No. There are some restrictions on the registration of company names. Generally speaking, a company name will not be registered if: - it is the same as a name appearing in the Index of Company Names kept by the Registrar of Companies ("the Registrar"); it is the same as that of a body corporate incorporated or established under an Ordinance; in the opinion of the Registrar, its use would constitute a criminal offence; or in the opinion of the Registrar, it is offensive or otherwise contrary to the public interest. Moreover, some company names require the approval of the Registrar before they can be registered. These include names which contain any of the words or expressions set out in the Companies (Words and Expressions in Company Names) Order (Cap. 622A) and names which would be likely to give the impression that the company is connected in any way with the Central People's Government or the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or any department or agency of either government. In addition, a name which is identical to a name that has been subject to a change of name direction issued by the Registrar will not be registered except with the consent of the Registrar.

Yes, a company may be registered with a Chinese name only. A company may also be registered with an English name only or both an English name and a Chinese name. The Chinese company name of a local company must be in traditional Chinese characters.

You can directly submit the Hong Kong identity card and address proof of directors and shareholders onto our portal. Our website adopts security layer encryption technology (SSL). The transmission process is safe and reliable. The data is encrypted during network transmission to ensure that other people cannot read and modify the data.

A private company must have a company secretary and at least one director who is a natural person (i.e. an individual). The sole director of a private company must not also be the company secretary. A private company having only one director must not have a body corporate as its company secretary if the sole director of that body corporate is also the sole director of the private company. A public company or a company limited by guarantee must have a company secretary and at least two directors, one of whom may be the company secretary. It must not have a body corporate as its director. If the company secretary is a natural person, he or she must ordinarily reside in Hong Kong. If the company secretary is a body corporate, the address of its registered or principal office should be in Hong Kong. There is no requirement under the Companies Ordinance that a director must be a Hong Kong resident.

Yes. Non-Hong Kong residents may incorporate a local limited company in Hong Kong. If you do not often stay in Hong Kong or you are not familiar with the incorporation procedures, it is advisable for you to contact some local professional firms e.g. solicitors, accountancy or secretarial firms etc. for advice and/or appoint them to act on your behalf to set up a company in Hong Kong.

The Companies Ordinance has not prescribed any requirement for the number of shares proposed to be issued. The articles of a company with a share capital may state the maximum number of shares that the company may issue (section 85(2)). A local company limited by shares shall be formed by at least one founder member.

There is no requirement on the minimum amount of a company's paid-up capital under the Companies Ordinance.

No. The registered office must be situated in Hong Kong.

Normally, for application delivered in hard copy form, the Certificate of Incorporation and Business Registration Certificate ("the certificates") of a company limited by shares will be issued within 4 working days after the date of delivery. For application delivered in electronic form, the certificates will normally be issued within 1 hour after delivery of the documents at the e-Registry for a private company limited by shares. For a company limited by guarantee, the certificates will generally be issued in about 3 weeks.