Companies Registry releases annual statistics for 2011
(9 January 2012)

The Companies Registry released its statistics for the year 2011 on 8 January 2012. Please refer to the press release in the 'Publications and Press Releases' section of this website for details.

Launch of Registration of Agents and e-Monitor Services
(30 December 2011)

The Companies Registry has issued Companies Registry External Circular No. 6/2011 to announce the launch of registration of agents and e-Monitor services at the e-Registry portal on 30 December 2011. The external circular is available in the "Publications and Press Releases" section of this website.

Best Service Award 2011-12
(22 December 2011)

The Best Service Award is organised to assess the level of customer satisfaction with our services. The Award for this year was presented to the New Companies Section and Development Section in recognition of their efforts in providing service on "Registration of New Companies – Local Company (e-Submission)", which obtained the highest satisfaction score in our Customer Service Survey conducted this year.

Best Counter Staff Award 2011-12
(22 December 2011)

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 during the award contest held in November 2011. We are pleased to announce the results of the award as follows:

Public Search Section

LI Wan-cheung


Document Management Section

Ms SIU Yuk-mui


New Companies and Charges & Liquidation Sections (as one group)

Ms LEUNG Shui-ping


For more information, please refer to the "Events and Activities" section of this website.

Public Consultation on the Qualifying Criteria for Private Companies to prepare Simplified Financial and Directors' Reports
(6 December 2011)

A consultation paper on the Qualifying Criteria for Private Companies to prepare Simplified Financial and Directors' Reports was issued on 6 December 2011. For more information, please refer to the press release issued on 6 December 2011 in the 'Publications and Press Releases' - 'Press Releases' section of this website. The full Consultation Paper is 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 January 2012 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.

Standing Committee on Company Law Reform Twenty-Seventh Annual Report 2010/2011
(24 October 2011)

The Standing Committee on Company Law Reform Twenty-Seventh Annual Report 2010/2011 (the Annual Report) has been issued on 24 October 2011. For more information, please refer to the press release issued on 24 October 2011 in the 'Publication and Press Releases' section and the Annual Report in the 'Standing Committee on Company Law Reform' section of this website.

Companies Registry Trading Fund Publishes 2010-11 Annual Report
(19 October 2011)

The Companies Registry Trading Fund Annual Report 2010-11 (the Annual Report) has been tabled at the Legislative Council meeting today. Please refer to the press release issued on 19 October 2011 and the Annual Report in the "Publications and Press Releases" section of this website.

Civil Service Outstanding Service Award Scheme 2011
(23 September 2011)

The Companies Registry has been awarded a Silver Prize of the Departmental Service Enhancement Award (Small Department Category) in the Civil Service Outstanding Service Award Scheme 2011. For more information, please refer to "Events and Activities" section of this website.

Implementation of the Securities and Futures and Companies Legislation (Structured Products Amendment) Ordinance 2011
(27 July 2011)

The Companies Registry has issued Companies Registry Companies Registry External Circular No. 5/2011 to remind the public that the Securities and Futures and Companies Legislation (Structured Products Amendment) Ordinance 2011 was gazetted and took effect on 13 May 2011. The external circular is available in the "Publications and Press Releases" section of this website.

2011 Best SME's Partner Award
(7 June 2011)

The Companies Registry was awarded the "2011 Best SME's Partner Award". For more information, please refer to the "Events and Activities" section of this website.

Shadow Companies
(28 March 2011)

The Companies Registry has issued Companies Registry External Circular No. 4/2011 to alert the public to the problem of shadow companies and provide information on steps being taken by the Companies Registry to address the problem. The external circular is available in the "Publications and Press Releases" section of this website.

Commemorative Records of Registration
(18 March 2011)

With effect from 18 March 2011, any director of a live local company may apply for a "Commemorative Record of Registration" in respect of the company. Please refer to the Companies Registry External Circular No. 3/2011 for details.

Launch of Electronic Company Incorporation and
a One-stop Electronic Incorporation and Business Registration Service
(18 March 2011)

The Companies Registry has issued Companies Registry External Circular No. 2/2011 to announce the launch of electronic company incorporation and a one-stop electronic incorporation and business registration service on 18 March 2011. The external circular is available in the "Publications and Press Releases" section of this website.

Commencement of Parts 2 and 5 of Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2010
(21 January 2011)

Parts 2 and 5 of the Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2010 will come into operation on 21 February 2011 to facilitate electronic company incorporation. A one-stop company and business registration service will also be implemented upon the commencement of Business Registration (Amendment) Ordinance 2010 on the same day. The Companies Registry has issued Companies Registry External Circular No. 1/2011 on the major legislative changes involved. The external circular is available in the 'Publications and Press Releases' section of this website.

Gazettal of Companies Bill
(14 January 2011)

The Companies Bill was gazetted today.

For more information, please refer to the press release issued on 14 January 2011 in the 'Publications and Press Releases' section of this website.

Commencement of Parts 2 and 5 of Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2010 on 21 February 2011
(10 December 2010)

Parts 2 and 5 of Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2010 which streamline the company incorporation procedure and facilitate electronic applications for company incorporation will come into operation on 21 February 2011. The Business Registration (Amendment) Ordinance 2010 which enables the Companies Registry to provide a one-stop service for company incorporation and business registration will also come into operation on the same date. Please refer to the respective commencement notices published in the gazette on 10 December 2010.

Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2010 (Commencement) (No. 2) Notice 2010
Business Registration (Amendment) Ordinance 2010 (Commencement) Notice

Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2010 facilitates Electronic Communications
(9 December 2010)

The provisions of the Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2010 which facilitate website communications by companies and strengthen the company name registration system will come into operation on 10 December 2010. For details, please refer to the Companies Registry External Circular No. 1/2010 issued on 12 November 2010 under the 'Publications and Press Releases' section of this website. A press release issued today is included in the same section.

Commencement of Parts 1, 3, 4, 6 and 8 of Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2010
(12 November 2010)

Parts 1, 3, 4, 6 and 8 of the Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2010 will come into operation on 10 December 2010. The Companies Registry has issued Companies Registry External Circular No. 1/2010 on the major amendments involved.The external circular is available in the 'Publications and Press Releases' section of this website.

Commencement of Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2010 on 10 December 2010
(20 October 2010)

Parts 1, 3, 4, 6 and 8 of Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2010 will come into operation on 10 December 2010. Please refer to the commencement notice published in the gazette on 15 October 2010.

Third Party Software Interface with e-Registry
(30 September 2010)

The Companies Registry will launch Phase II of the Integrated Companies Registry Information System (ICRIS II) by stages early next year. The first stage will cover a one-stop electronic service for company incorporation and business registration and an electronic service for change of names of local companies.

Customers can register as users of ICRIS II to form companies and file company documents through electronic means. To facilitate our customers' IT staff and software developers to develop new software or enhance their existing software to interface with ICRIS II, we have released a Third Party Software Interface Specification for external systems to interface with ICRIS II. For details, please refer to the "Third Party Software Interface with e-Registry" section under the "Development Programme" section of this website.

LegCo passed Companies (Amendment) Bill 2010
(12 July 2010)

The Companies (Amendment) Bill 2010 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.

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' – '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 – Second Phase Consultation
(7 May 2010)

A consultation paper on the Draft Companies Bill – 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.

Public Consultation on Draft Companies Bill – First Phase Consultation
(17 December 2009)

A consultation paper on the Draft Companies Bill – 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.

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.

Third Public Consultation on Companies Ordinance Rewrite — 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 — 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.