Entity Formation in Hong Kong

Ready for a permanent Hong Kong presence? We help you incorporate the right way, and stay alongside you for the accounting, payroll, and compliance that follow. Independent advice, including telling you when it is too early.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners
  • Honest timing

What incorporating in Hong Kong means

A private company limited by shares (私人股份有限公司) is the standard vehicle for a permanent Hong Kong presence, incorporated under the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) and registered with the Companies Registry. It must restrict share transfers, cap membership at 50, and cannot offer shares to the public. When you form one, you become the legal employer and operator in Hong Kong, with full control and no per-employee EOR fees, in exchange for the setup time and the ongoing obligations.

01

Your own company

Your own private company limited by shares makes you the legal employer and operator in Hong Kong, with full control of employment terms and a local brand presence.

02

Lower cost at scale

No per-employee EOR fees. For permanent, proven headcount, owning the entity is more cost-effective than ongoing EOR arrangements.

03

Setup takes time

Incorporation typically takes about an hour once filed electronically, or up to four working days for a hard-copy filing, but you cannot employ anyone until Companies Registry registration completes. Timing the move matters, which is why many companies bridge with an EOR first.

How incorporating in Hong Kong works, step by step

From structuring the company to operating it compliantly.

01 — Structure & prepare

We confirm incorporation is right for you, then prepare the Articles of Association, run the company-name availability check, and arrange your registered Hong Kong office address.

02 — Capital & filing

There is no notarisation step. We prepare Form NNC1 (or NNC1G if the company has no share capital) and file directly through the Companies Registry’s e-Services Portal. Hong Kong sets no statutory minimum paid-up share capital, so there is nothing to deposit before you can incorporate.

03 — Register the company

The company is entered on the Companies Registry, and the Business Registration Certificate is issued by the Inland Revenue Department in the same one-stop process, so you can operate and employ compliantly from day one.

04 — Operate & stay compliant

Business bank account, then ongoing accounting, MPF administration, filings, and the annual audit, all of which we can run for you.

What incorporating in Hong Kong costs

Two kinds of cost: the one-off formation, and the ongoing operating obligations. Hong Kong’s formation cost is low; the real commitment is the ongoing compliance, including an audit every company must file regardless of size. We give you a clear figure before you commit.

Share capital & formation

There is no statutory minimum paid-up share capital for a private company limited by shares: Hong Kong operates a no-par-value share regime, and HKD 1 is a common practical starting value rather than a legal floor. The Companies Registry incorporation fee is HKD 1,545 filed electronically (HKD 1,720 for a hard-copy filing), plus the mandatory Business Registration Certificate issued in the same process at HKD 2,350.

Profits tax

Two-tiered: 8.25% on the first HKD 2,000,000 of assessable profits for a corporation, 16.5% on the remainder. Only one entity in a group of connected companies may elect the two-tiered rate; every other connected entity pays the flat 16.5% on all its profits.

No VAT or sales tax

Hong Kong charges no VAT, GST, or general sales tax of any kind. The tax base rests on three direct taxes only: profits tax, salaries tax, and property tax, so there is no VAT registration process to manage.

Ongoing obligations

Accounting, MPF administration, profits tax filings, and an Annual Return filed with the Companies Registry every year, plus a statutory audit with no small-company exemption regardless of size, all of which we can manage for you.

Why form your Hong Kong company through Bradford Jacobs

Why companies incorporate in Hong Kong through us rather than a one-off formation agent.

We advise you on the best time to incorporate

We are independent: we assess what you actually need, place you with the right vetted partner, secure pricing you will not get going direct, and stay on your side to escalate or renegotiate. You get advice, not a product pitch.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners only
  • On your side at renewal

A fast filing, a strict compliance floor

Hong Kong has no notarisation requirement: incorporation is filed electronically with the Companies Registry, often certificate-issued within about an hour. But there is also no small-company audit exemption: every private company limited by shares must file a statutory audit each year, whatever its size. We build that cost into your plan from day one, not as a surprise later.

  • No notary step
  • Audit required at every size
  • Built into the plan from day one

The right specialists, in place

Company Secretary, statutory auditor, and tax and accounting partners we have vetted and worked with, coordinated for you, so the process moves and nothing gets missed.

  • Named point of contact
  • Escalation on your behalf
  • No first-line queue

No minimum capital to start

Hong Kong sets no statutory minimum paid-up share capital, so there is nothing to deposit before you can incorporate, only a modest government filing fee. We confirm the full, real cost, including the mandatory Business Registration Certificate and the annual audit, before you commit.

  • No capital floor
  • Modest filing fee
  • No surprises later

We run it after you form it

Incorporation is the start, not the finish. We stay on for accounting, MPF administration, Profits Tax filings, and the Companies Registry Annual Return, so your company operates from day one without you building a local finance function.

  • Entity conversion built in
  • Contracts transfer cleanly
  • Continuity, not a cold start

The private company limited by shares trap nobody flags

A growing business hits a good quarter and someone says, let us just set up a proper Hong Kong company. It sounds responsible. It usually is not, yet. Here is what people expect against what happens in practice.

Employment & MPF obligations

Expectation: it takes a few weeks and is just admin. Reality: incorporation itself can be quick, often within about an hour if filed electronically, but a registered Hong Kong office, a Company Secretary who must ordinarily reside in Hong Kong, and MPF enrolment all apply, and you cannot legally employ anyone until those registrations are live.

Tax, filing & reporting obligations

Expectation: we can always reverse it. Reality: deregistering a company needs board and shareholder approval, tax clearance, and a waiting period. And once it exists, the obligations do not stop: an Annual Return every year, profits tax filings, and a statutory audit with no small-company exemption, whatever the size of the business. None of this is a reason not to incorporate. It is a reason to do it at the right time, with the right partners already in place.

What we handle for your Hong Kong company

Beyond incorporation, we can run the full back office for your company.

Compliant payroll

Compliant Hong Kong payroll and employment administration, issued and maintained for you.

Payroll & filings

Monthly MPF contributions calculated, withheld, and remitted, with salaries tax reporting handled each year.

Statutory benefits

All statutory entitlements administered: annual leave, sickness allowance, parental leave, and severance or long service payment where they apply.

Compliance & support

Ongoing HR compliance and a single point of contact, for the life of the engagement.

Your questions answered

Straight answers on incorporating and running a company in Hong Kong.

How long does it take to incorporate in Hong Kong?

Typically about an hour once filed electronically through the Companies Registry’s e-Services Portal, or around four working days for a hard-copy filing, once the Articles of Association and registered address are in place. You cannot legally employ anyone until registration completes, which is why timing matters and why many companies bridge with an EOR first.

None. There is no statutory minimum paid-up share capital under the Companies Ordinance, and HKD 1 is a common practical starting value rather than a legal floor. The Companies Registry filing fee is HKD 1,545 electronically (HKD 1,720 for a hard-copy filing). The real cost is the ongoing accounting, audit, and compliance, which we can run for you.

Yes. There is no residency or citizenship requirement for shareholders or directors: a single non-resident individual can be sole shareholder and sole director, managing entirely remotely. You will need a Company Secretary who, if a natural person, must ordinarily reside in Hong Kong, and a registered Hong Kong office, both of which we arrange.

Incorporate when you have permanent, proven headcount and want full control, and the per-head savings justify the ongoing costs. Use EOR while you are still validating the market or need people working quickly. Most companies start with EOR and incorporate later. We advise on the crossover.

Accounting, MPF administration, an Annual Return (Form NAR1) within 42 days of each incorporation anniversary, profits tax filings, and a statutory audit every year, since Hong Kong has no small-company audit exemption regardless of size. We can run all of it so the entity stays compliant without you building a local finance function.

Yes, and it is how most companies use us. Beyond incorporation we provide ongoing accounting, payroll, and compliance, so your Hong Kong company operates smoothly from day one without hiring locally for back office.

Ready to form your company in Hong Kong?

Tell us your plans for Hong Kong and we will tell you honestly whether now is the time to incorporate, then handle it end to end if it is, usually scoped within a day. No formation-mill upsell, just the right call.

Tax, company, and labour data verified July 2026 (the Companies Registry, Inland Revenue Department, Labour Department, MPFA). Figures change; we confirm the current position when we scope your formation.