Hong Kong company incorporation
Hong Kong provides one of the world’s most promising opportunities for international expansion. When you partner with Horizons, our suite of expansion solutions allow you to quickly and compliantly establish a foreign subsidiary in Hong Kong.
Our team of legal specialists ensure that your company retains the same quality of legal compliance as your in-country entities. Additionally, if you’d like to begin operating in Hong Kong before your company incorporation is complete, our pre-incorporation PEO enables you to quickly launch your Hong Kong workforce.
As Hong Kong’s most trusted incorporation partner to foreign clients, Horizons supports you through each stage of your entity setup. This ensures that your company incorporation maintains full legal compliance with Hong Kong labor regulations.
Simplifying your entity setup in Hong Kong
Horizons’ team of legal specialists assist you to quickly and cost-effectively establish a foreign entity in Hong Kong. We help you gather employment contracts, prepare financial statements, and maintain tax compliance. Our pre-incorporation PEO service also lets you begin trading in Hong Kong, whilst waiting for your entity to be established.
Company Incorporation
Our team of in-country experts work alongside Hong Kong government departments to handle the bulk of the incorporation process. This saves you valuable time and money.
Local HR Department
You can rely on the support of our local Human Resources department for ongoing support through each stage of your company incorporation in Hong Kong.
Advisory Services
Our skilled advisory team manages all your monthly corporate services. This includes your bookkeeping, financial planning, and accounting.
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Our approach to entity setup in Hong Kong
Hong Kong presents lucrative opportunities to create and manage a local company of your own. We work alongside you to identify a company structure that best aligns with your in-country strategy and long-term development plans.
When you partner Horizons, we manage your company’s end-to-end incorporation. This includes:
Handling payroll setup and registration
- Once incorporation is complete, we transition employees from their current employment status – under our PEO – into that of your company.
- Overseeing the same benefits your company has been providing to your foreign employees under the ownership of your new subsidiary.
- Gathering local employment contracts and legally mandated materials for the establishment of your new entity.
- Strategic guidance in matters concerning contract negotiations with employees.
Requirements for Hong Kong company incorporation
Company Name
- Selected prior to the incorporation process and approved by the Hong Kong Companies Registry.
Company’s Directors
- Minimum of one director is required
- Unlimited maximum number of directors
- Directors can be natural persons or companies
- Directors can be of any nationality
Shareholders
- Minimum of one shareholder is required / a maximum of 50 shareholders allowed
- Natural persons or companies abroad
- Shareholders can be of any nationality
Company Secretary
- Mandatory by law to appoint a company secretary
- Can be a local individual or corporate resident
- No professional qualification required
- The director/shareholder cannot be the company secretary
- Horizons can act as the local company secretary
Company Address
- The incorporation requires a physical address as the registered address of the Hong Kong company.
- Horizons offers a company address to use for our client’s registered company in Hong Kong.
Share Capital
- No minimum / maximum amount to be infused
Taxation
- Income generated abroad is generally exempt from Hong Kong tax. Only income generated in Hong Kong is subject to a corporate tax rate of 16.5%.
Monthly & Annual Activities
- Annual audit of company accounts; intimating the Companies Registry of any changes to the company or its members.
- Filing annual returns with the Companies Registry
- Filing tax returns with the Inland Revenue Department
- Holding timely AGMs
- Maintaining company records, accounting records and other business documents; renewing business registration certificate; etc.
Considerations for foreigners
Any foreigners seeking to register an offshore limited liability company in Hong Kong need to consider the following:
- Foreigners are able to be the shareholders or sole directors of a Hong Kong company. There are no local resident requirements.
- Whilst there is no physical requirement to be present at the time a company is registered, physical presence may be required when opening a bank account, which is dependent on the bank chosen.
- If foreigners do not plan on relocating to Hong Kong, they’re able to operate their Hong Kong offshore company from abroad.
How to start a business in Hong Kong: Required documents
When establishing a Hong Kong limited liability company, the following documents are typically required:
- A copy of the Articles of Association for the company. A standard document is generally provided by the professional services firm that is assisting with the incorporation of the company.
- A duly completed incorporation form that includes the following:
- Company name
- Registered address
- A brief description of the business activities
- Particulars of shareholders, directors, and company secretary
- Share capital registered on incorporation
- Liability of members
- Copy of passport, overseas residential address proof (for resident shareholders and directors)
- Number of shares taken up by subscribers (for non-resident shareholders and directors)
- Copy of Hong Kong identity card
- Copy of residential address proof
- Copy of parent company registration documents such as Certificate of Incorporation and Articles of Association (for corporate shareholders and directors)
Officially translated versions for any non-English documents must be submitted.
Company incorporation in Hong Kong: Professional services support
When you engage a professional services firm like Horizons, the necessary formalities are taken care of – from beginning to end. During this ongoing partnership, a professional services firm supports your business by:
- Collecting the necessary incorporation details and identification documents.
- Reserving the company name of your choice and preparing all required incorporation documents (including Articles of Association) to be filed with the Company Registrar.
- Filing the incorporation documents with the Company Registrar and obtaining the Certificate of Incorporation.
- Preparing the common seal and stamp, share certificate and register, and statutory books.
- Assisting with filing for relocation visa, business licenses, ongoing statutory compliance, and annual filings.
Horizons' pre & post-incorporation services
Horizons provides companies with both pre and post-incorporation services as part of our entity setup solution.
With our pre-incorporation service, you’re able to utilize our Global PEO to immediately establish an international workforce in Hong Kong, while you await the completion of your company incorporation. Once the setup is complete, we seamlessly transition your foreign employees from our Global PEO directly to your company’s new subsidiary.
Our post-incorporation experts provide ongoing monthly and annual compliance services, allowing clients to continue operating compliantly on-site. This enables business owners to primarily focus on local operations.
If you’re looking to establish a foreign subsidiary in Hong Kong, Horizons helps you save time and money; whilst ensuring full compliance with local labor laws.
