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Keeping the company

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.

At a glance

Address rule
In Hong Kong; no PO box or “care of”
Provider’s licence
TCSP licence, unless exempt
Provider’s checks
Customer due diligence under AMLO Sch. 2
Changing provider
Form NR1 within 15 days

A registered address service lets your company use a provider’s Hong Kong address as its registered office, the official address on the Companies Registry record, and the provider receives the post sent there. It suits founders who have no Hong Kong premises, or who do not want a home address on the register. Two rules shape what you buy. The address has to meet the Registry’s requirements: in Hong Kong, and not a post office box or a “care of” address. And providing a registered office address as a business is a trust or company service, so the provider generally needs a TCSP licence from the Companies Registry and must run customer due diligence checks on you.

What the Registry requires of the address

Every company’s registered office must be situated in Hong Kong, according to the Registry’sincorporation FAQ. The Registry does not accept non-Hong Kong addresses, “care of” addresses or post office box numbers for it. The address goes on Form NNC1 when you incorporate, or on Form NR1 if you move later, and it then sits on the company’s public record.

A provider’s address is fine if it meets those rules. What matters is whether the provider agrees to you filing that exact address as your registered office. Some mailing-address products are sold for correspondence only. The difference is explained inregistered office versus virtual office.

The licence the provider needs

Under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance, providing a registered office, business address, correspondence address or administrative address for a corporation is a trust or company service. A business that provides it in Hong Kong needs a TCSP licence unless an exemption applies, for example for accounting and legal professionals. The Companies Registry keeps a freepublic register of TCSP licensees.Checking a TCSP licenceexplains how to search it and what to compare.

Why the provider asks for your documents

TCSP licensees must follow the customer due diligence and record-keeping requirements in Schedule 2 to the Ordinance, as the Registry’scustomer due diligence FAQexplains. They must also keep monitoring the business relationship, reviewing the documents and information they hold on a customer from time to time. So expect to give identity documents for the company’s directors and owners at the start, and to be asked to update them later. A provider that asks for nothing is a reason to check its licence.

Questions to ask before you sign

  1. What is your TCSP licence number, and under what name is it held?
  2. May I file this exact address as my company’s registered office on NNC1 or NR1?
  3. How do you handle official letters from the Companies Registry and the Inland Revenue Department, and how quickly will I see them?
  4. Is scanning or forwarding included, or charged per item?
  5. Can the same address be the business address on my Business Registration Certificate?
  6. What notice do you need to end the service, and what happens to my post after it ends?
  7. Do you also act as company secretary, and is that priced separately?

The last question matters because a private company also needs a company secretary, and an individual secretary must ordinarily reside in Hong Kong. Some licensed firms offer both services. Seewhat a company secretary does.

Switching to or from a provider

Moving the registered office to a new provider, or away from one, is a change of registered office. File Form NR1 within 15 days after the change, with the full new address and the effective date. If the business address on the Business Registration Certificate changes too, tell the IRD within one month or use the optional one-stop service with the electronic NR1. The steps are inchanging a Hong Kong registered office. Keep the old service running until the new address is registered, so nothing official goes astray.

Prices

There is no official price for this service. Providers set their own, and packages differ in what they include. Our directory shows only prices that firms publish themselves; compare them on theregistered office firmslisting, and ask each firm to confirm the current price in writing. We are not the Companies Registry, and this page is not legal advice.

Questions people ask

Can I use a virtual office as my Hong Kong registered office?

Yes, if the address is in Hong Kong, is not a post office box or a “care of” address, and the provider agrees to you filing it as the registered office. Some mailing-address products are sold for correspondence only, so ask before you buy.

Does a registered address provider need a licence?

Providing a registered office, business, correspondence or administrative address for a corporation is a trust or company service. A business providing it in Hong Kong needs a TCSP licence from the Companies Registry unless an exemption applies. Check the firm on the free public register.

Why does the provider ask for my passport and other documents?

TCSP licensees must carry out customer due diligence and keep records under Schedule 2 to the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance, and keep monitoring the relationship. Expect identity checks at the start and requests to update them later.

What do I file if I change registered address provider?

Form NR1 within 15 days after the change, showing the full new address and the effective date. If the business address on your Business Registration Certificate also changes, tell the IRD within one month or use the one-stop option with the electronic NR1.