Maritime Hong Kong
Maritime Hong Kong

Registering a Company in Hong Kong for a Foreign Entrepreneur

Hong Kong is ranked amongst the top 4 most entrepreneur friendly destinations in the world. Whether you are a locally residing individual who wants to start a company or someone from overseas trying to setup a Hong Kong company, the procedure is simple and streamlined. Any foreign entrepreneur or company can incorporate a business in Hong Kong and it allows 100 per cent foreign ownership in companies based in the city.

As a matter of fact, as per the company laws in Hong Kong, any foreign entrepreneur can be the sole director as well as the sole shareholder in a company based in Hong Kong. They are allowed to hold annual director meetings and also annual shareholders meetings anywhere in the world. Foreigners are also allowed to operate their business from outside the city and travel on a standard visa to check on company matters. For frequent travelers, you can also apply for specialized visa schemes that make it easy to manage the business from outside of Hong Kong.

To register a company in Hong Kong, a foreign entrepreneur must first get their proposed company name approved from the concerned authorities. As long as the chosen name does not infringe on any existing trademarks or is not in use, it is approved. Of course the name should not contain any word that is seen as vulgar or obscene in Hong Kong. The name also can be either an English name or a Chinese name.

Once your company name is approved, you can proceed to the actual company registration with the companies registry. You are required to submit certain documents during registration such as Memorandum and Articles of Association, duly filled incorporation form, director and shareholders details etc. Typically the entire process takes about 4 to 7 days to complete. Once your company registration has been formally approved by the authorities, there are a few steps more before you can commence business operations.

Within 14 days of incorporation, you must file certain documents with the company registrar in Hong Kong. You must also open a corporate bank account and if required, apply for an appropriate license for your business. Hong Kong limited liability companies which are the same as a private limited company or Hong Kong offshore company must also register with the Inland Revenue Department within one month of its incorporation. If the foreign entrepreneur or company is not going to relocate any staff to Hong Kong, then they can commence with their business operations. However, if the entrepreneur does wish to relocate, then they have to apply for the appropriate work passes in Hong Kong.

Bryan Wong is a business analyst in the Asia-Pacific region and in his free time writes business articles. In this article, Bryan talks about Company registration Hong Kong and Hong Kong offshore company.


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