Setting Up a Hong Kong Company from Overseas: Fully Remote, No Visit Required

At a glance

Fees, processing times and statutory requirements are as published by the Companies Registry, the Inland Revenue Department and the Companies Ordinance.

Why you don’t need to come to Hong Kong

Because the Companies Ordinance imposes no residence requirement on directors or shareholders. Any nationality, individual or corporate, and there is no separate requirement to appoint a local director — which is a meaningful difference from several other jurisdictions.

There are exactly two things the law requires to be in Hong Kong:

1. The company secretary. Must be a natural person ordinarily resident in Hong Kong, or a body corporate with its registered office here. This is not a nominal appointment — the secretary handles the annual return, the statutory registers, business registration renewal and the rest.

2. The registered office address. Must be a physical Hong Kong address, used to receive Companies Registry, IRD and legal correspondence. PO boxes are not accepted.

Both can be supplied by a licensed provider, which is why the whole formation can run online: document submission, identity verification and delivery of the company documents.

What documents do you need?

Three practical notes:

1. An electronic proof of address is generally fine, provided it clearly shows your name, the address and the issue date.

2. Certified copies are needed in some cases. As a licensed Hong Kong TCSP we have statutory client verification duties. The large majority of cases complete online; where your situation needs additional certification we say so before charging for it.

3. Check the name before settling on it. Some words need separate approval, and English and Chinese names cannot be combined into one. See the company name rules.

The five steps

1. Submit your information. Upload proof of identity and address to the client portal, provide the company name and business details, and complete online identity verification — a video call of about ten minutes.

2. Name search. We confirm availability at the Companies Registry’s enquiry service and suggest alternatives immediately if there is a conflict.

3. File. We prepare the full statutory set — the NNC1 form, the articles of association — and submit electronically to the Companies Registry.

4. Receive the certificates. A Certificate of Incorporation (CI) and a Business Registration Certificate (BR). Different numbers, different purposes — do not submit one where the other is asked for. On the distinction, see business registration number versus company number.

5. Open the bank account. See below.

Getting the certificates is not the end of it — see what to do after incorporation. The statutory registers and the significant controllers register have to be set up immediately, and the annual return, audit and tax filing recur every year with deadlines.

Does the bank account need you in person?

This is the one step that may, and the one most often underestimated.

Two different things: incorporation is approved by the Companies Registry against statutory conditions — low bar, quick. Opening a bank account is approved by a bank under its own policies — the bank can decline, and does not have to tell you why.

Broadly:

• Traditional banks generally require a director to attend a branch in person; some can arrange overseas witnessing. Approval takes longer.
• Digital banks — the HKMA formally renamed “virtual banks” to digital banks in October 2024 — some support fully remote onboarding and tend to be friendlier to non-resident applicants.

How the two compare: digital banks versus traditional banks. What to prepare: opening a business bank account, and for non-residents specifically, opening a company account as a non-resident.

The most useful advice: how well you prepare the file matters more than which bank you pick. What the bank wants to see is that the business is real and comprehensible — a business plan, supplier or customer contracts, an explanation of where the money comes from. The checklist is here: what documents to prepare. If you are declined, diagnose the reason before applying elsewhere rather than working down a list.

What role do we play in your company?

• Company secretary — the qualified appointment the law requires, handling the annual return, business registration renewal and changes to company particulars.
• Registered address — a Hong Kong business address as the statutory registered office, receiving government and business mail.
• Mail handling — scanned and notified through the client portal; physical forwarding to a mainland or overseas address can be arranged.

One thing to be clear about: a statutory audit must be performed by a Hong Kong practising CPA. We handle bookkeeping, prepare the year-end file and deal with the auditor; the audit report itself is signed by the practising accountant.

What does it cost?

Budget separately for the annual audit and tax filing — that is priced on transaction volume, not as a flat fee. See what it costs.

Common questions

Can I use a mainland identity card?

Yes. A PRC identity card is valid proof of identity; with a proof of address from the last three months you can file, and a passport is generally not additionally required.

If what you have in mind is a mainland enterprise setting up a Hong Kong entity, that is a different exercise — holding structure, funding, staff visas and the tax trade-offs on both sides. See a mainland company setting up in Hong Kong.

Do I need a visa?

No. Registering a Hong Kong company involves no visa or entry permit. But be clear on the distinction: setting up a company and working or living in Hong Kong are different things, and the second needs its own application.

Do I need to rent an office?

No. A registered address service is sufficient, provided it is a physical Hong Kong address.

Is overseas income automatically exempt?

Not necessarily. Hong Kong is territorial, but claiming the offshore exemption means substantiating it — contracts, correspondence, and evidence of where the work was actually done. See the profits tax guide.

No trading — does the company still need an audit and a tax return?

Yes. A Hong Kong limited company files and is audited every year whether or not it traded. On what happens if it is left alone, see leaving a company alone.

Is a Hong Kong company suitable for cross-border e-commerce?

No exchange controls, multi-currency accounts and high acceptance by international platforms make it a reasonable fit. Watch the substantiation requirements on any offshore claim: see cross-border e-commerce.

Get the calendar set from day one

The technical side of remote incorporation is not the hard part. The difference shows up afterwards: whether anyone in Hong Kong is watching those deadlines. The 42-day annual return, the business registration renewal, the audit and tax filing after each year end — when you are not in Hong Kong, missing one is easier.

Get started, or talk to us first.

This article is general information and does not constitute legal, tax or accounting advice. Requirements, fees, processing times and statutory obligations are as published by the Companies Ordinance, the Companies Registry and the Inland Revenue Department; bank account approval is decided independently by each bank.