Company Incorporation April 16, 2026

How to register a company in Hong Kong 2026

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How to register a company in Hong Kong in 2026

How to register a company in Hong Kong starts with the entity: a private company limited by shares. You send three documents to the Companies Registry. They are Form NNC1, a copy of the Articles of Association, and Form IRBR1. That last form notifies the Business Registration Office of the Inland Revenue Department. One filing covers both. File online and the Registry normally issues both certificates within an hour. On paper it takes four working days.

There is no rule about where the owners or directors live, and no need to fly in. We file for clients who never leave home. TKEG Expat plans about seven business days end to end. That covers document prep and your turnaround. The estimate is ours, not the Registry's. Fees, forms and first year duties follow. This guide covers the company only, not visas, work permission or personal bank accounts.

Why Hong Kong, and who can register a company here

Check the tax rules before you register a company in Hong Kong. Tax follows the source of the profit. Only profits arising in or from Hong Kong are charged. Two tiers apply: 8.25% on the first HK$2,000,000 of assessable profits, then 16.5%. There is no VAT, no sales tax and no capital gains tax. The entity is light too. One label to clear up. Hong Kong has no LLC. The nearest form is the private company limited by shares.

The Registry formed 194,125 private companies in 2025, and 143,306 in the first seven months of 2026. A founder member can be a person or another company, of any nationality. The same person can be sole shareholder and sole director. Members are capped at 50, employees aside, and shares cannot be offered to the public. An overseas parent can instead register its existing company here as a non-Hong Kong company. The Hong Kong private limited company details page has the full profile.

Basic company information
Entity type	Private company limited by shares under the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622)
Liability of members	Limited to any amount unpaid on the shares held; an unpaid share stays callable
Members and public offers	Up to 50 members, employees excluded; transfers restricted and no invitation to the public
Officers and owners
Minimum shareholders	One founder member, a person or a body corporate, any nationality, taking at least one share
Minimum directors	One; at least one must be a natural person, and the sole shareholder may also be sole director
Residency requirement	None for shareholders or directors; a secretary who is an individual must ordinarily reside in Hong Kong
Company secretary	Mandatory at all times; the sole director cannot hold the office
Share capital
Minimum share capital	None under Cap. 622; par value abolished and no capital verified before registration
Currency and paid-up amount	Any currency; issued shares may be left unpaid; no prescribed number of shares
Stamp duty on share transfers	0.1% on each of the bought and sold notes, so 0.2% in total, charged on the consideration or the market value, plus HK$5 on the transfer instrument; in force since 17 November 2023

Hong Kong company registration requirements

Four things must exist on day one. You need a director, a company secretary, a registered office in Hong Kong, and a founder member holding at least one share. The Registry checks all four on Form NNC1. Note what is missing. Hong Kong asks for no director who lives here, and for no visit. Our Hong Kong company incorporation services cover the secretary and the office for the first year.

What every company must have
Director	At least one, of whom one must be a natural person; no residency or nationality test
Company secretary	One at all times; an individual must ordinarily reside in Hong Kong, or a body corporate with a registered office or a place of business in Hong Kong
Registered office	An address in Hong Kong able to receive all notices from day one; no post office box, no care of address, no overseas address
Founder member and shares	At least one founder member taking at least one share; no minimum capital, no par value

Company name

Pick an English name, a Chinese name, or one of each. You may not mix English letters and Chinese characters in one name. An English name ends with the word "Limited", never "Ltd". A Chinese name ends with 有限公司 in traditional characters, and simplified ones are refused. Nothing holds a company name for you, because there is no reservation. An identical name is refused with no refund. Some words need the Registrar's prior approval, among them trust, trustee and savings. A company name is not a trade mark. Search the Intellectual Property Department's register too.

Registered office

The address must sit in Hong Kong and take every notice sent to the company. If the office moves, file Form NR1 within 15 days. The annual return does not cover it. Late notice brings a fine plus HK$1,000 a day. Anyone supplying that address as a business needs a Trust or Company Service Provider licence under Cap. 615. Our registered address and company secretary come from a licensed provider, and the first year is in our package.

Company secretary and designated representative

Every company needs a company secretary. This is the rule overseas teams get wrong. There is no test of where a director lives. The test sits on the secretary. A secretary who is an individual must normally live in Hong Kong. A body corporate can hold the office if it has a registered office or a place of business in Hong Kong. The sole director cannot double as secretary. Nor can a one director company use a corporate secretary whose only director is that person. A second local role follows: the designated representative for the Significant Controllers Register.

Shares, capital and founder members

There is no minimum share capital, no minimum paid-up amount and no par value. The Registry's own specimen form uses 10,000 shares, and many new companies copy it. That is a habit, not a rule. Money can leave later, but only by a set route. That is a capital reduction with a special resolution and a solvency statement, or confirmation by the Court. Distributions come only out of accumulated realised profits less realised losses, and an unlawful one is repayable.

Documents required to register a company in Hong Kong

The documents required to register a company in Hong Kong fall into two lists. The Registry wants three and nothing more. It asks for no passports, no proof of address, no notarisation and no apostille. The second list is the pack your agent collects. That pack is due diligence owed by a licensed provider, not a Registry filing.

Statutory filings to the Companies Registry
Form NNC1	Incorporation form for a company limited by shares, signed by a founder member and matching the Articles
Articles of Association	A copy filed with the application, carrying the mandatory article that limits members' liability
Form IRBR1	Notice to the Business Registration Office, with the choice of a one year or three year certificate; without it the application is rejected
TKEG Expat due diligence pack, our requirement not the Registry's
Passport or ID card	Front and back scans for every individual shareholder and director
Proof of address	A utility bill or bank statement dated within the last month, showing name and address
Signature sample and photo	A signature specimen, and a photo of the person holding the ID
Ownership and source of funds	Who owns what and where the money came from; corporate shareholders scoped case by case
After filing
Form NNC3	Consent to act for a first director who did not sign inside Form NNC1; within 15 days

Step by step: how to register a company in Hong Kong

This is how to register a company in Hong Kong from abroad, in the order the process runs. Steps one to three are preparation. Step four is the filing. Steps five and six come after the company exists.

Search the company name on the e-Services Portal and fix every founder's details.
Appoint the director, the company secretary and the registered office provider.
Prepare Form NNC1, the Articles of Association and Form IRBR1.
File the three documents, sign them and pay both government fees.
Collect the Certificate of Incorporation and the Business Registration Certificate.
Open the corporate bank account, on the bank's own timetable.

1. Search the company name and fix the details

Run the free Exact Name Search on the e-Services Portal first. Check every spelling against the passports. Names and ID numbers on Form NNC1 must match those documents exactly. If a restricted word appears, ask the Registrar for approval first.

2. Appoint the director, secretary and registered office

Your director can live anywhere. The secretary cannot be your sole director, and an individual secretary must ordinarily live in Hong Kong. Most overseas founders take the secretary and the registered office from a licensed agent. Confirm the office address before the forms are drafted. It goes on Form NNC1.

3. Prepare Form NNC1, the Articles and Form IRBR1

Draft the Articles first, then fill in Form NNC1 to match. Share totals are the usual snag. The number of shares, the class and the paid or unpaid amount must agree across both. Choose the one year or three year certificate on Form IRBR1 now. That election is made at incorporation. Form NNC1 shows only part of each ID number. The full number goes on PI-NNC1.

4. File the documents and pay the fees

Online filings go through the e-Services Portal. Signing one yourself needs an Individual User account. That account needs a certified true copy of your passport. A Hong Kong notary, solicitor, CPA, company secretary or licensed agent can certify it. For a non-resident, so can a consular officer of the home country. You cannot certify your own. Then sign with the account password, iAM Smart+, or a Hongkong Post e-Cert.

5. Collect the two certificates

The Certificate of Incorporation and the Business Registration Certificate are issued together. Paper and online versions have equal legal effect. The first eight digits of the business registration number form the Unique Business Identifier. A payment receipt is not incorporation. Neither certificate is a licence.

6. Open the corporate bank account

Banking is a separate approval on the bank's own timetable. No Registry filing speeds it up. The corporate bank checks the owners, the business model and the flow of funds. We prepare the file, then the bank decides. We arrange HSBC Hong Kong and Currenxie accounts, with timing and price confirmed case by case. Treat the bank account as a fourth test, next to incorporation, business registration and any sector licence.

Hong Kong company registration fees and a realistic timeline

Government fees verified on 5 September 2026 against the Companies Registry fee page and the Inland Revenue Department fee and levy table; the business registration amount changes every 1 April.

Two bills arrive, and they are not the same. The Registry charges its incorporation fee. The Inland Revenue Department charges the business registration fee and levy. Our fee sits on top, quoted in yuan. Government fees pass through at cost. The Hong Kong limited company incorporation pricing page carries the current package.

Government fees, certificates commencing 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027
Incorporation fee, electronic	HK$1,545, with HK$1,280 refunded if the application fails
Incorporation fee, hard copy	HK$1,720, with HK$1,425 refunded if the application fails
Business Registration Certificate, one year	HK$2,350 in total: a fee of HK$2,200 plus the HK$150 levy reinstated on 1 April 2026
Business Registration Certificate, three years	HK$6,170 in total: a fee of HK$5,720 plus the HK$450 levy, same period
Government minimum today	HK$3,895 for an electronic filing with a one year certificate; secretary, office, due diligence, accounting, audit and banking are extra
TKEG Expat service fees
Incorporation package	CNY 7,250, covering the filing plus one year of company secretary and registered address; government fees pass through at cost
First year renewal package	CNY 4,250, covering the annual return, the registered address and the company secretary for one year
How long it takes
Companies Registry turnaround	Electronic filing normally within one hour, notified by email; hard copy normally four working days, collected in person
TKEG Expat end to end, and banking	About seven business days on our own experience, covering document prep and client turnaround; bank account opening runs on the bank's timetable

The Registry's hour measures the filing, not the project. Most of the calendar goes on the work before it. That means gathering ID documents, agreeing the share split, getting a passport copy certified. Our estimate slips when papers come back slowly. Government fees buy nothing after day one. The secretary, the address, bookkeeping, audit and the bank account are priced on their own.

Profits tax after registration

Setting up a company in Hong Kong does not settle its tax position. Where the profits are earned does. Take a company whose only presence is a Hong Kong registered address. With no business presence anywhere else, it is likely to be charged here. Our Hong Kong accounting and audit support team handles the books, the audit and the returns.

Profits tax
Basis of charge	Territorial: only profits arising in or derived from Hong Kong are taxed, and foreign sourced profits escape tax even when remitted
Two-tier rates	8.25% on the first HK$2,000,000 of assessable profits and 16.5% above; 7.5% and 15% for unincorporated businesses; one nominated entity per connected group a year
Foreign sourced income	Reaches only members of multinational enterprise groups, subject to substance, participation or nexus tests; a standalone founder owned company sits outside it
Other taxes and filing
VAT and capital gains	No VAT, GST or sales tax and no registration threshold; no capital gains tax and no capital duty
Withholding tax	Dividends 0% and interest 0%; royalties to non-residents effectively 2.475% on the first HK$6.67m and 4.95% above, rising to 8.25% and 16.5% for an associate where the Hong Kong payer once owned the IP
Returns and deadlines	Notify chargeability within four months after the basis period ends; the first Profits Tax Return normally issues about 18 months after incorporation; returns are bulk issued each 1 April, with extensions by accounting date code

Source is a question of fact: what the company did to earn the profit, and where. For trading profits, the test is where the purchase and sale contracts are effected. Contracts closed from Hong Kong by phone or online count as local. Register here and pay nothing is not how it works. The Department looks at the operations, not the address. Where the answer is unclear, you can apply for a paid advance ruling.

Your first year after incorporation

The certificates start the clock rather than stop it. Registers must be written up and the Significant Controllers Register built. The Business Registration Office also needs written notice of what the business does. Our Hong Kong annual return and company secretary service keeps that calendar.

Statutory filings
Share certificates and registers	Share certificates ready within two months of allotment; register of members updated within two months of notice; registers kept at the registered office or elsewhere in Hong Kong
Significant Controllers Register	Identify anyone with over 25% of shares or votes, board appointment rights, or significant influence; entries within 7 days; name a designated representative; breach costs HK$25,000 plus HK$700 a day
Business registration notices	Tell the Business Registration Office the business name, nature, address and start date within one month of starting; later changes also within one month; failure costs HK$5,000 and a year in prison
Annual return	Form NAR1 within 42 days after each anniversary, from the second year on; HK$105 on time, then HK$870, HK$1,740, HK$2,610 and HK$3,480 as the delay passes three, six and nine months; the Registrar cannot extend
Accounting, audit and tax
Certificate renewal and records	Renew on the demand note, issued about mid-month before the new certificate commences, and tell the Commissioner within one month of expiry if it does not arrive; display the valid certificate at the business address; accounting records are mandatory, with a director's fine up to HK$300,000
First year end, audit and tax return	Default first year end: the last day of the month holding the first anniversary; a directors' year end must fall within 18 months; statements to members within 9 months; audit is mandatory unless dormant

Common mistakes that delay Hong Kong company registration

Most rejected filings fail on small things. A blank box, a name that does not match a passport, share numbers that do not add up. Appointments, resignations and changes of details go to the Registrar within 15 days. Our Hong Kong company changes and filings service covers those notices.

Blank fields on Form NNC1. Every box needs an answer; the Registry will not guess.
Names or ID numbers that do not match the passport. Copy them character for character.
Share totals that disagree between the Articles and Form NNC1. Reconcile them before filing.
Naming the sole director as company secretary. The law forbids it, and bars a corporate secretary with that same director.
Reading the payment receipt as incorporation. The company exists when the certificate issues, not when the card clears.
Treating the Business Registration Certificate as a licence. Check the Trade and Industry Department's Business Licence Information Service.

FAQ: registering a company in Hong Kong

These five questions come up in almost every call about how to register a company in Hong Kong.

Can a foreigner register a company in Hong Kong without visiting?

Yes. There is no test of nationality, or of where the owners and directors live. The Registry does not ask you to appear. Everything can be filed online. The catch is signing. An Individual User account needs a certified true copy of your passport, so most founders use a licensed agent.

How much does it cost to register a company in Hong Kong?

Government fees start at HK$3,895. That is HK$1,545 to the Companies Registry for an online filing. Add HK$2,350 for a one year Business Registration Certificate commencing between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2027. Our package is CNY 7,250 and includes the first year of company secretary and registered address.

How long does company registration take in Hong Kong?

The Registry normally issues both certificates within an hour of an online filing. A hard copy takes four working days. That hour measures the filing, not the whole process. TKEG Expat plans about seven business days end to end, because gathering ID documents takes longer than the filing.

Do I need a physical office address in Hong Kong to register a company?

You need a registered office in Hong Kong from day one, able to take every official notice. It cannot be a post office box, a care of line, or an address abroad. It does not have to be where you work. A licensed agent can supply it.

Can the sole director of a Hong Kong company also be the company secretary?

No. A sole director cannot hold the company secretary role at the same time. The bar goes further. A company with one director cannot appoint a corporate secretary whose only director is that same person. Appoint an eligible individual, or a licensed corporate secretary.

Register your Hong Kong company with TKEG Expat

TKEG Expat handles Hong Kong company incorporation end to end. That means the name search, Form NNC1, the Articles, Form IRBR1 and the filing. Both government fees are paid on top, at the Registry's and the Department's own rates. The package includes a year of company secretary and registered address. Both local roles are covered from day one. Visas, work permission and personal banking sit outside this service.

At handover you get both certificates in digital form. You also get the filed forms, the Articles, the fee receipts and your statutory registers. Then the calendar runs. Business details go in within a month, then the Significant Controllers Register. The annual return falls 42 days after the first anniversary, then accounts, audit and the first tax return. Send us the shareholder list and the planned activity, and we will tell you what is missing.

Hong Kong SAR