Electronic Registration of Non-Hong Kong Company

Yes, you can submit the application in electronic form through the e-Registry (www.eregistry.gov.hk).

The person who signs the application form for registration of a non-Hong Kong company (e-Form NN1) (i.e. director, company secretary, manager or authorized representative) must register as an Individual User of the e-Registry. If the director, company secretary or authorized representative of the company is not a natural person ("body corporate"), the body corporate must register a Company User account at the e-Registry and arrange one of its authorised representatives (e.g. director, company secretary or authorised person) who is a natural person to sign the e-form on its behalf. The signatory must be an Individual User of the e-Registry and has established account association with the body corporate’s Company User account.

For details on user registration and user account association, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions on "User Registration and User Account Association" and respective demonstrations at the e-Registry.

An application for registration of a non-Hong Kong company is subject to further processing by the staff of the Companies Registry. The Certificate of Registration of Non-Hong Kong Company can normally be issued within 10 working days after submission of the application at the e-Registry.

Before submitting the application at the e-Registry, you have to prepare the certified documents that have to be submitted together with the application form (e-Form NN1). The documents should be converted into Adobe Portable Document format ("PDF") after certification and the file size should not exceed 3 MB. For the company’s accounts, the file size should not exceed 5 MB. To ensure the quality of image records of documents which are made available for public search, the page margins of documents should be set as Top: 1.27 cm; Bottom: 0.86 cm; Left: 1.06 cm; Right: 1.27 cm. Moreover, if a document is converted into PDF files through document scanning, you are advised to arrange for "black and white" scanning to produce a better image.

You can login the e-Registry [e-Submission Services > Online Submission] and select "Registered Non-Hong Kong Companies > Register a non-Hong Kong Company" to complete the registration process. During the process, you have to indicate the number and type of officers to be reported in the e-Form NN1 to facilitate the generation of the e-form by the system. You can then input the required data in the e-Form NN1 and Notice to Business Registration Office (IRBR2) and complete the registration process through a guided wizard. The e-form can be completed online or downloaded for offline completion.

For details of the requirements of documents and certification, please refer to the information pamphlet "Registration of a Non-Hong Kong Company" which is available at the Companies Registry's website (www.cr.gov.hk).

You can sign the e-form using your digital certificate or the password which has been registered with the e-Registry.

Hard copies of e-forms will not be accepted for filing at the Shroff counters of the Companies Registry.

No. You are advised to save and print the e-form using the respective functions of the Versitech e-Form Filler for record purpose before submission at the e-Registry.

1. deduction from deposit account at the e-Registry;
2. credit card (VISA/Mastercard/JCB/UnionPay); or
3. PPS Shop&Buy Service.

If you wish to pay by credit card, you have to obtain the relevant secure code/password from the card issuing bank, as required.

For more details, please refer to Part D – Fees and Payment of the Frequently Asked Questions on "User Registration and User Account Association".

No. The application for registration of a non-Hong Kong company (including the company name) is subject to further processing by the staff of the Companies Registry. The registrability of a company name can only be confirmed after the application for registration has been processed.

A one-stop company and business registration service is implemented by the Companies Registry and the Inland Revenue Department.

The one-stop registration service is applicable to applications for registration of non-Hong Kong companies delivered in hard copy form or electronic form. Any person who applies for registration of a non-Hong Kong company under the Companies Ordinance will be deemed to have made a simultaneous application for business registration. Users of the one-stop registration service are required to pay the prescribed business registration fee and levy upon the submission of a Notice to Business Registration Office (IRBR2). The Registrar of Companies will issue the Business Registration Certificate on behalf of the Commissioner of Inland Revenue, together with the Certificate of Registration.

For non-Hong Kong companies which have already registered their businesses under the Business Registration Ordinance, the one-stop registration service is not applicable. However, applicants for registration of non-Hong Kong companies are required to provide the business registration number in the IRBR2 and deliver the notice together with e-Form NN1 at the e-Registry.

Upon registration of a non-Hong Kong company, a Certificate of Registration of Non-Hong Kong Company and a Business Registration Certificate (if applicable) ("the Certificate(s)") in electronic form (PDF format) will be issued. Email notifications for download of the Certificate(s) will be sent to the message box and registered email address of the registered user who submits the application.

Electronic certificates will be kept in the e-Registry system for six months only. Users are advised to download and save the electronic certificates in their records as early as possible after receipt of the email notifications.

For applications submitted through the e-Registry, Certificates of Registration of Non-Hong Kong Company ("the Certificate of Registration") and Business Registration Certificates (if applicable) ("the Certificate(s)") will only be issued in electronic form. Certificate(s) in electronic form or hard copy form (issued for application documents delivered to the Companies Registry in hard copy form) have the same legal effect.

You may order a certified copy of the Certificate of Registration at a fee online at the Companies Registry’s Cyber Search Centre (www.icris.cr.gov.hk) or Company Search Mobile Service (www.mobile-cr.gov.hk).

You may order a certified copy/duplicate of the Business Registration Certificate (if applicable) at a fee online at GovHK (www.gov.hk/br) 2 days after the date of issue of the Certificate of Registration.

No. The validity of Business Registration Certificates will not be affected by whether Payment Instructions are printed on the back page of the certificates.

No. The company may deliver specified forms or documents either in hard copy form or in electronic form at the e-Registry.

If your company intends to submit specified forms or documents electronically, the company must register as a Company User and associate the account(s) of its authorized person(s) who should have registered as Individual User(s) at the e-Registry. For more details, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions on “User Registration and User Account Association” and “Electronic Submission of Specified Forms” and the respective demonstrations at the e-Registry.

No, the related e-submission service is currently not available.  Starting from 24 October 2022, the Companies Registry only accepts submission of Form AD in paper to rectify a typographical or clerical error contained in a document already registered for the time being.