Company services · Hong Kong
Hong Kong
company services
directory
If you are forming a company from outside Hong Kong, this is a place to compare the firms that file it, act as company secretary, give you a registered office, and run payroll or the books.
- Newly registered, 2025
- 195,343
- Government fees, 2026–27
- HK$3,895
- Required of every company
- Secretary + registered office
What people usually need
Browse by service
Company Formation
Someone to file the company with the Companies Registry and get the Business Registration Certificate at the same time.
Company Secretary
The person or firm who keeps your registers, files the annual return, and stays on the public record.
Registered &
Virtual Office
A company registered address service: a Hong Kong street address for the Companies Registry record, or a virtual office that handles the post.
Payroll
Paying staff in Hong Kong: wages, MPF contributions, and the employer’s return to the Inland Revenue Department.
Accounting
Bookkeeping, financial statements and audit support once the company is trading.
What the rules actually say
Guides
- 01
How to incorporate a Hong Kong company: NNC1, fees, timing
File Form NNC1, the articles and IRBR1 with the Companies Registry. Online, the certificates normally arrive within an hour, and 2026–27 government fees start at HK$3,895.
- 02
Hong Kong annual return (NAR1): deadline and fee
A private company delivers Form NAR1 within 42 days after each incorporation anniversary. On time it costs HK$105; late fees run from HK$870 to HK$3,480 and cannot be waived.
- 03
NAR1 late fee and annual return penalty in Hong Kong
On time, NAR1 costs a private company HK$105. Late, the fee is HK$870, HK$1,740, HK$2,610 or HK$3,480, the Registrar cannot waive it, and the company can also be prosecuted.
- 04
Registered office versus a virtual office
The registered office is the address on the Companies Registry record. A virtual office is a mail service. They are the same address only if you file it.
- 05
Registered address service in Hong Kong: what to check
A provider’s Hong Kong address used as your registered office. The address must meet Companies Registry rules, and the provider generally needs a TCSP licence.
How a company gets set up
Process of incorporating
You file with the Companies Registry, pick up the Business Registration Certificate in the same step, name a company secretary, and keep a registered office in Hong Kong. The rest is annual housekeeping.
- 01
File the company
Most people form a private company limited by shares. You file Form NNC1, the articles and a notice to the Business Registration Office. Done electronically, the Certificate of Incorporation and Business Registration Certificate usually come back together.
- 02
Pay the government fees
For certificates starting between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2027, electronic filing is HK$1,545 plus HK$2,350 for a one-year Business Registration Certificate — HK$3,895 in government fees. A formation firm charges its own fee on top.
- 03
Name a company secretary
The company must have a secretary from the day it is incorporated. An individual secretary has to live in Hong Kong. A corporate secretary has to have an office here. If you are the only director, you cannot also be the secretary.
- 04
Keep a registered office in Hong Kong
This is the official address for government notices. It has to be in Hong Kong. A post office box or a “care of” address will not do. A virtual office can work if the address itself meets that test.
- 05
File the annual return each year
A private company files Form NAR1 within 42 days of its incorporation anniversary, starting the year after it is formed. On time, the Registry fee is HK$105. Late filings cost HK$870 to HK$3,480, and missing the deadline is an offence.
Things people ask first
Frequently asked questions
What is ranked.hk?
A small independent directory of Hong Kong company-service firms, written in English for people setting up from overseas. We list formation, company secretary, registered office and virtual office, payroll and accounting. We are not a government office, and we do not sell those services ourselves.
How much are the government fees to incorporate a Hong Kong company?
If you file electronically and take a one-year Business Registration Certificate that starts between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2027, the government total is HK$3,895: HK$1,545 to the Companies Registry and HK$2,350 to the Inland Revenue Department (HK$2,200 fee plus a HK$150 levy). Paper filing is HK$1,720 plus the same business registration amount. Formation firms charge their own fees on top.
Does every Hong Kong company need a company secretary?
Yes. The Companies Ordinance requires every company to have a secretary from the date of incorporation. An individual secretary must ordinarily reside in Hong Kong; a corporate secretary must have its registered office or a place of business here. The sole director of a private company cannot also be the secretary.
What is the difference between a registered office and a virtual office?
The registered office is the legal address on the Companies Registry record. It must be in Hong Kong, and it cannot be a post office box or a “care of” address. A virtual office is a paid service: a business address plus mail handling. Plenty of firms use a virtual office as their registered office, as long as the address itself meets the Registry’s rules.
What is an annual return?
Form NAR1. For a private company it is due within 42 days of the incorporation anniversary each year (not in the year of incorporation). It updates the public record with the registered office, directors, secretary and shareholders. The on-time Companies Registry fee is HK$105 — separate from business-registration renewal at the IRD.
What is the annual return penalty if NAR1 is late?
A private company pays HK$870 if it files more than 42 days but within 3 months after the return date, then HK$1,740, HK$2,610 and HK$3,480. The Registrar cannot waive that fee. Late filing is also an offence: the Registry quotes a maximum fine of HK$50,000 plus HK$1,000 a day.
What is a company registered address service?
A paid Hong Kong street address that you file as the registered office, plus mail handling. The Registry will not accept a post office box or a “care of” address. A virtual office can be that address if it can receive post. Firms that sell this as a business generally need a TCSP licence.
Is ranked.hk the Companies Registry?
No. We are not the Companies Registry, and we are not the official TCSP register. We do not act as company secretary for anyone, and nothing here is legal advice.
Are the listings on ranked.hk real firms?
Yes. Every listing was added from the firm’s own website: published services, published prices, and a TCSP number only if the firm printed one. Listings stay unclaimed until the firm writes in. There is no Maps scrape. If a firm is missing, use the contact page.