Company Incorporation in Hong Kong
Incorporation of a Hong Kong company limited by shares — Form NNC1 with the Articles of Association and the Notice to Business Registration Office (IRBR1) are filed together under the one-stop service, and the Companies Registry issues the Certificate of Incorporation while the IRD issues the Business Registration Certificate at the same time. The electronic incorporation fee is HK$1,545 (HK$1,720 on paper) and the one-year Business Registration Certificate is HK$2,350 from 01.04.2026. A private company needs at least one shareholder (maximum 50), at least one director (at least one of whom must be a natural person), a company secretary who is separate from a sole director, a Hong Kong registered office and a designated representative for the Significant Controllers Register. 100% foreign ownership is standard.
1–5 business days
HKD
Compare the structures
Every column is a vehicle you can actually incorporate here, and each is bought on its own terms. Every fact carries where it was read: on the authority’s own page, or — marked Indicative — on a filing platform or publication we name and link. Anything we could not read anywhere is marked Pending verification and confirmed with the authority before you pay.
| Private Company Limited by Shares (Ltd)The default vehicle for almost every business in Hong Kong — startups, SME trading companies and the standard wholly-owned subsidiary of a foreign parent. One to 50 members, at least one director. Profits tax 8.25% on the first HK$2m of assessable profits and 16.5% above. | Public Company Limited by SharesBusinesses that need more than 50 shareholders, intend to offer shares to the public or are heading for a listing — at least two directors, no reporting exemption, same NNC1 incorporation route and the same two-tiered profits tax. | Registered Non-Hong Kong Company (branch / place of business)A foreign parent operating through a branch rather than a subsidiary — registered under Companies Ordinance Part 16 (Form NN1) within one month of establishing a place of business in Hong Kong, with an authorised representative in Hong Kong. A branch is not a separate legal entity; the foreign company remains liable. | Sole ProprietorshipA single individual testing a business idea or running a small local trade with no separate legal entity | PartnershipTwo or more individuals running a business together without incorporating - professional practices and family trades | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum owners | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Maximum owners | 50 | Pending verification | Pending verification | 1 | 20 |
| Minimum directors | 1 | 2 | Pending verification | Pending verification | Pending verification |
| Liability | limitedlimited by shares | limitedlimited by shares | unlimitedthe foreign company is liable (a branch is not a separate legal entity) | unlimitedunlimited (owner personally liable) | unlimitedunlimited and joint (general partnership); limited partners possible under a limited partnership |
| Foreign ownership | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tax treatment | Profits tax at 8.25% on first HK$2m assessable profits, 16.5% above (two-tiered corporate rate). No capital gains tax, n… | Same two-tiered profits tax as a private company (8.25% / 16.5%). | Profits tax on Hong Kong-sourced profits at the corporate two-tiered rate (8.25% / 16.5%). | Profits tax as an unincorporated business: 7.5% on first HK$2m assessable profits, 15% above (two-tiered unincorporated … | Unincorporated business: two-tiered 7.5% / 15% profits tax; only one entity in a group can enjoy the two-tiered rate. |
| Audit required | Yes | Yes | Pending verification | No | No |
| Audit threshold | All companies must have financial statements audited (Companies Ordinance Cap. 622 s.405); the only exemption is a dorma… | Audited financial statements required (Cap. 622 s.405); no reporting exemption for a public company. | A registered non-Hong Kong company must generally file the accounts it is required to publish under its place of incorpo… | No statutory audit requirement (not a company under Cap. 622). Records must still be kept for tax. | No statutory audit requirement. |
| Annual compliance | Medium | High | Medium | Low | Low |
| Typical use | A funded startup, an SME, or a foreign group's Hong Kong subsidiary/regional holding company. | Pre-IPO structures and businesses needing an unlimited shareholder base. | Foreign company establishing a place of business in Hong Kong without incorporating a subsidiary. | Freelancer, consultant or micro-trader who only needs a Business Registration Certificate. | A small professional firm or family business with two or more working partners. |
What we will need from you
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Incorporation Form NNC1 (company limited by shares), signed by a founder member
States the company name (English and/or Chinese), the Hong Kong registered office address, the particulars and shareholding of every founder member, the particulars of every director and of the company secretary, and the designated representative for the Significant Controllers Register.
A copy of the company's Articles of Association
Notice to Business Registration Office (IRBR1)
Filed together with the NNC1 under the one-stop service; it carries the business registration fee and levy.
For each individual director, shareholder and the company secretary: full name, identity document (HKID or passport) and residential / correspondence address
A shareholder or director that is a body corporate gives its name and registration particulars instead of an ID. Hong Kong is believed NOT to require apostille or notarisation of a foreign director's or shareholder's passport copy for a standard NNC1 incorporation — a genuine ease-of-entry advantage — but research flagged this as unconfirmed against the current Companies Registry guidance, so it is confirmed at quote rather than promised.
Hong Kong registered office address
A hard requirement. A foreign founder with no Hong Kong premises must arrange one.
A company secretary — an individual ordinarily resident in Hong Kong, or a body corporate with its registered or principal office in Hong Kong (we can provide)
A sole director cannot also be the company secretary.
Designated representative for the Significant Controllers Register
Must be a Hong Kong-resident shareholder, director or employee, or an accounting / legal / TCSP professional (Companies Ordinance Part 12 Div 2A). Section text not read in research.
Cost breakdown
Our fee and the government’s are always separate lines. Government fees are passed through at exactly what the authority charges — we add nothing to them.
| Companies Registry incorporation fee — local company limited by shares, electronic form via the e-Services Portalone line of this schedule appliesVERIFIED from the Companies Registry fee schedule. Electronic incorporation carries a 10% reduction against paper, in effect since 1 Oct 2020. | HK$1,545Read at source on 2026-09-10 |
| Companies Registry incorporation fee — local company limited by shares, hard-copy / paper formone line of this schedule appliesVERIFIED from the Companies Registry fee schedule — the non-electronic rate. Same fee for a public company having share capital (also Form NNC1). | HK$1,720Read at source on 2026-09-10 |
| Business Registration Certificate — 1-year certificate commencing on or after 01.04.2026 (fee HK$2,200 + Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund levy HK$150)one line of this schedule appliesVERIFIED from the IRD Business Registration Fee and Levy Table (ird.gov.hk/eng/pdf/brfee_table.pdf). The HK$150 levy was WAIVED from 01.04.2024 to 31.03.2026, making the one-year total HK$2,200 in 2024/25 and 2025/26; that waiver has ended and the levy is reinstated from 01.04.2026. Any figure below HK$2,350 is stale, and the waiver is not permanent. A local company's first certificate is triggered by the incorporation submission and issued with the Certificate of Incorporation. | HK$2,350Read at source on 2026-09-10 |
| Business Registration Certificate — 3-year certificate commencing on or after 01.04.2026 (fee HK$5,720 + levy HK$450)one line of this schedule appliesVERIFIED from the IRD Business Registration Fee and Levy Table. In 2025/26 the three-year total was HK$6,020 (levy HK$300 during the partial waiver); from 01.04.2026 it is HK$6,170. | HK$6,170Read at source on 2026-09-10 |
| Branch Registration Certificate (registered non-Hong Kong company) — 1-year commencing on or after 01.04.2026 (fee HK$80 + levy HK$150)only if it appliesVERIFIED from the IRD Business Registration Fee and Levy Table branch columns. The three-year branch certificate is fee HK$208 + levy HK$450 = HK$658. This is the IRD branch registration, distinct from the Companies Registry Part 16 registration below. | HK$230Read at source on 2026-09-10 |
| Companies Registry registration of a non-Hong Kong company (Form NN1, Part 16)only if it appliesNot guessed here. | Confirmed before payment |
| Comriq professional fee | Fixed fee within 1 business day |
These are the authority’s published lines. Which of them apply depends on your filing — a schedule by headcount, capital or entity type is one line, not all of them — and the applicable line is confirmed before payment, at cost.
How it runs
You will see these exact stages update in your client portal as we progress.
Company Name Availability
The proposed English and/or Chinese name is checked as available and not identical to an existing name via the Companies Registry Cyber Search Centre / e-Services before filing.
File NNC1 + Articles + IRBR1
The incorporation form NNC1, the Articles of Association and the Notice to Business Registration Office are submitted through the e-Services Portal (e-Registry) or on paper.
Certificate of Incorporation + Business Registration Certificate
On approval the Companies Registry issues the Certificate of Incorporation and, under the one-stop service, the IRD issues the Business Registration Certificate simultaneously. Electronic certificates are commonly issued within about an hour; paper applications take a few working days.
Secretary, SCR and Statutory Books
The company secretary and designated representative are confirmed, the Significant Controllers Register is established at the registered office (or the place it is kept is notified on Form NR2), and the statutory books are set up.
Ready to start?
This one is priced to your situation — most of what we do needs a local filing agent, so we scope it rather than guess. Tell us the specifics and we come back with a fixed quote and a confirmed timeline, within one business day.
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Verified September 2026
Requirements and statutory fees are set by Companies Registry (incorporation) + Inland Revenue Department (Business Registration) — the one-stop company / business registration service and change without notice. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Your engagement letter and quote are the binding documents.