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Changing a Hong Kong company address starts with identifying which record changes. A registered office change requires NR1; the business address has separate notification requirements. Filing one form does not update every address.
This guide covers private companies incorporated in Hong Kong, particularly those managed remotely from Taiwan. Filing, government mail, statutory records and banking details all need attention.
Identify which address is changing
Compare existing registrations and contracts. Record each old and new address, whether it changes, and who is responsible.
| Address | Purpose | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Registered office | Statutory address for company communications and notices | Is the company formally changing it? |
| Business registration address | Business location recorded for business registration | Is the business address also changing? |
| Company secretary’s address | Part of the secretary’s registered particulars | Are particulars changing, or is the secretary being replaced? |
| Correspondence address | Mailing details held by individual authorities, banks or counterparties | Which institution and record need updating? |
Identical addresses do not make these records interchangeable. A provider’s relocation may affect several registrations; replacing a secretary need not change the registered office. Ask what the provider’s “company address” contract covers: registration, mail and document custody may require separate arrangements.
The new registered office must be in Hong Kong. A Taiwan office, PO box or “care of” address is unsuitable. Include applicable flat, floor, block, building, street and district details to identify the premises, following the official NR1 form and notes.
Set the effective date and keep mail moving
Confirm four dates in writing: when the new address becomes available, when the change takes effect, when the old contract ends, and when mail collection or forwarding stops. Signing the new contract does not end old-address collection; form acceptance does not determine the change’s effective date.
Illustrative example: the change takes effect on 1 September, while the old provider agrees to receive mail until 15 September. Confirm:
- Who signs for registered post, government notices and bank letters?
- Where are scans emailed, and who monitors deadlines?
- When are originals collected, by whom, and with what receipt?
- After 15 September, is mail returned, stored or forwarded, and at what charge?
This contractual arrangement is no statutory grace period. Providers need not offer it, and continued collection does not extend filing deadlines.
Keep a mail log covering receipt date, sender, document deadline and follow-up owner. Redirect scans from departed staff or unattended personal inboxes. Appoint an internal handover owner. Missing either the new address or effective date is a recognised filing problem; use the Registry’s address-document filing reminders.
File NR1 within 15 days and check the details
Count from the change, with the correct signature
Deliver NR1 to the Companies Registry within 15 days after the registered office address changes. Count from the change, rather than form acceptance or registration. A director or company secretary must sign; an improperly signed form is unacceptable under the NR1 completion notes.
| Item | Check before submission |
|---|---|
| Company identity | Name matches the applicable incorporation or change-of-name certificate; enter the first eight digits of the Business Registration Number |
| Address change | Complete new Hong Kong registered office address and effective date |
| Contact details | Any changed email or Hong Kong telephone number, with their respective effective dates |
| Signature | Signatory’s name, capacity as director or secretary, signature and date |
| Presenter | Name, address and contact details for corrections |
Complete particulars consistently in Chinese or English; Chinese entries must use traditional characters. Prefer the official fillable form: handwritten forms may be rejected. Follow the applicable paper or electronic procedure and remove specimen data.
Do not wait for the next annual return or report the change only on NAR1. The Registry’s annual return FAQ requires the appropriate separate notification. See also the Hong Kong annual return filing guide.
Track delivery through to registration
Posting alone is insufficient: a form the Registrar never receives is not regarded as delivered. Retain the signed form, postal tracking and delivery evidence, Registry replies, registration results and correction correspondence, as explained in the official NR1 notes.
For electronic filing, save the completed form before submission, retain confirmation and reference numbers, and monitor returns or registration. Label files as draft, signed, submitted or registered. Electronic forms must be submitted through the e-Services Portal; printed copies cannot be delivered by post or in person. See electronic filing FAQ questions 10 and 12.
Separate business registration from one-stop notification
The business address has a one-month deadline
Notify the Inland Revenue Department’s Business Registration Office in writing within one month after a business address change; IRC3111A can be used. One month is not a fixed 30 days and does not replace NR1’s 15-day deadline. Prepare address evidence if requested, following the IRD’s business registration guidance.
Check the business or branch registration number, business name, address category, old and new addresses, change date and signature details. IRC3111A does not accept advance notification before the change. To redirect correspondence for relevant profits tax or employer’s return files, check the appropriate boxes; changing the business address does not automatically update every correspondence record. See the IRC3111A form and notes.
Check eligibility for the electronic option
| Change | Required approach |
|---|---|
| Registered office only | File NR1; registered office information is transmitted after registration, while the business address remains unchanged |
| Business address only | Notify the Business Registration Office directly; NR1 is no substitute |
| Both move to the same address on the same date | When filing electronic NR1, select the option requesting notification to IRD of the business address change |
Different destinations or effective dates do not fit the third scenario. Confirm the option was actually selected, retain that record and submission evidence, and verify the updated business registration particulars.
Transmission of registered office information does not mean every NR1 automatically changes the business address or notifies every authority. See one-stop notification FAQ questions 3–6 and electronic filing FAQ question 28.
Update registers, banking and external records
Check secretary particulars and register locations separately
For changes to the secretary’s registered particulars, including address, check ND2B; for appointment or cessation, check ND2A. An individual secretary reports a Hong Kong correspondence address. A residential move alone does not change that address if correspondence details remain unchanged. Someone also serving as a director must separately check residential-address reporting obligations. Changes to secretary particulars carry a separate 15-day notification deadline; NR1 does not replace it.
The Significant Controllers Register (SCR) may be kept at the registered office or elsewhere in Hong Kong. Check each register’s current location, custodian and intended destination. A new address contract does not prove physical transfer. See SCR FAQ questions 23–27.
Whether NR2 is required depends on each register’s location and history. Subject to exceptions, notification is required within 15 days of first keeping a register at the relevant place or changing that place. Registers continuously kept at the registered office have an applicable exemption.
Companies existing before 1 March 2018 may have a further SCR exemption where it has always shared the register of members’ location and conditions, including prior notification of that location, are met. Incorporation date alone is insufficient. When moving registers back from elsewhere, check the “now kept at the registered office” field; their new location alone does not establish exemption. Follow the NR2 form and notes.
Keep evidence of external updates
Add an owner, application date, required documents and completion evidence to this checklist.
| Recipient or material | Update and verification |
|---|---|
| Banks, payment platforms and insurers | Distinguish registered, business and correspondence fields; submit required evidence and obtain replies |
| Invoices, quotations and website | Update applicable addresses and templates; inspect rendered pages or generated documents |
| Contracts, customers and suppliers | Check notice clauses and delivery details; retain notifications and acknowledgements where needed |
Taiwan teams should distinguish the Hong Kong company’s statutory details from Taiwan operating addresses before making bulk replacements. Institutions have different document requirements, processing times and account reviews. Confirm each separately; there is no assumed universal deadline or guarantee of uninterrupted account functionality.
Verify completion and document the handover
Have outgoing and incoming providers itemise government mail, registers and other originals, recording names of documents, quantities, recipients and handover dates. Receiving scans does not establish transfer of originals. Assign owners and deadlines to missing items and retain follow-up records.
Separate government charges, external filing fees, address-use fees, forwarding and courier charges in quotations. Confirm amounts in Hong Kong dollars (HKD), covered periods and charging conditions. Verify government charges for the applicable item and external services against written quotations. One item being free does not make the entire move free.
Before closure, inspect Companies Registry records and registered documents for the new address and effective date. Check relevant business registration updates, bank and platform replies, and mail and original-document handovers. Keep the old-to-new timeline, contract end dates, submission evidence, registration results and outstanding-item log in one handover file.
For case-specific questions, use the contact entry on the company secretary and compliance information page. Provide existing addresses, the intended effective date and outstanding tasks; ask what coordination is possible, who would perform the work and what the quotation covers. For regulated work, separately confirm required qualifications and appointment arrangements, distinguishing the advisory brand from the actual provider.
Contact the website for an individual assessment. This article is not legal or tax advice and does not promise any outcome.