{"id":98,"date":"2026-09-30T08:07:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T08:07:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vivosgroup.com\/hk\/insights\/how-to-set-up-a-company-in-hong-kong\/"},"modified":"2026-10-05T08:13:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T08:13:06","slug":"how-to-set-up-a-company-in-hong-kong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vivosgroup.com\/hk\/insights\/how-to-set-up-a-company-in-hong-kong\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Set Up a Company in Hong Kong: Steps, Fees and Timeline for 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Insights \u00b7 Hong Kong Incorporation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Set Up a Company in Hong Kong: Steps, Fees and Timeline for 2026<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

To set up a Hong Kong private company, you file Form NNC1 and your articles of association through the Companies Registry\u2019s e-Services Portal. You need at least one director who is a natural person, one shareholder, a company secretary based in Hong Kong and a Hong Kong registered office. Online, the incorporation fee is HK$1,545 and the certificates usually issue within an hour. From 1 April 2026 a one-year business registration costs HK$2,350, so government fees start at HK$3,895.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This guide is for founders, finance leads and overseas groups opening a Hong Kong company. It sets out what the Companies Registry requires, what each government fee covers in 2026, how long each step takes, and the obligations that start on the day the company is incorporated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Item<\/th>Position at 30 September 2026<\/th><\/tr>
Incorporation fee, online (e-Services Portal)<\/td>HK$1,545<\/td><\/tr>
Incorporation fee, hard copy<\/td>HK$1,720<\/td><\/tr>
Business registration, one year (from 1 April 2026)<\/td>HK$2,350 (HK$2,200 fee + HK$150 levy)<\/td><\/tr>
Business registration, three years (from 1 April 2026)<\/td>HK$6,170 (HK$5,720 fee + HK$450 levy)<\/td><\/tr>
Processing time<\/td>Normally within 1 hour online; up to 4 working days on paper<\/td><\/tr>
Minimum officers and members<\/td>1 director who is a natural person, 1 shareholder, 1 company secretary<\/td><\/tr>
Minimum share capital<\/td>None prescribed<\/td><\/tr>
First annual return (Form NAR1)<\/td>Within 42 days after the first anniversary of incorporation; HK$105<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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What you need before you file<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) sets a short list of minimum requirements for a private company limited by shares. It must have at least one founder member (shareholder), at least one director who is a natural person, a company secretary and a registered office in Hong Kong. The Companies Registry confirms there is no residency requirement for directors, so an overseas founder can be the sole director and the sole shareholder, and a corporate director can sit alongside the individual one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company secretary is where overseas founders most often need local help. An individual secretary must ordinarily reside in Hong Kong; a corporate secretary must have its registered office or a place of business in Hong Kong. A sole director cannot also be the secretary. Founders without a Hong Kong base can appoint a corporate secretarial provider to fill the role and supply the registered office address. If you do, check that the provider holds a trust or company service provider (TCSP) licence from the Registrar of Companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no minimum paid-up capital and no prescribed number of shares, so the share structure can be set to suit the business. The application must include articles of association; companies can adopt provisions from the Model Articles, which also fill any gap the company\u2019s own articles leave. From incorporation, the company must keep a significant controllers register at its registered office or another place in Hong Kong. It is not filed with the Registry, but it must be updated within seven days of the relevant particulars being confirmed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Step by step: filing, fees and timeline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Filing is done online through the e-Services Portal, which the Companies Registry launched on 27 December 2023 to replace the e-Registry and the Cyber Search Centre. In one application you submit Form NNC1, the articles of association and the notice to the Business Registration Office (Form IRBR1), and you pay the incorporation fee together with the business registration fee and levy. The incorporation fee is HK$1,545 online and HK$1,720 for a hard-copy filing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The business registration charge changed on 1 April 2026. According to the Inland Revenue Department\u2019s fee table, the one-year fee has been HK$2,200 since 1 April 2024, and the HK$150 Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund levy on one-year certificates was waived for certificates starting between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2026. From 1 April 2026 the levy applies again, so a one-year certificate costs HK$2,350 and a three-year certificate HK$6,170. Budget HK$3,895 in government fees for an online incorporation with a one-year certificate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a private company with an acceptable name, the Registry normally issues the Certificate of Incorporation and the Business Registration Certificate, both as PDFs, within one hour of an online submission; a hard-copy application takes up to four working days. The longer steps sit either side of that hour: your secretarial provider\u2019s customer due diligence on the directors and shareholders before filing, and the bank\u2019s own due diligence when you open the company account afterwards. Plan the timeline around those two steps rather than the filing itself.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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After incorporation: a first-year checklist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n