- →
-
Contact Form
-
ShelfCompanies24 has been forming Hong Kong companies for international clients since 1995. Our Hong Kong CPA/TCSP partners handle every step of company formation in Hong Kong on a single fixed-price contract — from picking the right legal form through Companies Registry registration, IRD profits-tax registration, Significant Controllers Register filing and your first Hong Kong bank account. Most clients are trading inside 1–2 weeks via Companies Registry electronic filing, or in 2–5 working days via a ready-made off-the-shelf Hong Kong Limited.
Single payment covers Companies Registry filings, Business Registration Certificate, registered office, company secretary and our service fee.
Hong Kong Limited + registered office + company secretary + banking introduction under one roof.
Companies Registry standard formation 1–2 weeks. English/Cantonese-speaking case manager.
Most steps remote; some banks require physical presence.
We file NNC1 incorporation, draft articles, register the SCR, organise IRD profits-tax file.
The Limited is the workhorse of Hong Kong commerce. Governed by the Hong Kong Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622).
For listed entities (Hong Kong Stock Exchange).
| Form | Min. capital | Formation time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong Limited | HK$1 | 1–2 weeks | Default — SMEs, holdings, Asian gateway |
| PLC | HK$1+ | 2–4 weeks | Listed groups |
| LP | None | 2–4 weeks | Fund / JV structures |
| Branch | Parent-dependent | 2–4 weeks | Foreign multinational presence |
| Off-the-shelf Limited | HK$1+ (paid) | 2–5 days | Need immediate trading |
Confirm legal form, shareholder/director structure, business activity (with relevant industry classification), banking preferences, offshore-claim positioning if relevant.
Apply via the Hong Kong CPA/TCSP. Processing: typically 1–3 working days. Sensitive words require approval.
Drafted by our Hong Kong CPA/TCSP. Standard articles for most Limited companies.
Filed electronically via the Companies Registry e-Registry portal. Includes Articles of Association, director and member details, registered office, share capital, secretary details. Companies Registry issues Certificate of Incorporation typically within 5 working days.
Issued by IRD. The Limited cannot legally commence business without a BRC. Renewable annually; one-year BRC HK$2,150.
IRD assigns a Profits Tax File. First Profits Tax Return (BIR51) typically issued ~18 months post-incorporation.
SCR established at the registered office. Significant controllers (> 25% shareholders or those with significant influence) recorded.
Hong Kong banking partners: HSBC, Standard Chartered, Bank of China (Hong Kong), DBS, Citibank, plus international branches. KYC is rigorous; some banks require physical presence.
Limited: 1–2 weeks. Off-the-shelf transfer: 2–5 working days.
No — directors can be of any nationality. A Hong Kong-resident or Hong Kong-incorporated TCSP company secretary is mandatory; we provide.
The first HK$2 million of assessable profit is taxed at 8.25%; profits above at 16.5%. One entity per associated-companies group can claim the lower rate. Effective on profit, not turnover.
The Foreign-Sourced Income Exemption refined regime (since 2023) narrows the territorial benefit for certain in-scope passive income (interest, dividends, IP income, gains on shares) of MNE entities — requiring economic-substance, nexus, or participation tests for exemption.
8.25% on first HK$2M profit, 16.5% above. Foreign-source potentially 0% subject to FSIE rules.
Yes — most foreign-controlled Limited companies are managed from abroad. Tax position depends on source-of-profit analysis.
BRC (IRD), SCR establishment, bank account opening, ongoing company-secretary service, annual NAR1 return + BIR51 Profits Tax Return.
Ready to register your Hong Kong Limited? Contact our Hong Kong desk.
Hong Kong is one of several jurisdictions where ShelfCompanies24 maintains pre-formed entities and active formation services. Why pick Hong Kong for your Ltd specifically? Territorial tax, Asia gateway is the headline reason — but it pays to understand the trade-offs against the alternatives. Below are concrete differentiators that matter when you’re pricing a structure decision against the actual operating profile of your business.
Cross-border corporate structuring in 2026 is governed by a tighter web of rules than in any previous decade. Three forces shape every decision:
For Hong Kong specifically: 8.25% on first HK$2M / 16.5% above (two-tier from 2018); territorial tax – only HK-source profits taxed; 50+ DTTs.
Issues we routinely see when prospects come to us after attempting the process directly with local providers in Hong Kong:
Yes. A name change is filed with the CR via a directors’ resolution and a routine filing — typically clears in 24 hours. We include up to one name change in the standard fee for both shelf-company purchase and new formation. Subsequent changes are billed at cost.
Hong Kong maintains its own bilateral double-tax treaty network (specifics vary by country). Your consultant maps the relevant treaties for your operating profile during the initial scoping. Note that all modern treaties have been updated under the OECD Multilateral Instrument with anti-abuse principal-purpose tests, so genuine substance and commercial purpose matter for treaty entitlement.
Client information is held under contractual non-disclosure plus the professional-secrecy obligations applicable to corporate-service providers in our home jurisdiction. We do not share client identity or transaction details with third parties beyond what is statutorily required (KYC reporting, beneficial-owner-register filings, AML/CTF reporting where triggered). Our internal access to client files is logged and access-restricted by need-to-know.
Material tax changes (rate moves, new minimum-tax regimes, treaty amendments) get communicated to active clients with our analysis of impact. Where the change is structural — for example the OECD Pillar Two implementation in Hong Kong or a domestic tax-base reform — we proactively flag clients whose structures may need restructuring and offer a pricing-defined remedial path. The client is not left to discover material regulatory change from their accountant or from media reports.
A Ltd is a separate legal entity Hong Kong-tax-resident with its own corporate tax filings and beneficial-owner record. A branch is an extension of a foreign parent — the foreign parent is the legal entity, the Hong Kong branch books local-source income but the parent’s overall tax liability cascades. Most foreign owners pick a Ltd for liability ring-fencing and clean tax accounting; branches are sometimes preferred where the parent has specific group-relief or treaty considerations that depend on common legal personality.
Engaging us for your Hong Kong new Ltd formation covers the following deliverables under one fixed-fee proposal:
The deliverable scope is identical regardless of whether you are based in the EU, the US, the UK, the Middle East, or APAC — we operate the same fixed-fee model globally for Hong Kong corporate setup. Optional add-ons (virtual office, accounting retainer, payroll, sector licences, transfer-pricing documentation) are quoted line-item separately so there is no scope creep on the headline incorporation or transfer fee.