A Hong Kong company, incorporated without leaving your desk
A private company limited by shares, filed through a licensed corporate service provider, with the registered office and company secretary the law requires. You are on the public record as owner and director. No nominee, no shelf company, no structure you cannot explain to a bank.
Why people choose Hong Kong
It is a common-law jurisdiction with a company registry anyone can search, which matters more than people expect: a counterparty who can verify you in thirty seconds treats you differently from one who cannot. Profits sourced outside Hong Kong may fall outside its profits tax, there is no sales tax and no capital gains tax, and a company can be owned entirely by non-residents.
What it is not is a way to disappear. Hong Kong exchanges tax information with most countries, the register of directors is public, and the banks ask detailed questions about where your money comes from. If the plan depends on nobody finding out, this is the wrong jurisdiction — and the wrong provider.
What is done for you
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Name availability check at the Companies Registry | Before filing |
| Incorporation of a private company limited by shares | 2 to 3 working days |
| Share capital and shareholding set up | At incorporation |
| Registered office address in Hong Kong | First year included |
| Company secretary, as the law requires | First year included |
| Certificate of Incorporation and Business Registration Certificate | On issue |
| Business account application, prepared and introduced | After incorporation |
What the bank will actually look at
This is the part that decides whether the account opens, and it is the part most formation services skip. An analyst compares what your questionnaire says you do against what your website says you do. If the two describe different businesses — or if there is no website at all — the application stalls.
So the description of your activity is written once and used everywhere: on the incorporation form, on your site, in the account application. Same words, same figures, same currencies. And if you do not have a site yet, that is something this studio builds anyway.
No guaranteed account, ever. The introduction and the preparation are what is sold here. Approval belongs to the provider, who runs their own checks on you and your business. Any service promising a guaranteed account is either misleading you or arranging something you would not want your name on.
What this is not
- Not tax advice. Where your company is taxable depends on where it is directed and where you live. That is a question for a qualified adviser in your own country, and you will be told to ask one.
- Not a nominee arrangement. You are the named shareholder and director. Structures designed to hide who owns what are not arranged here.
- Not a one-off cost. The company has annual obligations — business registration, annual return, audit and profits tax return. You get the recurring figures before you commit.
- Not a way to avoid reporting where you live. Hong Kong exchanges information with most jurisdictions. Plan on that basis.
Questions people actually ask
Do I have to live in Hong Kong, or travel there?
No. A Hong Kong company can be owned and directed by someone who has never set foot in the territory, and the whole incorporation is done remotely. What the law does require is a registered office address in Hong Kong and a local company secretary — both are part of what is arranged for you.
How long does it take?
Two to three working days once the questionnaire and the documents are complete, plus the time it takes you to gather them. The delay is almost never the filing; it is waiting for a legible passport scan and a proof of address under three months old.
What do I actually receive?
The Certificate of Incorporation, the Business Registration Certificate, the articles of association, the register of members and directors, and the first-year registered office and company secretary service. You are the shareholder and director on the public record, not a nominee.
Is the bank account guaranteed?
No, and anyone who guarantees one is selling you something. What is arranged is an introduction and a properly prepared application to a business account provider. Approval depends on the provider's own checks — your activity, your clients, your documents. The preparation is where most applications are won or lost, and that is the part that is done for you.
What does the company cost to keep, after the first year?
Three things recur: the annual Business Registration Certificate, the annual return filed with the Companies Registry, and the registered office and company secretary service. There is also an audit and profits tax return to file each year, which is a real accounting cost. You get the figures in writing before you decide, not after.
I live in France. Is that a problem?
It is a question to settle before you incorporate, not after. A company directed from a country is, in the eyes of that country's tax authority, often taxable there regardless of where it is registered. That is a matter for a tax adviser in your country of residence, and you will be told to speak to one rather than sold a structure that ignores it.