Incorporation

• May non-Hong Kong residents incorporate a local limited company in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the Hong Kong SAR)?
• How do I form and register a local limited company in the Hong Kong SAR?
• How much do I have to pay on delivery of an application for incorporation of a local company?
• Is the "Articles of Association" a specified form?
• What mandatory articles are required to be included in the Articles of Association of companies?
• Has the Companies Registry provided any samples of Articles of Association?
• Is there any requirement on the number of shares proposed to be issued and the number of founder members of a local company limited by shares?
• Is there any requirement on the minimum amount of paid-up capital upon application for incorporation or commencement of business?
• Can the registered office of a local limited company be situated outside the Hong Kong SAR?
• Is there any requirement of stating the registered office address, the first director(s) and company secretary in the articles of association?
• Can I leave the items relating to the first director(s), company secretary or registered office in the incorporation form (i.e. Form NNC1 or NNC1G) blank?
• For data fields/boxes in the incorporation form (i.e. Form NNC1 or NNC1G) which are not applicable to my company, can I leave them blank?
• Must all the first directors sign the statement on Consent to Act as Director in the incorporation form?
• When should the Form NNC3 – Consent to Act as First Director be delivered?
• Can the directors sign and deliver different incorporation forms separately?
• Should the unused pages of the incorporation form (i.e. Form NNC1 or NNC1G) be delivered for registration?
• Can I continue to use the old Forms NC1 and NC1G?
• Can I deliver an unsigned copy of the articles of association (AA)?
• When can I get the Certificate of Incorporation and Business Registration Certificate for my company after delivering the application?
• Can the Certificate of Incorporation and Business Registration Certificate in hard copy form be sent to me by post? Who can collect the certificates for me?
• When will the information of the company be available for search after incorporation?
• What are the requirements of directors and company secretary of a company?
• When will the appointments of the persons named as the first director(s) and company secretary in the incorporation form (i.e. Form NNC1 or NNC1G) become effective?
• When will the proposed address of the company's registered office stated in the incorporation form (i.e. Form NNC1 or NNC1G) become effective?
• I have already registered the name of my limited company with the Companies Registry. Can I use the registered company name as a trade mark? Will my company name be protected as a registered trade mark automatically?
• Will the Trade Marks Registry give approval to the registration of the name of my limited company as a trademark because I have registered it with the Companies Registry?
• How do I know if I need to apply for other business licences for my company to carry on business?
• Which government department can provide me with free advice on how overseas businesses can set up and expand in the Hong Kong SAR?

Registration

• When is a non-Hong Kong company required to register in the Hong Kong SAR, what are the documents required to be delivered for registration and what fees should be paid?
• The documents of my non-Hong Kong company are not in English or Chinese, do I need to deliver their translation in English or Chinese for registration?
• How should copies of documents be certified?
• How should the translations of documents be certified?
• Who can act as an authorized representative of a registered non-Hong Kong company to accept on the company's behalf service of any process or notice required to be served on the company?

Company Name

• Am I free to choose any name I want for my company?
• How to determine if a company name is "the same as" another?
• How can I know whether the company name I intend to use is the same as a name appearing in the Index of Company Names kept by the Registrar of Companies?
• How can I know whether the company name I intend to use is identical to a name that has been subject to a change of name direction issued by the Registrar of Companies?
• How can I know whether the company name I intend to use has once been used by other companies?
• Can I use both English letters and Chinese characters in a company name?
• Can I use simplified Chinese characters in the Chinese company name of a local company?
• Is it possible to register a company with a Chinese name only?
• Can an English company name end with the word "Ltd"?
• How can a company change its name after incorporation?
• Can the name of a company be swopped with the name of another company under the same corporate group? What documents should I deliver to the Companies Registry for consideration?
• Can I raise objection to a registered company name if I consider that it is "too like" my company name?
• What will be the consequences if a company fails to comply with the change of name direction issued by the Registrar of Companies?
• I have already registered the name of my limited company with the Companies Registry. Can I use the registered company name as a trade mark? Will my company name be protected as a registered trade mark automatically?
• Will the Trade Marks Registry give approval to the registration of the name of my limited company as a trade mark because I have registered it with the Companies Registry?