trust or Company Service Provider licence, or whether it falls under a relevant exemption category.[1] [5]
First decide whether to incorporate a company limited by shares or a company limited by guarantee, then propose one or more candidate names. It is advisable to check both the Companies Registry name index and the Intellectual Property Department’s trademark records to reduce the chance of the name being rejected or future brand disputes.
Name search results can only serve as a preliminary reference. The Companies Registry notes that the government only formally determines whether a proposed name can be registered after the applicant submits the incorporation documents; even if no identical result appears in the search, final approval is not guaranteed.[4]
Taking a local company limited by shares with share capital as an example, the main incorporation documents include:
Incorporation Form NNC1: Sets out the company name, registered office, founder members, directors, company secretary, share capital and other particulars.
Articles of Association: Govern the company’s internal management, shares and members’ rights. The Companies Registry e-Services website provides sample articles for reference.
Notice to Business Registration Office IRBR1: Used for one-stop processing of company registration and business registration procedures.[1] [4]
Particulars of company officers, registered office and other required information in the forms cannot be left blank arbitrarily. If an item is not applicable, you should enter “Nil” or “Not applicable” as required by the form; otherwise the application may be treated as incomplete and returned.
If the first directors have not completed the consent-to-act arrangements in the incorporation form, in some cases Form NNC3 must be submitted within 15 days after the date of incorporation. When preparing documents, confirm all director signatures and submission deadlines to avoid unfinished statutory formalities after incorporation.[4]
Applicants may submit electronically via the Companies Registry e-Services website or by paper as required by the government. Electronic submission is usually faster; paper submission requires longer processing time. Government registration fees differ between the two methods and should be checked against the latest charges before submission.
| Submission Method | Company Registration Fee | General Certificate Issuance Time |
| Electronic Submission | HK$1,545 | Private company limited by shares generally obtains electronic certificate within about 1 hour |
| Paper Submission | HK$1,720 | Company limited by shares generally about 4 working days |
The above fees and times apply only to the relevant situations listed by the Companies Registry and do not include business registration fees, company secretary or registered office service fees, nor do they guarantee that the application will be approved.[2] [4]
The company registration fee and business registration fee are two separate fees. When incorporating a local company, business registration is usually handled on a one-stop basis through the Companies Registry, so both types of fees are processed together at the application stage, but they have different calculation bases and competent authorities.
As of 7 September 2026, the fee schedule published by the Inland Revenue Department shows that from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, the total for a 1-year local company Business Registration Certificate is HK$2,350, comprising HK$2,200 registration fee and HK$150 levy. The 3-year certificate total is HK$6,170. If the government adjusts fees in future, the latest fee schedule should replace the figures in this article.[3]
Therefore, if calculating only the electronic company registration fee and 1-year Business Registration Certificate, the government fees total can be referenced as HK$1,545 + HK$2,350 = HK$3,895 at present; this figure excludes company secretary, registered office, accounting, audit, business licence, bank account opening support or other professional service fees.
After the application is approved, you will obtain two important documents:
| Document | Purpose |
| Certificate of Incorporation | Certifies that the company has been incorporated as a body corporate |
| Business Registration Certificate | Certifies that the company has been registered under Hong Kong’s business registration system |
A Business Registration Certificate is not equivalent to a business licence for all industries, nor does it mean the company automatically obtains specific business permits. Import/export, financial, money-lending, travel agency, education, food, licensed professions or other regulated businesses may require separate licences or approvals.[4]
Bank account opening is not part of the company registration process. After obtaining the Certificate of Incorporation and Business Registration Certificate, you may apply to a bank or other qualified financial services institution, but whether an account is opened, what documents are required and the review timeframe are all determined by the financial institution based on customer due diligence, anti-money laundering requirements, business substance, transaction patterns and risk assessment.
Applicants should usually prepare materials that can explain the following: the company’s business model, expected customers and suppliers, main markets, contracts or quotations, source of funds, expected transaction volume, and background of directors and shareholders. No company service provider should guarantee that a bank will necessarily open an account, guarantee a success rate, or commit to a fixed review timeframe.
The table below lists only common government fees; service fees charged by providers for company secretary, registered address, document handling and accounting services are additional.
| Item | Reference Fee | Remarks |
| Electronic registration of local private company limited by shares | HK$1,545 | Companies Registry fee |
| Paper registration of local private company limited by shares | HK$1,720 | Companies Registry fee |
| 1-year Business Registration Certificate, 2026/04/01–2027/03/31 | HK$2,350 | Includes HK$2,200 registration fee and HK$150 levy |
| Timely filing of NAR1 by private company | HK$105 | File within 42 days after anniversary date |
| Late filing of NAR1 by private company | HK$870–HK$3,480 | Increases with length of delay |
Government fees vary according to submission method, company type, certificate period and government policy; please check the official fee schedules of the Companies Registry and Inland Revenue Department before payment.[2] [3]
A local private company generally must file the Annual Return NAR1 with the Companies Registry within 42 days after the anniversary of its incorporation. The registration fee for timely filing is HK$105; after the deadline the fee increases substantially with time, with the maximum handling fee reaching HK$3,480.[6]
Even if the company is very small or temporarily not operating, you should not simply stop handling statutory documents. Absence of business does not automatically exempt the company from annual returns, business registration, accounts or tax obligations; if the company wishes to obtain specific exemptions as a dormant company, it must formally apply in accordance with the Companies Ordinance and Companies Registry requirements.[6]
2. Significant Controllers Register (SCR)
Companies incorporated in Hong Kong generally must identify and keep information on significant controllers and maintain a Significant Controllers Register for inspection by law enforcement officers. The SCR does not need to be delivered to the Companies Registry for registration, but should be kept at the company’s registered office or another place in Hong Kong; if the place where the register is kept is not the registered office, Form NR2 notification may need to be filed in certain cases.[7]
The company must also designate a representative to assist law enforcement officers in inspecting the SCR. The designated representative may be a Hong Kong-resident shareholder, director or employee of the company, or an accounting professional, legal professional or licensed trust or company service provider.[7]
The company should keep books and records relating to its business and handle financial statements, audits and profits tax returns in accordance with applicable requirements. The Inland Revenue Department usually issues the first profits tax return about 18 months after incorporation, but the actual issue time may vary by case.[8]
Do not equate “no income” directly with “no need to file tax returns”, nor treat “nil return” as the automatic treatment for all non-operating companies. What documents a company needs to submit should be confirmed on a case-by-case basis by a qualified accounting or tax professional according to whether the company is operating, whether there are accounting transactions, the financial statements and relevant tax information.
Company registration only means the company has become a body corporate; it does not mean all businesses can commence operations immediately. After incorporation, you should check according to the nature of the business whether import/export licences, financial services licences, food licences, travel agency licences, employment agency licences or other industry permits are required. The Companies Registry also recommends that applicants refer to relevant information from the Trade and Industry Department and the Support and Consultation Centre for SMEs.[4]
A: Yes. The Hong Kong Companies Registry states that non-Hong Kong residents can also incorporate a local limited company in Hong Kong, and directors need not be Hong Kong residents. However, the company must still have a qualified company secretary and a registered office located in Hong Kong; bank account opening is a separate process independently reviewed by the bank.[1]
A: Not necessarily. The Companies Registry provides electronic submission channels, and some applications can be handled by the applicant or an authorised professional. However, whether signing, identity verification, submission of authorisation documents or personal collection of paper certificates is required depends on the submission method and case arrangements; it cannot be guaranteed that the entire process can be completed without coming to Hong Kong.
A: The Companies Ordinance does not prescribe a minimum paid-up capital that must be present at the time of company incorporation or commencement of business. The actual capital and number of shares should be determined according to the company’s shareholding arrangements, business needs and relevant professional advice.[1]
A: No. The Companies Registry is responsible for company name and company incorporation registration; trademark registration is handled by the Intellectual Property Department. Approval of a company name does not automatically create trademark protection; if you wish to protect a brand, you should separately research trademark registration.[1]
A: A company may use a registered office service that complies with Hong Kong legal requirements, but the address must be a Hong Kong address capable of receiving statutory documents. Before engaging a business centre, confirm the service content, physical address, document forwarding arrangements, and whether the service provider holds the required licence or applicable exemption. Compliance cannot be judged solely by the words “virtual office”.[1] [5]
A: This should not be understood in such a direct way. Even if the company is not operating, you should still review obligations relating to annual returns, business registration, accounts, tax and the Significant Controllers Register. To obtain specific exemptions for a dormant company, you must follow the statutory procedures; if the company is no longer needed, you may also consider formal deregistration or winding-up arrangements.[6] [7]
A: Self-submission can reduce service fees, but the applicant needs to understand the forms, address, company secretary, articles of association and subsequent compliance requirements themselves. Engaging a service provider may save time in organising documents, but it does not mean the statutory responsibilities of the company’s directors and shareholders can be waived, nor does it mean bank account opening or specific licences can be guaranteed.
If considering engaging a service, before payment you should request the provider to set out in writing: whether government fees are included in the quotation, the term of company secretary and registered address service, TCSP licence or exemption details, renewal fees, whether NAR1 and SCR are included in the service scope, refund terms, and whether bank account opening support is only document preparation rather than a success guarantee.
The Hong Kong company registration process itself is not complicated, but what really requires time to understand is often the post-registration annual returns, Significant Controllers Register, accounts, audit, profits tax and industry licences. A more prudent approach is to first confirm the company type and business model, then prepare complete information, and calculate government fees, professional service fees, bank account opening and subsequent compliance responsibilities separately.
If you plan to incorporate a company, it is recommended to start with the official process and fee pages of the Companies Registry, then seek assistance from a Hong Kong lawyer, accountant or licensed company service provider according to the needs of the case. Any claims of “100% successful account opening”, “definitely tax-free”, “completely no need to file tax returns” or “nothing needs to be handled after registration” should first be required to provide clear legal basis and written explanation.
