Hong Kong Company Registration Fees 2026: From HK$3,895
When you search for Hong Kong company registration fees, the first thing to separate is "government charges" from "what it actually costs to operate". From 1 April 2026, incorporating a private limited company electronically costs HK$3,895 in basic government fees: HK$1,545 for the incorporation fee, plus HK$2,350 for a one-year Business Registration Certificate. The former is a one-off charge; the latter renews every year.
The short answer
- Statutory government minimum: HK$3,895
- DIY, plus company secretary and registered address: from roughly HK$6,195 in year one, audit excluded
- Typical first-year range through a service provider: HK$8,000–18,000
- From year two, including ordinary annual compliance and audit, a common budget is around HK$11,000–25,000
Plenty of older articles still quote HK$3,745, because the one-year Business Registration Certificate was HK$2,200 for the 2025/26 year. With the HK$150 levy reinstated for 2026/27, the total is now HK$2,350. The Inland Revenue Department's current business registration fee and levy table is the benchmark to check any quotation against.
Statutory government fees: limited vs unlimited companies
| Item | Charging authority | Electronic filing | Paper filing | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limited company incorporation (NNC1) | Companies Registry | HK$1,545 | HK$1,720 | One-off |
| One-year Business Registration Certificate | Inland Revenue Department | HK$2,350 | HK$2,350 | Annual |
| Limited company, first-year total | HK$3,895 | HK$4,070 |
The Companies Registry currently lists HK$1,545 for an electronic incorporation application and HK$1,720 for a paper one; electronic filing is usually the more efficient route as well. Companies Registry fee table
An unlimited company — a sole proprietorship or partnership — does not pay the limited company incorporation fee, so its first year is mainly the HK$2,350 Business Registration Certificate. But it carries no limited liability protection. If you plan to sign contracts with overseas clients, bring in shareholders, or separate personal assets from business risk, saving HK$1,545 may not be worth it. For a fuller comparison, see the practical risks of unlimited liability.
Beyond government fees: the costs you cannot leave out
A Hong Kong limited company must have a Hong Kong registered address and a company secretary. If the company secretary is a natural person, they must ordinarily reside in Hong Kong; if a body corporate, it must have its registered office or place of business in Hong Kong. Overseas founders usually engage an external service provider to handle this.
- Company secretary: HK$1,300–4,000 per year. The fee may cover only basic statutory filings, or it may include annual return reminders and record keeping.
- Registered address: HK$1,000–2,500 per year. Check whether it includes receiving, scanning and forwarding government mail; a plain PO box cannot serve as a statutory registered address.
- Annual return NAR1: HK$105 per year. A private limited company filing within 42 days after its incorporation anniversary pays HK$105; late filing escalates to HK$870, HK$1,740, HK$2,610 or HK$3,480. Put the official late-filing fee tiers straight into your calendar.
- Bookkeeping, tax filing and audit: priced by transaction volume. A limited company's financial statements generally require an audit. Companies that have formally become dormant under the rules are the exception, so "zero transactions" does not automatically mean no audit. The Companies Registry's explanation of audit requirements notes that a reporting exemption is not an audit exemption.
For a basic, single-currency audit with few documents, the market often starts around HK$3,000. Cross-border e-commerce, multi-currency receipts, platform reconciliation or a higher transaction count can push it above HK$15,000. These are market rates, not our quoted prices.
Three first-year cost scenarios
| Scenario | What it covers | First-year budget |
|---|---|---|
| A. Hong Kong founder filing directly | Government fees, basic secretary, registered address | HK$6,195–8,000, audit excluded |
| B. Taiwan / Malaysia founder using a service provider | Government fees, document support, secretary, address and so on | HK$8,000–18,000 |
| C. Cross-border e-commerce seller | All of the above, plus multi-currency bookkeeping, account-opening preparation and higher audit costs | HK$15,000–30,000 |
"Account-opening accompaniment" or a bank introduction does not guarantee approval. Non-residents are usually asked for their business model, projected transactions, and customer or supplier details. Prepare the business evidence a bank account application needs in advance, rather than scrambling for it after the company documents are done.
Compare on two-year totals, not a HK$4,999 first year
Low-price packages often compress the first-year service fee, then charge separately from year two for the secretary, address, business registration handling fee and transfer-out fee. When comparing, list government fees and service fees separately:
| Comparison item | Low first-year package example | Transparent package example |
|---|---|---|
| Year-one service and government fees | HK$4,999 | HK$9,500 |
| Year-two secretary, address and renewal handling | HK$9,800 | HK$6,500 |
| Two-year total (audit excluded) | HK$14,799 | HK$16,000 |
These are not fixed market prices; they illustrate the comparison method. If the low-price option charges HK$13,000 in year two, its two-year total overtakes the other. When requesting a quotation, ask at least five things: how much the secretary and address each cost in year two, whether audit is billed separately, whether there is a handling fee on the BR payment, whether you are locked into a contract or charged a transfer-out fee, and whether the provider holds a TCSP licence.
The registration process and timeline: where the money goes
- Check the company name: usually free.
- Prepare the articles of association, director and shareholder details, identity and address proof, NNC1 and IRBR1.
- File online and pay HK$3,895.
- Receive the Certificate of Incorporation and Business Registration Certificate; electronic applications can complete quickly.
- Appoint the company secretary, set up the registered address and statutory registers.
- Arrange a bank or payment account; this is often the real bottleneck in the timeline.
"Having the certificates" and "being able to operate" are not the same thing. With complete documents, incorporation can finish in a short time; allowing 2–4 weeks including account opening and operational paperwork is more realistic. After incorporation, also keep an eye on the filing timeline for the BIR51 profits tax return.
Three reminders for non-Hong Kong residents
First, account-opening review focuses on the substance of your business, not how fast the company was incorporated. Second, the registered address and company secretary usually require local Hong Kong resources. Third, where regulated trust or company services are involved, verify the TCSP licence and the entity providing the service.
Chan & Chung can assist with planning Hong Kong company incorporation, company secretarial work and coordination of annual compliance services; regulated trust or company services are provided by licensed TCSP Intelligent Services Limited (TC010349). Audit, bank account opening, virtual offices and the incorporation packages sold in the market are external services or comparison context, not Chan & Chung's own products.
Frequently asked questions
What is the lowest Hong Kong company registration fee?
From 1 April 2026, the government fee for incorporating a private limited company electronically is HK$3,895; filing on paper carries a higher incorporation fee, for a total of HK$4,070.
How much does year two cost annually?
At minimum, budget for the HK$2,350 BR, HK$105 for filing the NAR1 on time, the company secretary, the registered address, and bookkeeping and audit fees that depend on your circumstances. For an ordinary operating company, a common total budget is around HK$11,000–25,000.
Is an audit required even with no turnover?
An ordinary limited company cannot be exempted from audit simply because it has no revenue; only companies that meet and complete the statutory dormancy procedure may fall under the exception. Have a professional assess your company's status first.
Can non-Hong Kong residents set up a Hong Kong company?
Yes, but prepare identity, address and business documentation earlier, and build the documents required for account-opening review into your timeline.
Conclusion: run the two-year numbers before choosing a provider
Split your budget into statutory government fees, mandatory outsourced statutory functions, and comparable service fees — that is the only way to read Hong Kong company registration fees properly. Before signing, put year-two renewals, audit pricing and transfer-out terms into the same two-year worksheet. If you need help planning incorporation and annual compliance, visit Hong Kong company incorporation and annual compliance assistance.