Written by Sneha Patwari, Corporate Secretary Lead
I've guided hundreds of founders through the incorporation process across Hong Kong and Singapore. The questions are always different; the mistakes are usually the same. I write to help people avoid them.
Last reviewed by July 2026.
Key Takeaways
Incorporating a Hong Kong company costs HKD 1,545 in Companies Registry fees if filed electronically (HKD 1,720 in hard copy), separate from your Business Registration fee.
The Business Registration fee and levy for 2026/27 (1 April 2026–31 March 2027) is HKD 2,350 total for a 1-year certificate, or HKD 6,170 for a 3-year certificate.
File your Annual Return within 42 days of your incorporation anniversary and it costs HKD 105. Miss that window and the fee climbs in tiers, up to HKD 3,480 for a return filed more than 9 months late.
Every Hong Kong private company must keep a Significant Controllers Register (SCR) at its registered office. It isn't filed with the Registry, but it has to exist and be produced for law enforcement on demand.
Deregistering a defunct, solvent company costs a flat HKD 420 (Form NDR1) but only after the Inland Revenue Department issues a Notice of No Objection, which it won't do if filings are outstanding.
What the Companies Registry Actually Does
If you've started looking into incorporating in Hong Kong, there's a good chance you've already mixed up two government bodies that sound like they should be the same thing. They're not.
The Companies Registry (CR) incorporates your company, enforces the Companies Ordinance, and holds your public filings: incorporation documents, annual returns, and any changes to directors or share capital. The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) is a separate department that issues your Business Registration Certificate (BRC) and collects tax.
When you incorporate through the Companies Registry, you're treated as having applied for business registration with the IRD at the same time, so the two processes run together, but they charge separate fees, on separate schedules, and missing one doesn't excuse missing the other.
In our experience helping founders set up Hong Kong companies remotely, this is the most common point of confusion: people budget for "the Companies Registry fee" as one number, then get a second, separate bill from the IRD a few weeks later. Below is what each actually costs, what you're required to file every year after that, and what happens if you're late.
Since December 2023, the Registry has run on a revamped system called ICRIS (Integrated Companies Registry Information System), paired with a single e-Services Portal for company search, incorporation, and statutory filings. If you're incorporating or filing in 2026, this is the platform you'll use. The older AQUA search system it replaced is gone.
Companies Registry and Business Registration Fees You'll Actually Pay
There isn't one "incorporation fee." There are at least two, from two different government bodies, and cost breakdowns online often only walk through the Companies Registry side.
Incorporation Fees
Filing your incorporation documents electronically through the e-Services Portal costs HKD 1,545 (HKD 1,280 refundable if unsuccessful).
Filing in hard copy costs HKD 1,720 (HKD 1,425 refundable if unsuccessful).
Business Registration Fee and Levy (2026/27)
| Certificate Type | Fee | Levy | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Year Certificate | HKD 2,200 | HKD 150 | HKD 2,350 |
| 3-Year Certificate | HKD 5,720 | HKD 450 | HKD 6,170 |
This is billed by the IRD, not the Companies Registry, and it renews on its own schedule: annually or every three years, depending on which certificate you choose. For a newly incorporated company, the first certificate's cost is fixed by the date you deliver your incorporation submission to the Companies Registry, and its commencement date is your date of incorporation.
Other One-Off Fees
| Filing | Fee |
|---|---|
| Change of Company Name | HKD 295 (HKD 55 refundable if unsuccessful) |
| Statement of Particulars of Charge | HKD 340 |
| Deregistration (Form NDR1) | HKD 420 |
Annual Filing Obligations After You Incorporate
Incorporating is the easy part. What catches founders out (especially non-resident founders running a Hong Kong company remotely) is the annual filing calendar that starts the moment your company exists.
Annual Return (NAR1)
Every Hong Kong private company must file an Annual Return within 42 days of the anniversary of its incorporation, every year, for as long as the company exists. The fee depends entirely on how late you file it:
| Filed Within | Fee |
|---|---|
| 42 days of anniversary | HKD 105 |
| 42 days–3 months after | HKD 870 |
| 3–6 months after | HKD 1,740 |
| 6–9 months after | HKD 2,610 |
| More than 9 months after | HKD 3,480 |
An annual return delivered with the wrong fee attached isn't accepted. It's returned to you, and the fee is then recalculated against the date you refile it, not your original attempt. If you're posting a hard copy, the postmark date counts as your delivery date, so mailing it close to the deadline is a real risk, not a technicality.
Business Registration Renewal
Separately, your Business Registration Certificate needs renewing before it expires (annually for a 1-year certificate, or every three years for a 3-year certificate) at the fee and levy total shown above. This is an IRD filing, not a Companies Registry one, and it runs on its own clock, independent of your Annual Return date.
Significant Controllers Register (SCR)
Since March 2018, every Hong Kong private company (other than a listed company) must keep a Significant Controllers Register identifying the people who ultimately own or control it. You don't file this with the Companies Registry. You keep it at your registered office or another address in Hong Kong, and you make it available to law enforcement officers on demand. Skipping it isn't a paperwork oversight; it's a standing compliance gap that shows up the moment anyone asks to see it.
What Happens If You Miss a Deadline
The tiered Annual Return fee above is the visible cost of being late. It isn't the only one. A defunct company that's fallen behind on filings can't cleanly deregister either.
Deregistration requires the IRD to first issue a Notice of No Objection, and it won't issue one if there are outstanding filings or tax matters. In practice, that means a company that's ignored its Annual Return for two years doesn't just owe HKD 3,480 to catch up on that one filing. It's also stuck until the backlog clears before it can close down for the HKD 420 deregistration fee.
The Companies Ordinance also gives the Registrar power to strike off a company that appears to have stopped operating, and directors can be prosecuted for failing to deliver an Annual Return at all. The late fee tiers exist to make catching up early cheaper than catching up late: worth treating as a real incentive, not a rounding error.
How Filing Actually Works in 2026
Since the Registry's ICRIS platform relaunched on 27 December 2023, incorporation, annual filings, and company searches all run through a single e-Services Portal login. Every company and business also has a Unique Business Identifier (UBI), the eight-digit Business Registration Number issued by the IRD, that now ties records together across the Companies Registry and the IRD.
We've seen this catch out founders who assume Hong Kong's public company search works the way it did in a jurisdiction they've incorporated in before: it doesn't. Since the Companies Registry's New Inspection Regime came fully into effect in October 2022, directors' full ID numbers and residential addresses are no longer publicly viewable. Only "specified persons" (a defined list that includes financial institutions, solicitors, licensed company service providers, and the director or company themselves) can apply for access to that data.
FAQs
What is the annual return fee in Hong Kong?
HKD 105 if filed within 42 days of your incorporation anniversary. It rises in tiers for late filing: HKD 870, HKD 1,740, HKD 2,610, then HKD 3,480 for a return filed more than 9 months late.
How much is the business registration fee for 2026?
For the period 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, a 1-year Business Registration Certificate costs HKD 2,350 (HKD 2,200 fee plus HKD 150 levy). A 3-year certificate costs HKD 6,170 (HKD 5,720 fee plus HKD 450 levy).
Do I need to file a Significant Controllers Register with the Companies Registry?
No. You need to keep one (at your registered office or another Hong Kong address) but it isn't delivered to the Registry for registration. It has to be available for inspection by law enforcement officers on request.
What happens if I file my annual return late?
The fee rises in tiers based on how late the filing is, from HKD 105 up to HKD 3,480. Beyond the fee, the Registrar can strike off a company that appears defunct, and directors can be prosecuted for failing to deliver an Annual Return at all.
How much does it cost to deregister a Hong Kong company?
HKD 420 for Form NDR1, non-refundable, delivered within 3 months of the Inland Revenue Department issuing a Notice of No Objection. You need that Notice before you can apply, and the IRD won't issue it if filings or tax matters are still outstanding.
