Formation · Hong Kong
A Hong Kong company, filed with you.
A private company limited by shares, registered with the Companies Registry, with the local pieces the law asks for: a registered office and a company secretary in Hong Kong. You can live anywhere.
- director, at least, who can live anywhere
- 1director, at least, who can live anywhere
- shareholder, at least, of any nationality
- 1shareholder, at least, of any nationality
- foreign ownership allowed
- 100%foreign ownership allowed
The timeline
From a name to a company kit.
Six steps. The ones we control move as fast as your documents do; the Registry sets its own pace.
Name and structure
We check the name is free and settle directors, shareholders and share capital with you.
Identity checks
Every director and shareholder is verified first, as Hong Kong's anti-money-laundering rules require.
Documents signed
The incorporation form, the articles of association and each director's consent.
Filed
With the Companies Registry, together with the business registration application.
Registry decides
Certificates
The certificate of incorporation and the business registration certificate are issued.
Company kit
Registers, first minutes and share certificates. Then the bank and payment applications.
What you get
Everything a Hong Kong company has to have.
Certificate of incorporation
Issued by the Companies Registry, with the company number.
Business registration certificate
Hong Kong's business registration, applied for in the same filing.
Articles and first minutes
Articles of association, the first board minutes and share certificates.
Statutory registers
Register of members, of directors, and of significant controllers, kept as the law requires.
Registered office in Hong Kong
The address the law requires, where official letters arrive and the registers are kept.
Company secretary
A Hong Kong-based secretary, which every Hong Kong company must have, for as long as you keep the service.
Who it's for
For businesses that trade across borders.
A good fit
- Online businesses selling across Asia and further
- Founders who want a company for Hong Kong payment or business accounts
- Trading businesses with suppliers in the region
- Owners who live outside Hong Kong
Not a fit
- Anyone who wants the owners hidden from the authorities
- Businesses that need a licence in Hong Kong before trading, until that licence is in view
- Anyone expecting a bank account to come with the certificate
What you'll need
For each director and shareholder.
- Passport
- Proof of home address, issued in the last three months
- The company name you want, and a second choice
- Who holds the shares, and how many
- A short description of what the company will do
- For a company shareholder: its registration documents and owners
Every year
What keeps the company in good standing.
- Annual return
- Filed with the Companies Registry each year, around the anniversary of incorporation.
- Business registration
- Renewed every year, or every three years if you choose that certificate.
- Audited accounts
- Hong Kong companies have their accounts audited by a Hong Kong CPA each year.
- Profits tax return
- Filed when the Inland Revenue Department issues it, with the audited accounts.
What it costs
Government fees and ours, listed apart.
Quoted by email.
We quote once we know the structure. Government fees are listed separately from ours, and the yearly secretary and office service is priced on its own.
What moves the fee
- How many directors and shareholders
- Individual or company shareholders
- Whether you keep our registered office and secretary
- Whether you want the bank applications too
Can a foreigner own the whole company?
Yes. A Hong Kong company needs no local shareholder or local director. You can hold all the shares and be the only director.
Do I need to visit Hong Kong?
Not to incorporate. The documents are signed and the identity checks done remotely. Some banks ask to meet you or verify you by video before they open an account; that's their decision.
What does the company secretary do?
Keeps the statutory registers, files changes and the annual return on time, and is the company's formal point of contact. The law requires one based in Hong Kong. We arrange it.
What is the significant controllers register?
A record of the people who ultimately own or control the company. It's kept at the registered office, available to officials on request, and not published like the shareholder list.
How is the company taxed?
Hong Kong taxes profits that arise in Hong Kong. Whether your profits do is a question of fact for an accountant, and we don't give tax advice. We can introduce accountants who handle these filings.
How long does it take?
It depends on how fast documents come back and on the Registry's own processing. We give you the current timing in the reply, once we know your structure.
Will I get a bank account?
We prepare the applications with you. Banks and account providers run their own checks and decide, and some take longer than the incorporation itself.
Related
Often asked for together.
- Hong Kong payment processingCard processing through a Hong Kong company and a payment provider account in its name, prepared with you.See the service
- Bank and payment accountsBusiness bank and payment-account applications, prepared with you once the company exists.See the service
- Accounting and bookkeepingBookkeeping, annual accounts and filings through accountants who know these companies. Tax advice comes from them.Inquire by email
Start with the name.
Send the company name you want, who will own it and what it will do. We check the name and reply with the plan.
Talk to us: [email protected]
The fee and the current timing come in the reply. Institutions run their own checks and decide.