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Before incorporation: applicant and business
Confirm the business, members, directors, company secretary and Hong Kong registered office before preparing the forms. Incorporation, banking and sector licences have separate requirements.
Use a one-page outline to describe products or services, customer markets, revenue model, payment currencies and startup funding sources. Separate actual transactions from forecasts and list verifiable contracts, orders or correspondence.
After incorporation: filings and renewal records
Prepare annual returns, business-registration renewal and tax filings separately. We help organise records and responsibilities.
| Matter | Records | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Annual return | Applicable NAR1 and current company, member, director and secretary details. | Information corresponds to the return date. |
| Business-registration renewal | Current registration and relevant notices. | Entity, address, activity and validity. |
| Accounts, audit and tax | Contracts, invoices, bank, transaction and employee records. | Coverage of the period and consistency with actual business. |
Inactivity or no bank account does not automatically remove filing duties; check any statutory exception.
Private-company eligibility and incorporation documents
An individual director must be at least 18 when appointed.
Non-Hong Kong residents can incorporate locally. An ordinary private company limited by shares needs at least one member, one natural-person director, a secretary and a Hong Kong registered office. Directors need not reside locally. An individual secretary must ordinarily reside in Hong Kong; a corporate secretary needs a registered/principal office there. A sole director cannot also be secretary. There is generally no minimum paid-up capital, but share details must be accurate.
| Prepare | Details/documents |
|---|---|
| Company/shares | Proposed names, business, local registered address, share class/number/currency, allocation and contacts. |
| People/verification | Member, director and secretary identity/address, appointment consent and beneficial-owner/significant-controller details for forms and provider checks. |
| Incorporation | Form NNC1, articles of association and IRBR1 business-registration notice as required. |
| Separate applications | Sector licences, trademarks, banking, tax and any Hong Kong work permission. |
We check the setup and paperwork. Incorporation does not grant an account, sector licence or work/residence permission.
Record shareholdings, decision-making authority and the ongoing contact. If you plan to operate in Hong Kong or apply for residence, coordinate the company and immigration application schedules.
Bank-account documents: company, controllers, business and funds
- Company: incorporation and business-registration certificates, articles, directors/members and the bank’s account-opening authorisation/resolution.
- People: identity, address, tax residence and applicable tax IDs for signatories, directors and ultimate beneficial owners/controllers.
- Business: real contracts, orders, invoices, website or correspondence explaining customers/suppliers, markets, volumes, currencies and payments.
- Funding: startup capital and source-of-funds/wealth evidence. New companies explain their actual stage and available evidence without invented transactions.
We record the bank’s required, supplementary and interview items. Banks assess independently; requirements vary by bank, industry and ownership. Complete documents do not guarantee an account.
Keep records from the first transaction
File contracts, supplier invoices, receipts, payments, payroll and expense records monthly. Track business-registration, annual-return and tax deadlines. Check filing duties even without income; accounting, audit and tax matters need professional confirmation.
Name the person responsible for each filing, with reminder dates and professional contacts.
Business records for tax assessment
Keep contracts, invoices, bank and trading records by accounting period, documenting income sources, business locations and related parties. Professionals assess filing requirements and eligibility from the facts; incorporation in Hong Kong or overseas customers alone does not establish exemption.
Confirm two-tiered profits-tax eligibility and connected-entity rules separately.
Questions you may have
Does incorporation automatically lead to a bank account?
Banks conduct their own due diligence. We help organise business, ownership and funding evidence and follow up on requests for further information.
Can Hong Kong formation and mainland operations be coordinated?
We can map the sequence of establishment, information reporting and subsequent professional work according to the business and location. The service agreement defines the scope.