Acclime Hong Kong Company Incorporation Service Review [2024]

For entrepreneurs aiming to establish a foothold in Asia, Hong Kong remains a top choice, offering a compelling mix of low corporate taxes and a strategic position close to China. 

Although the jurisdiction is generally business-friendly, using a service provider familiar with the local legal landscape can save significant time and headaches during the setup of a Hong Kong company. If you're seeking such a provider, you might have heard of Acclime.

In this review, we will explore Acclime’s Hong Kong company incorporation services, their features, pricing, customer support, and overall suitability to determine whether Acclime is the ideal partner for your business needs.

Acclime, also known as Acclime Group, is a service provider founded in 2019. They specialise in outsourcing and consulting services for international clients across 14 markets in the Asia-Pacific region. 

In Hong Kong, Acclime Hong Kong provides a suite of professional services, including company formation, accounting, tax, HR, and advisory.

The company has grown through acquisitions, with the most recent being OCRA Worldwide, acquired on 17 November 2022.

Picking the right company formation service in Hong Kong is crucial for getting your setup right from the start. You want a provider who ticks all the boxes so you can avoid juggling multiple services or having to redo the process. 

In this section, we’ll cover what to look for to ensure a smooth and reliable experience.

Services Provided

An effective company formation service should handle all mandatory aspects required to establish and maintain a company in Hong Kong. When you choose a service provider, it’s best to ensure the following are in place:

• A Hong Kong registered address: A registered address within Hong Kong is essential to meet compliance requirements; using a P.O. Box is not permitted.
• A Hong Kong Company Secretary: A Hong Kong Company Secretary must either be a local resident or a licensed service provider. This role is crucial for ensuring that your company remains in compliance with local regulations.
• Articles of Association, which define your company’s governance and organisational framework.
• Business Registration Certificate (BRC), which serves as evidence that your company is officially registered.
• Certificate of Incorporation, which validates your company’s legal status.
• Maintenance of Statutory Records
• Maintenance of the Significant Controllers Register: This register identifies individuals with significant influence over the company.
• Submission of Annual Return Filling (NAR1): The Annual Return Form (NAR1) should be submitted to the Companies Registry, detailing your company’s financial information.

Cost

Understanding the full spectrum of costs associated with company formation services is essential. Hidden fees can significantly impact your budget, so consider these potential expenses:

• Government Fees: Be aware of mandatory government levies and whether they are included in the service package. 
• A Registered Address Fees: Costs associated with maintaining a registered address in Hong Kong
• Company Secretary Fees: Yearly charges for company secretary services
• Shareholder-Related Costs: Fees for having more than 1 director
• Structural Change Fees: Charges for changes such as appointing new directors

Reliable Customer Support

Reliable customer support is vital, especially when navigating legal requirements. If you’re using an online service, ensure they offer accessible and responsive support.

Verify the availability of multiple contact options, such as phone, email, and chat, to suit your preferences. Quick responses are also essential.

Customer Reviews

Genuine user feedback is invaluable for understanding the true quality of a service. To get a clear picture, it's helpful to explore customer reviews on reputable platforms like Trustpilot and Google Reviews. 

Currently, Acclime Hong Kong does not have a Trustpilot or Google Reviews page. For more insights, consider visiting their case studies page, which provides some feedback on their operational processes.

What makes Acclime stand out is its ability to incorporate a variety of company structures. They also offer a range of essential and additional services, which are detailed below.

Company Registration Options

• Representative Office: Best for foreign companies studying the Hong Kong market.
• Private Limited Company: Suitable for most local and foreign entities, offering limited liability.
• Foreign Branch Office: Ideal for international companies expanding their head office to Hong Kong.

In addition to the three popular structures above, Acclime also assists with registering a limited partnership, limited liability partnership, sole proprietorship, non-profit foundation, guarantee company, shelf company, and offshore company.

Essential Company Services

• Registering your business structure with the Companies Registry.
• Company Secretary: Managing routine company matters, statutory records, and providing secretarial advice.
• Resident Director: Serving as a resident director if you cannot fulfil this requirement.
• Registered Office: Providing a registered office and mailing address with mail forwarding services.

Additional Compliance Services

Acclime also offers one-time and ongoing services tailored to keep your business compliant with all government requirements. This includes

• Business Licenses: Assisting with obtaining necessary permits and licenses.
• Work & Other Visas: Helping secure and renew work and other visas.
• Accounting Services: Offering monthly, quarterly, annual, or ad-hoc accounting services.
• Tax Services: Assisting with tax filings and minimising tax burden.
• HR Outsourcing: Providing payroll outsourcing services.
• Assist with corporate bank account: Assist with handling the documentation and arranging meetings with banks if you need to open a corporate account.

Additionally, Acclime offers several separate corporate services, such as corporate governance, supply chain and digitalisation, business consulting and advisory, structuring advisory, and more. However, this article highlights just their company registration services.

Pricing is not listed on the website and is available only through a quote. Please request a custom quote from Acclime via their "Request a Quote" page.

To get started with Acclime:

1. Fill out the request a quote form, including your company name, revenue, number of employees, specific needs, and contact information (email or phone).
2. Acclime will contact you. They guarantee a response within one business day. After that, they will arrange a discovery call with a local expert for you. 
3. Choose your company structure and any additional services required. Provide three name options for your new company.
4. Acclime will prepare the necessary incorporation documents and reserve your chosen company name. 
5. They will send the documents to you for electronic signing and then submit them to the Companies Registry for registration.
6. Once registration is complete, Acclime will send you the incorporation documents.

Additional information on their webpage is limited. It is likely that Acclime will provide details on pricing and the full incorporation process during the discovery call.

You can reach Acclime through various contact channels:

• Contact Form: Available on Acclime’s website
• Phone: +852 2151 2260
• Email: infohongkong@acclime.com
• Address: Unit B, 17/F, United Centre, 95 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong
• Business Hours: Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 6 pm

If Acclime doesn’t fully align with your needs for Hong Kong company incorporation, consider Statrys.

Statrys is a licensed payment service provider focused on simplifying business payments for companies in Hong Kong, Singapore, and the BVI. In 2023, Statrys expanded its services to include company incorporation in Hong Kong and Singapore.

In contrast to Acclime, which provides a broader range of services for larger enterprises, Statrys specialises in delivering straightforward and cost-effective solutions for SMEs. Statrys’ all-in-one package covers everything from incorporating to maintaining your Hong Kong company and securing a Hong Kong multi-currency business account—all on one platform, with one affordable pricing. 

Let’s take a closer look at Statrys' all-inclusive Hong Kong company incorporation package.