Updated 13.08.2026
Company registration · Hong Kong
Company registration in Hong Kong territorialtax and the gateway to China
Profits sourced outside Hong Kong are not taxed when the conditions are met, and the two-tier rates keep the burden low on the first tranche of profit. The classic base for trade with Asia.
Launch package
What the base package covers
- 01Name check and preparation of the constitution
- 02Incorporation with the registry
- 03Company secretary and registered office for the first year
- 04Full set of corporate documents
- 05Business registration certificate
- 06A calendar of obligations for the year ahead
and 3 more documents
The actual timing, cost and tax treatment depend on the corporate form, the activity and the structure of the company. Government fees are paid separately at the official tariffs.
Quick selection
Find the right structure
Where will the clients be?
What will the company do?
What do you need?
How many owners?
Reply within one business day
Fit
Who Hong Kong suits
- Trade with China and the wider Asian region
- Sourcing and procurement operations
- IT and services with Asian clients
- Holdings owning Chinese subsidiaries
- Businesses that need a simple, fast and reputable company
- You need access to the EU market and EU VAT
- You are counting on anonymity: registers are public
- There is no budget for the mandatory annual audit
- The business has no connection to Asia at all
Company types
What company you can open in Hong Kong
The private limited company is the working form for almost every task.
A company with limited liability and a nominal share capital.
- For whom
- Trading, sourcing, services, holdings.
- Advantage
- Fast incorporation, low state fees, strong reputation in Asia.
- Limit
- A company secretary and a registered office in Hong Kong are required.
Registration of a foreign company presence.
- For whom
- An existing group entering the Asian market.
- Advantage
- No new legal entity is required.
- Limit
- The parent company carries the liability.
A non-trading presence for market research.
- For whom
- Companies studying the region.
- Advantage
- Simple to set up.
- Limit
- Commercial activity is not permitted.
Every company needs a company secretary resident in Hong Kong and a local registered office, and files audited accounts each year.
Comparison
Hong Kong or Singapore
The two main Asian hubs, with different tax logic and different costs.
| Hong Kong | Singapore | |
|---|---|---|
| Profits tax | 8.25% on the first tranche, 16.5% above it | 17% with partial exemptions |
| Taxation principle | territorial | income received in Singapore |
| Resident director | not required | required |
| Audit | mandatory for every company | above the small company thresholds |
| Upkeep cost | lower | higher |
| Access to China | the strongest | good |
| Who it suits better | trade and sourcing | headquarters and funds |
Hong Kong is cheaper and closer to China; Singapore is stronger for regional headquarters and fund structures.
Where to register
What shapes the structure in Hong Kong
Everything turns on where the profit is actually earned.
What we check
- Where the contracts are negotiated and concluded
- Where the suppliers and the customers are located
- Whether goods pass through Hong Kong
- Whether an offshore profits claim is planned
- Who will act as director and where they are resident
- Which bank is prepared to work with the profile
- Whether staff will be hired locally
- How the source of capital is evidenced
- What documents will support the claim
- The upkeep budget for the next three years
An offshore profits claim is not a formality: the tax department examines contracts, correspondence and where decisions were taken. Documents are collected from day one, not at the audit.
Licensing
Activities and licences
Trading needs no licence; financial services and a few sectors do.
No licence required.
Licensed by the securities regulator.
Requires a licence for currency exchange and remittance.
Licensed by the insurance authority.
Requires sector permits.
Requires declarations and permits for controlled goods.
What sets the licence
- Whether a licence is required
- Where the profit arises
- Whether goods cross the territory
- Whether staff will be hired
- Planned turnover
- Which bank will serve the company
Prices
Three ways to launch
The scope is built from real scenarios. The amount depends on the level of accounting support.
from $1 900
A structure for contracts and ownership
1-2 weeks
Included
- Name check and preparation of the constitution
- Incorporation with the registry
- Company secretary and registered office for the first year
- Full set of corporate documents
- Business registration certificate
- A calendar of obligations for the year ahead
Government fees, paid separately
- Registry and business registration fees
Not included
- The bank account — handled as a separate stage
- The annual audit
from $4 100
An operating business with real settlements
4-10 weeks
Included
- Everything in the Company package
- Bank or payment institution profile and submission
- Support at the bank interview
- Accounting set-up and a reporting schedule
- Assessment of the offshore profits position
Government fees, paid separately
- Bank tariffs
Not included
- A guarantee that the account opens — the institution decides
by project
A trading company with real turnover
from 4 weeks
Included
- Everything in the Company and account package
- Monthly bookkeeping
- Preparation and passing of the annual audit
- Profits tax return
- Documentation supporting the offshore claim
- Annual support of the structure
Government fees, paid separately
- Audit fees
Registry fees, the business registration certificate and audit fees appear as separate lines in the quote.
Estimate
Preliminary quote
Seven questions about the activity, the source of profit, the audit and banking. A preliminary budget in return.
The range is indicative: audit and offshore claims are priced by volume.
Add-ons
Add-ons for any package
Switched on as the task requires.
Mandatory for every company; carried out by a local practice.
Preparation of the evidence and correspondence with the tax department.
Monthly accounting and preparation for the audit.
Where the structure requires it, with clear terms.
A mandatory role, provided by a licensed firm.
Selection of a bank or a payment institution.
Director, shareholder and capital changes.
Proper closure of the company.
Banking
The bank account after incorporation
Hong Kong banks check carefully, and the interview is a genuine stage of the project.
The activity, the counterparties, expected turnover, the connection to the region and the source of funds.
The corporate set, beneficiary profiles, contracts and invoices from real trade.
With local banks, and with payment institutions where speed matters more than status.
We prepare the file, arrange the interview and run the submission through to the result.
A company with no genuine trade behind it will be refused. Real contracts and a clear supply chain are what get the account opened.
Tax
Taxes in Hong Kong
Only profits sourced in Hong Kong are taxed, and the first tranche is taxed at half the rate.
8.25% on the first tranche of assessable profits and 16.5% above it for corporations.
Profits sourced outside Hong Kong are not taxed when the conditions are met.
The claim is examined by the tax department and must be supported by documents.
There is no value added tax or sales tax.
Audited financial statements are mandatory for every company.
Owning a foreign company creates obligations in the beneficiary country of residence.
Verified on 13 August 2026. This is not tax advice: the source of profit is assessed case by case.
Documents
What we need from you
The set is collected remotely; documents are in English.
- 01Passport with a certified copy
- 02Proof of residential address
- 03Curriculum vitae and description of the business
- 04Bank or professional reference
- 05Evidence of the source of funds
Trading documents serve two purposes at once: they open the bank account and they support the offshore profits claim.
Annual administration
What we handle every year
Upkeep is moderate, but the audit is unavoidable.
Renewed annually.
Mandatory requirements, renewed annually.
Filed with the registry.
Prepared and signed off by a local practice.
Filed with the tax department.
Supported and defended where it is made.
Maintained through the year, not only before the audit.
Periodic requests from the institution.
Cost of ownership
The cost of the company over three years
A company is not a one-off payment for incorporation: the annual items below repeat every year. We count ownership, not entry.
- Registration and corporate documents
- Business registration certificate
- Company secretary and registered office
- Annual return
- Audited financial statements
- Profits tax return
- Offshore claim
- Bookkeeping
- Bank compliance
- Business registration certificate
- Company secretary and registered office
- Annual return
- Audited financial statements
- Profits tax return
- Offshore claim
- Bookkeeping
- Bank compliance
- Business registration certificate
- Company secretary and registered office
- Annual return
- Audited financial statements
- Profits tax return
- Offshore claim
- Bookkeeping
- Bank compliance
What falls into each year depends on the corporate form, the activity and the requirements of the bank and the regulator. The three-year calculation comes together with the incorporation quote — before the engagement.
Process
How the work runs
Timelines are split by who is responsible.
Activity, source of profit, audit, banking.
One meetingWe fix the scope of work and the amount.
1-2 daysProvider verification and collection of the set.
3-7 daysFiling with the registry and issue of the documents.
5-7 daysBank file, the meeting and account opening.
The institution sets the timingAccounting, audit schedule and the tax calendar.
1-2 weeksThe outcome is a Hong Kong company with full documents, an account, accounting in place and a defensible position on the source of profit.
Scenarios
A company for a specific task
The structure follows the client task and the banking model, not the name of the jurisdiction.
BusinessClients and customers outside the country of registration, payment under contracts.
DirectionAn operating company with real management and reporting.
BankingThe bank looks at contracts, clients and turnover.
BusinessDevelopment, subscriptions and software licensing.
DirectionAn operating company that owns the product with a clear revenue chain.
BankingPayment providers and platform agreements are required.
BusinessSupplies between countries, settlements in several currencies.
DirectionA trading company with working banking infrastructure.
BankingCounterparties, routes and the origin of funds are checked.
BusinessHolding shares in subsidiaries and distributing profit.
DirectionA holding company set up with double tax treaties in mind.
BankingAn account for dividends and intra-group settlements.
A scenario does not assign a corporate form automatically: the actual form, licence and bank are checked against the current requirements for your activity.
Why BRIDGES
Who runs the incorporation and what we answer for
The difference shows in how the work is run, not in the promises.
We look at where contracts are concluded before promising a zero rate.
Every Hong Kong company is audited. That line is in the budget from day one.
The bank meeting decides the project; we rehearse it in advance.
Secretary, registration certificate, accounting and audit — three years ahead.
Reporting, the audit and returns stay with us.
A company with no trade behind it loses its account and its claim.
FAQ
Questions and answers
8.25% on the first tranche of assessable profits and 16.5% above it for corporations.
Hong Kong taxes profits sourced in Hong Kong. Foreign-sourced profits are outside the charge, but the claim must be evidenced.
By where the operations that generated the profit took place: negotiation, conclusion of contracts and decision making.
5-7 days with the registry once compliance is complete.
No, but a company secretary resident in Hong Kong is mandatory.
Yes, every company files audited financial statements regardless of turnover.
No, Hong Kong has no value added tax or sales tax.
Realistic with genuine trade and a clear supply chain; a shell company will be refused.
Calculation
Get the structure and a full quote before incorporation
Tell us where your suppliers and customers are and how contracts are concluded. We will assess the source of profit, the banking odds and prepare the launch and upkeep budget.
The structure, budget and scope are fixed after the business and the owners are reviewed. Account opening and registration decisions are taken by banks and state authorities.