What services provided by the Companies Registry will cease on Saturdays upon the Phase Two implementation of Five-day week in the Companies Registry starting from 1 January 2007?

Are there alternative means of provision of these services on Saturdays?

Will the overall level of services and efficiency / performance pledges / number of operating hours be affected by the implementation of a five-day week in the Companies Registry?

If I submit documents by post or through the drop-in box, how can I know whether the Companies Registry has received the documents?

Will the deadline for the delivery of an annual return be extended to the following Monday if the due date for delivery falls on a Saturday?

What can a company do if the last date of delivery of its annual return falls on a Saturday when the Companies Registry's offices are closed?

Will the deadline for the delivery of a charge to the Companies Registry for registration under Part III of the Companies Ordinance be extended to the following Monday if the last date for delivery falls on a Saturday, just the same treatment of deadline which falls on a public holiday?

What services provided by the Companies Registry will cease on Saturdays upon the Phase Two implementation of Five-day week in the Companies Registry starting from 1 January 2007?

All counter and non-counter public services of the Companies Registry will cease on Saturdays, including:-

Are there alternative means of provision of these services on Saturdays?

Yes. The following alternative means of service delivery will be provided when the Companies Registry's offices are closed on Saturdays:-

Will the overall level of services and efficiency / performance pledges / number of operating hours be affected by the implementation of a five-day week in the Companies Registry?

In taking forward the five-day week initiative, the Companies Registry will take steps to maintain the overall level and efficiency of services delivered to the public. Performance pledges for incorporation of local companies and registration of documents will be maintained. The number of operating hours of the Companies Registry's services will be extended so that the loss of the service hours on Saturdays will be fully compensated on weekdays (please click here for the new operating hours).

If I submit documents by post or through the drop-in box, how can I know whether the Companies Registry has received the documents?

You will receive the official receipts for fee payable documents or acknowledgment slips for non-fee payable documents issued by the Companies Registry by post in around seven working days after the documents were received. In addition, the Companies Registry maintains a document index with information of all documents received. You can conduct a document index search free of charge at the Companies Registry's Cyber Search Centre to ascertain the status of the submitted documents.

Will the deadline for the delivery of an annual return be extended to the following Monday if the due date for delivery falls on a Saturday?

If the due date for filing an annual return falls on a Saturday, the deadline for submission will remain unchanged as the Registrar of Companies (the Registrar) does not have power to extend the statutory time limit for the delivery of annual returns. The prescribed time period for filing an annual return under section 109 of the Companies Ordinance (CO) and the escalating fee scale in Part I of the Eighth Schedule of the CO will continue to apply. To avoid paying a higher registration fee, companies and their officers who wish to present documents to the Companies Registry in person are advised to deliver their annual returns by the preceding Friday. A higher registration fee will be required if the annual return is delivered to the Registrar on the following Monday beyond the prescribed time period. Companies and document presentors are advised to submit their statutory returns to the Registrar as early as possible.

What can a company do if the last date of delivery of its annual return falls on a Saturday when the Companies Registry's offices are closed?

The service hours for receipt of documents will be extended on weekdays (i.e. from 8:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) upon the Phase Two implementation of the five-day week to facilitate the delivery of documents, annual returns in particular, by companies and document presentors to the Companies Registry in person. Furthermore, documents can always be posted to the Companies Registry on or before the due dates. You can also deposit documents and cheques in the drop-in box which will be placed near the Information Counter on the Deck Floor, High Block, Queensway Government Offices on Saturdays (except public holidays).

Will the deadline for the delivery of a charge to the Companies Registry for registration under Part III of the Companies Ordinance be extended to the following Monday if the last date for delivery falls on a Saturday, just the same treatment of deadline which falls on a public holiday?

The Registrar of Companies (the Registrar) has no power to grant any extension of time for late delivery of a charge under Part III of the Companies Ordinance. If the due date for delivery of a charge for registration falls on a Saturday, companies or presentors will have to make suitable arrangements to deliver the charge to the Registrar for registration by the preceding Friday. If it is delivered to the Registrar on the following Monday beyond the prescribed time period, a court order extending the time for registration of the charge under section 86 of the Companies Ordinance will be required.