Amazon Store Setup with a Hong Kong Company: 2026 Costs, Documents & Process Guide

A Hong Kong company can serve as the seller entity for Amazon's overseas marketplaces, but incorporating a Hong Kong company does not by itself open a store. The correct order is: decide your target marketplace → prepare company and KYC documents → register on that marketplace's Seller Central → complete payment collection, credit card, and tax verification. Hong Kong company formation costs, Amazon monthly fees, referral fees, FBA, payment collection, and annual compliance costs must be calculated separately; "offshore" does not automatically mean tax-exempt — tax must be assessed case by case based on actual transactions, management, and fund flows.

First the conclusion: where should a Hong Kong company open its Amazon account?

A Hong Kong company is an overseas seller entity

In Amazon applications, a Hong Kong company is generally treated as an overseas business entity; the place of incorporation does not determine the selling marketplace. You should first choose North America, Europe, or another marketplace based on your target market, rather than using the place of registration as the sole criterion.

The correct registration entry point is the target marketplace's Seller Central

For the US marketplace, use sellercentral.amazon.com; for other markets, use that market's corresponding Seller Central. gs.amazon.cn can serve as a learning or market-information page, but should not be treated as the registration entry point for all Hong Kong sellers. Follow the document checklist and verification requirements currently displayed on Amazon Seller Central.

Three decisions before you start

1. Will you apply with a Hong Kong limited company, a sole proprietorship, or another legal entity?
2. What is your main sales market and fulfillment method?
3. Have you prepared company documents, a payment collection account, a credit card, and tax information?

How much does it cost to form the company and open the Amazon store?

Hong Kong government statutory fees

Sources: Hong Kong Companies Registry fee schedule, Hong Kong Inland Revenue Department business registration fee schedule.

The above are government fees only and do not include third-party service fees for company secretary, registered address, document handling, accounting, audit, and tax work.

Further reading: Hong Kong company formation costs

Amazon platform fees

Sources: Amazon Seller Pricing and Amazon's official seller plan information.

• Professional: USD 39.99/month
• Individual: USD 0.99 per item sold
• Referral fees are calculated by product category; official knowledge pages list roughly 8%–15%, with actual rates determined by category and the target marketplace
• FBA, storage, fulfillment, advertising, returns, currency conversion, and payment collection fees are charged separately

Budget formula

Government incorporation fees + market-rate services such as company secretary/registered address + Amazon plan fee + referral fees + FBA/fulfillment/advertising + accounting and annual compliance costs. Do not bundle all costs into a single "store-opening price," and do not present market service fees as government pricing.

Must the Hong Kong company be a limited company? What's the difference between CI and BR?

A limited company is the common path, but not the only one

A Hong Kong limited company usually makes it easier to build a business seller profile using the CI, BR, and company shareholder/director information. However, whether sole proprietorships or other entities are accepted depends on the current Seller Central requirements of the target marketplace — you cannot state that "a limited company is mandatory."

CI and BR serve different functions

Neither alone means Amazon has approved the store, and neither guarantees approval by banks or payment platforms.

Further reading: Hong Kong company formation documents checklist

Don't prepare only company registration documents

Compile the following at the same time:

• Information on directors, shareholders, and ultimate beneficial owners
• Hong Kong ID card or passport
• Proof of address
• A business email address
• A credit card usable for online payments
• A Hong Kong bank account or an accepted international payment collection account
• The W-8BEN-E that may be required for the US marketplace
• Descriptions of products, supply chain, and business model

Store-opening process for Amazon sellers with a Hong Kong company

Step 1: Decide the target marketplace and sales model

First confirm your sales market, product categories, and FBA or self-fulfillment (FBM), then decide whether to open a Professional or Individual plan.

Step 2: Confirm consistency of the company entity and information

The Amazon account name, Hong Kong company name, payment collection account, credit card, and tax information should be as consistent as possible. If you use an affiliated company or a personal account to receive payments, confirm in advance whether the target marketplace accepts this and how to explain the relationship.

Step 3: Prepare company and KYC documents

Prepare the CI, BR, director/shareholder information, identity proof, proof of address, payment collection details, and credit card per the current Seller Central checklist.

Step 4: Create the account on the target marketplace's Seller Central

Fill in, in order: company and business information → contact and beneficiary information → bank/payment collection account → credit card and payment information → store name → document upload and identity verification.

Step 5: Complete the tax interview

The US marketplace may involve the W-8BEN-E; Europe or other markets may involve VAT, sales tax, GST, or local filings. These are platform and destination-market obligations, and cannot be excluded simply by saying "Hong Kong company."

Step 6: Set up FBA or self-fulfillment

After account review is complete, handle inventory, fulfillment, returns, product compliance, and destination-market requirements. FBA is Amazon's external platform solution, not a brand-owned service.

Step 7: Establish a post-launch compliance calendar

At minimum, track: Amazon account health and document updates, BR renewal, the annual return NAR1, bookkeeping/audit and profits tax filing, platform collections and supplier payments, and cross-border fund records.

Further reading: Hong Kong company annual return NAR1

Can you open an Amazon store without a Hong Kong bank account?

Official materials list Hong Kong bank accounts, as well as international payment collection tools such as Payoneer and WorldFirst, as payment options you can prepare. Actual acceptance remains subject to review by the target marketplace and the payment platform; you should not state that any tool will necessarily be approved.

Payoneer, WorldFirst, Wise, Airwallex, and similar are external payment tools on the market, not brand-owned products. The payment collection account name, company entity, platform account, and invoice information should remain consistent.

Further reading: Opening a bank account for a Hong Kong company

Does a Hong Kong company selling on Amazon pay no tax?

Hong Kong profits tax is judged by territorial source and facts

Forming a Hong Kong company does not mean all Amazon income is automatically offshore profit, nor does it necessarily mean zero tax. Whether Hong Kong profits tax applies must be analyzed based on facts such as the transaction flow, place of management, contracts, supply chain, fulfillment, and fund flows.

Amazon tax documents and Hong Kong tax are separate matters

• The W-8BEN-E is part of the platform or US tax documentation process
• US sales tax and Marketplace facilitator rules are handled separately from Hong Kong profits tax
• EU VAT, UK VAT, or consumption taxes in other markets may also create obligations depending on inventory location, buyer location, and the platform's role
• Claims such as "guaranteed tax-free," "definitely no tax filing needed," or "just form a Hong Kong company to avoid tax" must not be used

Further reading: Cross-border e-commerce payments and invoicing

Hong Kong company, overseas company, or individual entity: how to choose?

Simply put: choose the entity based on actual operations, platform requirements, fund flows, and tax obligations — do not judge solely on "which one saves the most tax."

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Where should a Hong Kong company register its Amazon account?

Register at the Seller Central of your target sales market; for the US marketplace, start from sellercentral.amazon.com. Do not treat gs.amazon.cn as the unified registration entry point for all overseas sellers.

Is a Hong Kong limited company required to sell on Amazon?

Not necessarily. In some cases sole proprietorships or other entities may be accepted, but this depends on the current eligibility and document requirements of the target marketplace. A Hong Kong limited company is a common business path, not an absolute rule.

Which document, CI or BR, is the store-opening document?

The two serve different purposes and should usually be prepared together. CI proves incorporation and BR proves business registration; ultimately, they must be combined with director, shareholder, address, payment collection, and tax documents.

Can you open a store without a Hong Kong bank account?

Some official materials list international payment collection accounts as an option to prepare, but acceptance depends on review by the target marketplace and the payment platform. No single tool can be guaranteed approval.

How much does it cost in total to form a Hong Kong company and open an Amazon store?

At minimum, calculate separately: government incorporation fees, BR, company maintenance costs, the Amazon plan fee, referral fees, FBA/fulfillment, advertising, payment collection, and currency conversion fees; they cannot be summarized as a single total price.

Is a Hong Kong company selling on Amazon offshore and tax-free?

It is not automatically tax-free. Hong Kong profits tax, platform tax documentation, and VAT/sales tax in the destination market are separate questions and must be judged based on the actual business and individual circumstances.

For further information on Hong Kong companies, overseas expansion structures, and compliance, see the Chan & Chung website or Services.