Company Formation
Choosing a structure, checking the name, filing the documents — and everything the first year asks of you afterwards. Costs, timing and the mistakes that recur.
17 articles
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Hong Kong Branch or a New Company? Registered Non-Hong Kong Company vs Subsidiary
An overseas company doing business in Hong Kong can register as a 'non-Hong Kong company' (a branch) or set up a Hong Kong subsidiary. Comparing legal status, liability, tax and the annual filing requirements.
About 7 min read
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Choosing a Financial Year End: 31 March, 31 December, or Something Else?
Your year end decides which filing category you fall into, when the return arrives, and how long an extension you can get. How 31 March, 31 December and other dates compare, and the rules on changing it later.
About 7 min read
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What Happens After Incorporation? The Seven Things to Deal With Immediately
Once the certificate of incorporation arrives there are seven more things to handle: the significant controllers register, the statutory registers, the 42-day annual return deadline, starting the books, the bank account, the year end, and MPF when you hire. The deadlines and the penalties.
About 7 min read
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What Are a Hong Kong Company's Articles of Association? Is the Registry's Model Enough?
Most people assume the articles have to be drafted from scratch. In fact the Companies Registry's model articles are enough for most private companies. What the articles must contain, when they genuinely need changing, and what to file afterwards.
About 7 min read
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How Long Does It Take to Set Up a Hong Kong Company? The Real Timeline
Electronic filing gets you the certificate within the hour; paper takes four working days. But between deciding to incorporate and actually receiving your first payment there is still the name search, the signing, and the bank account. What each step really takes.
About 7 min read
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How Does a One-Person Hong Kong Company Work? Shareholder, Director and Company Secretary
Can one person be the sole shareholder and sole director? Yes — but the law will not let you also be the company secretary. Written resolutions, the reserve director, and what happens if the sole shareholder dies.
About 6 min read
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Hong Kong Registered Office Address: Can You Use Your Home? Can You Use a PO Box? (2026)
Every Hong Kong company needs a registered office, and the law is specific: it must be a physical Hong Kong address, and PO boxes are not accepted. What you can use, the risk of using your home, how quickly a change must be filed, and the penalties.
About 6 min read
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Hong Kong Share Capital Structure: How Many Shares, What Split, and Leaving Room for New Shareholders
Most people put down 10,000 shares without thinking. Hong Kong's no-par-value regime, how many shares actually makes sense, how to split them between founders without a fight later, and how to leave room for investors.
About 6 min read
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Hong Kong Company Names: Restricted Words, How to Search, and How to Change One
You cannot call a company whatever you like. Which words need separate approval, how to check whether a name is taken, the rules on Chinese and English names, and what changing a name after incorporation involves.
About 6 min read
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Business Registration Number vs Company Registration Number: What's the Difference, and Which One Goes Where
A Hong Kong company has two numbers: the company registration number and the business registration number. Which department issues which, how to tell them apart, which one to give when opening an account, filing tax or signing a contract, and what the government's unified identifier changed.
About 6 min read
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Setting Up a Hong Kong Company in 2026: The Real Costs, the Timeline, and Eight Beginner Mistakes
What incorporating actually costs in 2026 (government fees plus service fees), a realistic timeline, how to choose the right structure, and the eight mistakes first-timers make — each with its actual consequence and how to avoid it.
About 8 min read
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Limited Company, Sole Proprietorship or Partnership? What Actually Separates Them
The first decision when starting out in Hong Kong. How the three compare on liability, tax rates, setup and running costs, and compliance — why the tax rates are actually lower for a sole proprietorship, and what you should really be deciding on.
About 6 min read
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Setting Up a Hong Kong Company from Overseas: Fully Remote, No Visit Required
Directors and shareholders of a Hong Kong company have no nationality or residence requirement, so overseas founders can incorporate entirely remotely. The documents, the five steps, how long it really takes, the government fees, and the one step that may still need you in person: the bank account.
About 9 min read
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Setting Up a Hong Kong Limited Company: Requirements, Process, Cost, Timing
Incorporating in Hong Kong is straightforward. What you take on afterwards is the real work. The five requirements, the six steps, the government fees, how long it actually takes, and the compliance a new company must handle in its first year.
About 6 min read
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Hong Kong or Singapore? A Practical Comparison Across Seven Dimensions
The real difference is not the tax rate: Singapore requires at least one local director and has GST, Hong Kong has neither. Setup cost, director requirements, tax, banking and market positioning compared.
About 8 min read
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Foreigners Registering a Hong Kong Company: Requirements, Documents, Process and Pitfalls
Hong Kong places no restrictions on foreign ownership — a foreigner can own a Hong Kong company outright, directors need not be residents, and the whole registration can be done remotely. The actual requirements, document certification, how hard the bank account really is, and the tax points to watch.
About 11 min read
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What Does It Cost to Set Up a Hong Kong Company? Formation and Annual Costs, Line by Line
Government fees are fixed at USD 501 and identical wherever you go. Service fees are where providers differ — and the annual running cost is what most people underestimate. Every line item, which ones are compulsory, and five charges that tend to appear later.
About 8 min read
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