Pre-Registration Requirements for Hong Kong Company Registration

For overseas entrepreneurs or investors who wish to apply for Hong Kong company registration, they need to ensure that their company structure meets with the requirements of the concerned authorities. Besides having all the documents in order for business registration application, companies must also ensure their new proposed company in Hong Kong has the following:

- A proper company name: By a proper company name, we mean a name which is not similar to existing registered companies in Hong Kong and also something that is not considered vulgar or obscene in Hong Kong. Also a proposed company name cannot infringe on existing copyrights or trademarks.

- Directors: Each Hong Kong Company needs to have at least one director. There is no limit on the number of directors a firm can have but each director must be at least 18 years of age. They also must be financially sound and cannot be involved in past malpractices or any kind of criminal activity. Directors can be of any nationality and may even reside abroad.

- Shareholders: A company in Hong Kong can have at least one shareholder and a maximum of 50. This is for Private Limited Liability Companies in Hong Kong which are the most desired form of business incorporation for overseas entrepreneurs, investors and existing organizations. All shareholders must be at least 18 years of age and can be either local or foreigners. In fact 100% foreign shareholding is allowed for companies registered in Hong Kong.

- Company Secretary: All companies in Hong Kong absolutely must appoint one company secretary. The secretary can be an individual who must reside in Hong Kong or it can be a corporate body that has their registered business address in Hong Kong itself. Directors or shareholders cannot act as the company secretary as well.

- Share Capital: Hong Kong allows two types of share capital ? authorized or issued / paid up capital. There are no minimum share capital requirements but as a norm companies usually have authorized share capital of HKD 10,000 represented by 10,000 ordinary shares of HKD 1.00 each.

- Registered Address: All companies incorporated in Hong Kong must provide with a registered business address in Hong Kong itself prior to forming the company. The registered address must be an actual physical address and must not be a PO Box.