TL;DR
- You're forming a private company limited by shares: one shareholder, one director who's a real person, a Hong Kong address and a Hong Kong company secretary. No residency requirement for owners or directors, though a sole director can't also be the secretary.
- Government fees are HK$3,895 for 2026/27. Provider packages sit on top; Peblx's All-In is HK$8,800, currently HK$3,800 after our discount and Aspire's cashback, or free with any accounting plan.
- With documents ready and identity checks done, we usually have the company formed in about a week, fully remote.
- The obligations start on day one: Significant Controllers Register, annual return, BR renewal, profits tax return. Missing dates is how new companies end up paying late fees.
- You don't need a bank account to incorporate, but you need an account to trade. Fintech accounts open remotely, usually in days, subject to the provider's approval.
What you are actually forming
When forming a private company limited by shares, it requires one shareholder, one director who is a real person, a Hong Kong registered office address and a company secretary based in Hong Kong. The shareholder and director can be the same person, and neither has to live in Hong Kong or hold a Hong Kong passport, so 100 per cent foreign ownership is common. A sole director can't also be the secretary, so a one-person company needs somebody else in that role.
From overseas, the two things you can't easily supply yourself are the address and the secretary, and that's the main reason founders use an incorporation provider, although the law doesn't insist on one and any Hong Kong resident can act as secretary. A licensed Trust or Company Service Provider (TCSP), or a law or accounting practice, gives you both, files the paperwork and runs the due diligence that anti-money-laundering law requires before it takes you on.
What it costs the government
For 2026/27 the government fees come to HK$3,895. That's HK$1,545 to the Companies Registry for an electronic incorporation (HK$1,720 on paper) and HK$2,350 to the Inland Revenue Department for a one-year Business Registration Certificate. The BR figure went up on 1 April 2026 when the HK$150 levy came back after a two-year waiver, so any guide still quoting HK$3,745 is out of date.
On top of that sits the provider's fee. Ours is HK$8,800 for the All-In package, which covers incorporation, a year of company secretary, registered address, mail scanning and unlimited filings, with the government fees included. Right now we take HK$3,000 off and Aspire gives you HK$2,000 back when you open a business account, which brings the net cost to HK$3,800. Add any accounting plan and the incorporation fee is waived entirely.
The six steps
- Pick a name that will clear. Search the Companies Registry's e-Services Portal first, which is free. A name identical to one already on the index is refused, and restricted words need the Registry's approval. English, Chinese or both is fine, but a single name that mixes English words with Chinese characters won't be registered.
- Decide who does what. List your shareholders and directors and how the shares are split. If a company will be a shareholder, you'll need its documents too.
- Get your documents together. We ask for a passport and a proof of address dated within three months for every director and shareholder, plus a short description of what the business will do. The three-month cut-off is our policy, and a common one.
- Pass the checks. A licensed TCSP has to verify who you are and who ultimately owns the company before it takes you on. With Peblx this is done online through an identity check on your phone, so there's no need to courier certified copies.
- Sign and file. The incorporation form, articles of association and business registration application go to the Companies Registry together, electronically. You sign digitally from wherever you are.
- Get your certificates. The Registry says it normally issues the Certificate of Incorporation and Business Registration Certificate within an hour of an electronic filing. With documents ready and identity checks done, the whole thing usually takes us about a week end to end.
What happens after day one
The obligations start immediately, and this is where founders who did it themselves tend to get caught. Your Significant Controllers Register must exist from the first day and be kept in Hong Kong, and the company has to name a designated representative for it, who can be your TCSP.
Your first annual return is due within 42 days after the first anniversary of incorporation. On time it costs HK$105, and after that the fee climbs in four steps from HK$870 to HK$3,480 once you're more than nine months past the anniversary. The Business Registration Certificate renews every year, at HK$2,350 on the 2026/27 scale. The Inland Revenue Department usually sends the first profits tax return around 18 months in, and unless the company is formally dormant it has to be filed with audited accounts.
The duty to file is the company's, and it's the company and its responsible officers who get prosecuted for a default. In practice the company secretary keeps the calendar, so it's worth confirming that yours tracks these dates.
Bank accounts
You don't need a bank account to incorporate, but you'll need an account of some kind to trade. A traditional bank can take weeks and may ask to meet a director in person. Fintech accounts like Aspire and Airwallex are opened online. Neither is a bank (both are licensed money service operators) and both vet every application, but Aspire replies within five business days and Airwallex says most eligible Hong Kong companies are approved within 48 hours. Peblx clients get HK$2,000 cashback from Aspire and priority opening with Airwallex, and we introduce you as part of the setup.
