Companies Registry released statistics for the first half of 2010
(12 July 2010)
The Companies Registry has released its statistics for the first half of 2010. Please refer to the press release issued on 11 July 2010 in the 'Publications and Press Releases' section of this website for details.
LegCo passed Companies (Amendment) Bill 2010
(12 July 2010)
The Companies (Amendment) Bill 2010 (Legal Supplement No. 3 to Gazette No. 3, Vol. 14 ) was passed by the Legislative Council on 7 July 2010. The amendments mainly aim to tie in with the development of Phase II of the Integrated Companies Registry Information System by the Companies Registry with a view to introducing online applications for company registration and filing of company documents in 2011.
The Amendment Ordinance also facilitates electronic and website communication between a company and its members.
For more information, please refer to the press release issued on 7 July 2010 in the 'Publications and Press Releases' section of this website.
2010 Best SME's Partner Award
(7 June 2010)
The Companies Registry was awarded the "2010 Best SME's Partner Award". For more information, please refer to the "Events and Activities" section of this website.
Weekly Lists of Newly Registered Companies
(28 May 2010)
To facilitate public search on the names of newly registered companies readily, weekly lists of newly registered companies in pdf format are posted in the 'Statistics' ¡V 'Lists of Newly Registered Companies (Weekly)' section of this website for free download. The first list covers the period from 17 to 23 May 2010. Subsequent updates will be uploaded on every Wednesday.
Public Consultation on Draft Companies Bill ¡V Second Phase Consultation
(7 May 2010)
A consultation paper on the Draft Companies Bill ¡V Second Phase Consultation was issued on 7 May 2010. For more information, please refer to the press release issued on 7 May 2010 in the 'Publications and Press Releases' - 'Press Releases' section of this website. The Consultation Paper Highlights, full Consultation Paper and draft clauses of the Companies Bill are also available for downloading in the 'Publications and Press Releases' - 'Consultation Papers' section of this website.
You are cordially invited to send us your views on or before 6 August 2010 by email to co_rewrite@fstb.gov.hk , by fax to (852) 2869 4195 or by post to the Companies Bill Team, Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, 15/F, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong.
Companies (Amendment) Bill 2010
(22 January 2010)
The Companies (Amendment) Bill 2010 (Legal Supplement No. 3 to Gazette No. 3, Vol. 14 ), which primarily aims to streamline and enhance the efficiency of the company incorporation procedure, was gazetted today. The legislative amendments are proposed to tie in with the Companies Registry's plan to accept on-line applications for company incorporation and filing of documents under the second phase of the Integrated Companies Registry Information System.
For more information, please refer to the press release issued on 22 January 2010 in the 'Publications and Press Releases' section of this website.
Best Service Award 2009-10
(21 December 2009)
The Best Service Award is organised under the Companies Registry's Staff Motivation Scheme to assess the level of customer satisfaction of our services. The Award for this year was presented to the New Companies Section in recognition of its services in the registration of new local companies, which obtained the highest satisfaction score in our Customer Service Survey 2009.
Best Counter Staff Award 2009-10
(21 December 2009)
The Best Counter Staff Award aims to encourage courtesy and efficiency in the delivery of service and compliment our counter staff for their excellent performance. Onsite customers were invited to vote for the best counter staff during the award contest held in November 2009. We are pleased to announce the results of the award as follows:
Public Search Section
Miss KWOK Fung-lin
Document Management Section
Ms SIU Yuk-mui
New Companies and Charges & Liquidation Sections (as one group)
Ms CHENG Li-sa
For more information, please refer to the "Events and Activities" section of this website.
Public Consultation on Draft Companies Bill ¡V First Phase Consultation
(17 December 2009)
A consultation paper on the Draft Companies Bill ¡V First Phase Consultation was issued on 17 December 2009. For more information, please refer to the press release issued on 17 December 2009 in the 'Publications and Press Releases' - 'Press Releases' section of this website. The Consultation Paper Highlights, full Consultation Paper and draft clauses of the Companies Bill are also available for downloading in the 'Publications and Press Releases' - 'Consultation Papers' section of this website.
You are cordially invited to send us your views on or before 16 March 2010 by email to co_rewrite@fstb.gov.hk, by fax to (852) 2869 4195 or by post to the Companies Bill Team, Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, 15/F, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong.
Collection of Certificates of Incorporation
(7 December 2009)
The Companies Registry has issued Companies Registry External Circular No. 4/2009 to announce that, with effect from 14 December 2009, Certificates of Incorporation will be available for collection at 3:30 p.m. on the day of issue at the New Companies Section of the Companies Registry.The external circular is available in the "Publications and Press Releases" section of this website.
Standing Committee on Company Law Reform Twenty-Fifth Annual Report 2008/2009
(27 November 2009)
The Standing Committee on Company Law Reform Twenty-Fifth Annual Report 2008/2009 (the Annual Report) has been issued on 27 November 2009. For more information, please refer to the press release issued on 27 November 2009 in the 'Publication and Press Releases' section and the Annual Report in the 'Standing Committee on Company Law Reform' section of this website.
Best Counter Staff Contest 2009-10
(9 November 2009)
The Companies Registry is organising the Best Counter Staff Contest 2009-10 to encourage courtesy and efficiency in the delivery of service and compliment counter staff for their excellent performance. During the voting days from 23 to 25 November 2009, customers visiting the Companies Registry's offices are welcome to vote for the best counter staff on the basis of individual staff's current or past performance.
Results of the contest will be announced in mid-December 2009.
Companies Registry Trading Fund Publishes 2008-09 Annual Report
(21 October 2009)
The Companies Registry Trading Fund Annual Report 2008-09 (the "Annual Report") has been tabled at the Legislative Council meeting today. Please refer to the press release issued on 21 October 2009 and the Annual Report in the "Publications and Press Releases" section of this website.
Civil Service Outstanding Service Award Scheme 2009
(30 September 2009)
The Companies Registry has been awarded the Second Runner-up of the Service Enhancement Award (Small Department) in the Civil Service Outstanding Service Award Scheme 2009. For more information, please refer to " Events and Activities " section of this website.
A Guide on Directors' Duties
(17 July 2009)
The "Non-statutory Guidelines on Directors' Duties" have been retitled as "A Guide on Directors' Duties" (Guide) and the contents of the Guide have been updated. Please refer to Companies Registry External Circular No. 3/2009 for the amendments to the Guide. The Guide and the external circular are available in the "Publications and Press Releases" section of this website.
Project to Implement Phase II of the Integrated Companies Registry Information System
(26 June 2009)
The contract to implement Phase II of the Integrated Companies Registry Information System (ICRIS) was awarded in June 2009. Phase II of ICRIS will be implemented by stages. The first stage, including implementation of electronic incorporation of companies and one-stop service for company incorporation and business registration, will be rolled out in December 2010.
Registration of Charges with the Companies Registry
(8 May 2009)
The Companies Registry has issued Companies Registry External Circular No. 2/2009 to set out the common errors with advice on how to prepare charges documents correctly for submission to the Registry. For details, please refer to the external circular under the 'Publications and Press Releases' section and "Common reasons for returning documents to presentors for correction" under the "Public Services" section of this website.
Enhancements to Companies Registry Electronic Search Services
(24 April 2009)
An "Online View" function has been introduced for Image Record Search at the Companies Registry's Cyber Search Centre. Customers can view document images (in PDF format) online after payment of search fees. In addition, the document image records will be kept in the download area for seven days for subsequent retrieval.
Rectification of Registered Documents
(12 January 2009)
The Companies Registry has issued Companies Registry External Circular No. 1/2009 to announce the revised practice of accepting amended documents for rectifying errors in documents previously filed with the Registry. The circular is available in the 'Publications and Press Releases' section of this website.
Filing of Specified Forms AR1, AR2, AR3, D6, N3 and N4
(19 December 2008)
Companies and document presentors are reminded that, with effect from 1 January 2009, only the revised Forms AR1, AR2, AR3, D6, N3 and N4 specified for use from 11 July 2008 and published in the gazette (G.N. 3509 in Gazette No. 22, Vol. 12) will be accepted for filing by the Companies Registry. For details, please refer to Companies Registry External Circular No. 3/2008 under the 'Publications and Press Releases' section of this website.
One-stop Service for Company Incorporation & Business Registration
(26 November 2008)
With the concerted effort of the Companies Registry and the Inland Revenue Department, starting from 1 December 2008, the Business Registration Office of the Inland Revenue Department will set up a Receipt & Despatch Centre (R&D Centre) at the Companies Registry's Public Search Centre on 13th floor, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong. The R&D Centre will receive applications for business registration and notifications of changes of business registration particulars. Related business registration certificates and business registration standard forms are also available for collection at the R&D Centre. One-stop service will save applicants' time and trip to visit the Business Registration Office at Revenue Tower in Wanchai.For details, please refer to the leaflet (in pdf format) and press release issued on 1 December 2008.
This one-stop service has been part of our ongoing efforts to improve service delivery. Examples of previous improvement measures in respect of company incorporation include the shortening of incorporation application processing from 6 to 4 working days (since January 2008) and the implementation of new incorporation forms which avoids the separate notifications of company details after incorporation (since July 2008).
Third Public Consultation on Companies Ordinance Rewrite ¡X Share Capital, The Capital Maintenance Regime & Statutory Amalgamation Procedure
(26 June 2008)
A consultation paper on Share Capital, the Capital Maintenance Regime and Statutory Amalgamation Procedure was issued on 26 June 2008. For more information, please refer to the press release issued on 26 June 2008 in the 'Publications and Press Releases' - 'Press Releases' section of this website. The Executive Summary and full Consultation Paper are also available for download in the 'Publications and Press Releases' - 'Consultation Papers' section of this website.
You are cordially invited to send us your views on or before 30 September 2008 by email to co_rewrite@fstb.gov.hk, by fax to (852) 2869 4195 or by post to the Companies Bill Team, Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, 15/F, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong.
Implementation of New Incorporation Forms
(30 May 2008)
With effect from 11 July 2008, provisions concerning incorporation of local companies in the Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2004 will come into operation. New incorporation forms will be introduced on the same date. For details, please refer to Companies Registry External Circular No. 1/2008 under the 'Publications and Press Releases' section of this website.
Expansion of Index of Directors under Section 158C of the Companies Ordinance
(30 May 2008)
With effect from 11 July 2008, the Index of Directors kept by the Registrar of Companies will be expanded to include particulars of reserve directors. For details, please refer to Companies Registry External Circular No. 2/2008 under the 'Publications and Press Releases' section of this website.
Revision of Specified Forms AR1, AR2, AR3, D6, N3 and N4
(30 May 2008)
The confirmatory statement in relation to the 'Non-statutory Guidelines on Directors' Duties' in various specified forms will be replaced with an advisory note. The revised forms are published in the gazette (G.N. 3509 in Gazette No. 22, Vol. 12) today [30 May]. For details, please refer to Companies Registry External Circular No. 3/2008 under the 'Publications and Press Releases' section of this website.
Introduction of new incorporation forms for local companies and expansion of index of directors to cover reserve directors on 11 July 2008
(16 May 2008)
The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury has appointed 11 July 2008 as the commencement date for the provisions relating to the expansion of the index of directors in the Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2003 (Ord. No. 28 of 2003 in the Legal Supplement No. 1 to Gazette No. 28, Vol. 7) and the introduction of new incorporation forms in the Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2004 (Ord. No. 30 of 2004 in Legal Supplement No. 1 to Gazette No. 30, Vol. 8).The new provisions were enacted to expand the index of directors to cover reserve directors and streamline incorporation procedures for local companies under the Companies Ordinance.
The respective commencement notices (Legal Notices 138 and 139 of 2008 in Legal Supplement No. 2 to Gazette No. 20, Vol. 12) were published in the gazette on 16 May 2008.
In parallel, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury has appointed 11 July 2008 as the commencement date for the Companies Ordinance (Amendment of Eighth Schedule) Order 2008 (Legal Notice 137 of 2008 in Legal Supplement No. 2 to Gazette No. 20, Vol. 12) for the new fees for conducting searches with respect to the new incorporation forms.
For more information, please refer to the press release issued on 16 May 2008 in the 'Publications and Press Releases' section of this website.
Second Public Consultation on Companies Ordinance Rewrite ¡X Company Names, Directors' Duties, Corporate Directorship & Registration of Charges
(2 April 2008)
A consultation paper on the provisions on Company Names, Directors' Duties, Corporate Directorship and Registration of Charges in the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32) was issued on 2 April 2008. For more information, please refer to the press release issued on 2 April 2008 in the 'Publications and Press Releases' - 'Press Releases' section of this website. The Executive Summary and full Consultation Paper are also available for downloading in the 'Publications and Press Releases' - 'Consultation Papers' section of this website.
You are cordially invited to send us your views on or before 30 June 2008 by email to co_rewrite@fstb.gov.hk, by fax to (852) 2869 4195 or by post to the Companies Bill Team, Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, 15/F, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong.
Performance Target for Incorporation of Local Companies
(28 December 2007)
The Companies Registry will enhance the target standard set for incorporation of local companies which currently stands at 6 working days (including the date of submission of incorporation documents). Starting from 2 January 2008, Certificates of Incorporation of companies limited by shares will be issued in 4 working days after the date of receipt of the incorporation documents by the Registry.
Warning Statements in Certificates of Incorporation and Certificates of Change of Name of Local Companies
(24 December 2007)
Warning statements will be included in Certificates of Incorporation and Certificates of Change of Name of local companies issued by the Companies Registry with effect from 1 January 2008 to remind companies as well as third parties dealing with them that the registration of a company name with the Companies Registry does not confer any intellectual property rights over the company name. For details, please refer to the Companies Registry External Circular No.6/2007 under the "Publications and Press Releases" section of this website.