Company Secretary
Every Hong Kong company must appoint one. What the role actually does, who is qualified to hold it, how to compare providers, and how to change yours.
12 articles
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Company Chops and Signing in Hong Kong: Do You Still Need a Common Seal? (2026)
The common seal stopped being mandatory years ago, and signature by two authorised signatories has the same effect as sealing. How to set up signing authority, which documents cannot be signed electronically, and the risks of keeping a seal.
About 8 min read
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Notarising and Legalising Hong Kong Company Documents: When and How (2026)
There are two routes. Documents for mainland China go to a China-Appointed Attesting Officer; documents for elsewhere go to a Notary Public, then to the High Court for an Apostille if required. How to choose, what it costs, how long it takes.
About 6 min read
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Keeping Company Minutes: What Has to Be Recorded, and the 10-Year Rule (2026)
Hong Kong companies have to keep resolutions and minutes for at least 10 years, and a sole member's decisions have to be recorded too. Which decisions need a written record, where they are kept, and whether electronic storage is allowed.
About 7 min read
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Hong Kong Statutory Registers: The Five Books, Where to Keep Them (2026)
A Hong Kong company keeps five statutory registers: members, directors, company secretary, significant controllers and charges. What goes in each, where they must be kept, who can inspect them, and the penalty for not keeping them.
About 7 min read
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Intra-Group Stamp Duty Relief: The 90% Threshold, the Application, and the Two-Year Restriction
The same owner is not the same as "intra-group". The 90% association threshold in section 45 of the Stamp Duty Ordinance, how to apply to the Stamp Office, which forms are needed, and how relief is clawed back if the association ends within two years.
About 7 min read
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Stamp Duty on Hong Kong Share Transfers: How Much, When, and the Cost of Being Late
Buyer and seller pay 0.2% between them, plus a flat $5 on the instrument of transfer. How the valuation is determined, what documents are required, the stamping deadlines, and the 2x to 10x late-stamping penalty ladder.
About 7 min read
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Increasing and Reducing Share Capital in Hong Kong: Procedure, Deadlines and Filings
Bringing in an investor means allotting new shares; restructuring may mean reducing capital — and the two procedures have almost nothing in common. Members' resolutions, the one-month NSC1 deadline, the solvency statement, and the 5-to-7-week waiting window.
About 6 min read
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Changing Directors of a Hong Kong Company: Appointment, Resignation and Removal (2026)
Changing a director is more than holding a meeting: appointments, resignations and removals all require Form ND2A within 15 days. Who signs the form, what to do when the sole director wants to leave, and how long liability follows a departing director.
About 7 min read
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Changing a Hong Kong Company's Name: How Long It Takes and Who to Tell Afterwards (2026)
A name change needs a special resolution first, then Form NNC2 within 15 days; filed electronically the certificate usually issues within an hour. The timeline, how the business registration certificate is updated, whether old contracts still stand, and who to notify.
About 6 min read
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Notifying a Change of Registered Office: The 15-Day Deadline, Form NR1 and Penalties (2026)
Change the registered office and Form NR1 has to reach the Companies Registry within 15 days, with a fine of up to HK$25,000 per default and HK$700 a day for continuing default. How the deadline is counted, whether the IRD needs separate notice, and how to keep both in step.
About 6 min read
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What Is a Company Secretary, and Why Must Every Hong Kong Company Have One?
The company secretary is a statutory office, not an administrative assistant. What Cap. 622 s.474 requires, the actual duties and deadlines, who is eligible, in-house versus outsourced, and what happens if the office sits vacant.
About 9 min read
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Changing Company Secretary: What to Prepare, How Long It Takes, and Whether Compliance Lapses
Switching company secretary does not need your outgoing provider's consent — a statutory notice to the Companies Registry does it. The four steps, the documents to get back, a realistic timeline, and the question everyone asks: does compliance go dark in between?
About 8 min read
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