Hong Kong Company Incorporation Costs: Full Fee Breakdown (2026)

Ask three Hong Kong incorporation providers for a quote and you'll likely get three different numbers, and not because any of them are wrong. They're usually quoting different things: one figure is government fees only, another bundles a year of company secretary service, and a third includes a registered address you'd otherwise have to source yourself.

This guide walks through the mandatory government fees first, since those don't change by provider, then a real, sourced comparison of what providers actually charge, so you can see exactly what's driving the range instead of taking one average on faith.

Government Fees You Cannot Avoid

At a minimum, every Hong Kong company pays two separate government fees, from two separate departments, before it can legally operate.

Company Registration Fee

This is a one-time fee paid to the Companies Registry, the government body that incorporates companies and enforces the Companies Ordinance. Per the Companies Registry's fee schedule, as of 2026, electronic filing costs HKD 1,545 (HKD 1,280 is refundable if the application is unsuccessful) and hard-copy filing costs HKD 1,720 (HKD 1,425 refundable if unsuccessful).

Business Registration Fee

This is a separate fee paid to the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) to legally operate a business, and it's easy to mistake for part of the Companies Registry fee since both are charged at incorporation.

Per the IRD's Business Registration Fee and Levy Table 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 a HKD 150 levy) and a 3-year certificate costs HKD 6,170 (HKD 5,720 fee plus a HKD 450 levy). The certificate must be renewed before it expires. For the full annual filing calendar that follows incorporation, including what happens if you renew late, see our guide to Hong Kong Companies Registry fees, filings, and compliance.

These are mandatory government fees only, before any service provider is involved.

Registered Address

Every Hong Kong company must maintain a local registered address. If you don't already have a Hong Kong office, this is usually met through a virtual address or a service provider, and it's not optional: it's where statutory documents, including the Certificate of Incorporation and the Significant Controllers Register, must be available for inspection.

Based on the provider pricing researched below, this typically runs HKD 1,800 to HKD 3,000 per year when purchased as a standalone service, or is bundled into an all-in incorporation package at no separate line item.

Company Secretary

Under the Companies Ordinance, every Hong Kong company must appoint a local company secretary: an individual ordinarily resident in Hong Kong, or a body corporate with a registered office or place of business in Hong Kong.

A firm offering this service commercially must also hold a Trust or Company Service Provider (TCSP) licence under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance (AMLO). This is a legal requirement enforced in the same way as the registered-address requirement. For more on what the role actually covers, see what a company secretary does, and for a side-by-side look at providers, see our roundup of the best company secretary services in Hong Kong.

Businesses generally choose between digital company secretary services (online filings, compliance reminders, statutory record maintenance, generally lower cost) and traditional services (more manual support and physical document handling through local firms). Based on the provider pricing researched below, standalone or bundled company secretary service typically runs HKD 2,000 to HKD 5,000 per year, with digital-first providers consistently at the lower end of that range.

What Hong Kong Incorporation Providers Actually Charge

Beyond the government's own fees, most of what you pay depends on which provider and package you choose, and providers rarely make this easy to compare. We researched pricing from 18 Hong Kong incorporation providers' own pricing pages, checked and dated, not third-party estimates. Seven publish clear, usable, all-inclusive pricing. Two publish numbers that turned out to be internally inconsistent when checked closely. The remaining nine don't publish fixed pricing at all and quote per engagement, which is a normal and common practice among established corporate service firms in this market.

Nine of the remaining providers researched (Acclime, Tetra Consultants, Timcole, Primasia, GuideMeHongKong, AsiaBC, Fastlane, Hawksford, and InCorp Global) are quote-based and don't publish a fixed price. Two more, 3E Accounting and Kaizen CPA, publish specific figures that didn't hold up under a closer check. 3E Accounting's headline offer implies a government fee is included in its quoted total, while separate text on the same page says it isn't. Kaizen CPA quotes different prices for a comparable package on two of its own regional websites. Neither is used above, since a number that can't be reconciled against the provider's own site isn't a reliable comparison point.

The practical lesson: a "cheap" filing-only quote and a pricier all-in quote aren't the same product, so compare what's included before comparing the number. If you want to see how a specific provider's pricing breaks down in practice, our Osome Hong Kong incorporation review and Sleek Hong Kong incorporation review walk through two providers' actual quotes line by line.

What Drives Your Final Price

Before comparing providers or packages, it helps to understand what actually moves the number.

Company Complexity

Companies with multiple directors, numerous shareholders, or more intricate ownership structures tend to see higher fees, since there's more administrative and record-keeping work involved. Businesses that need specific Hong Kong licences or permits (a restaurant needing a food licence from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, for example) face additional licensing and compliance costs on top of standard incorporation. Hong Kong's Business Licence Information Service, run by the Trade and Industry Department, is a starting point for checking which licences apply to a given business type, since the actual licensing authority varies by industry rather than sitting with one department.

Service Selection

Some businesses choose basic registration only, while others add a registered address, bank account opening assistance, a designated representative, annual filing service, or accounting support. Some packages bundle government fees, while others charge them separately, as the provider comparison above shows. Watch for fees on document amendments, retrieval, or late submission, since these are common places for costs to creep in after the initial quote.

Digital vs. Traditional Service Delivery

Digital-first providers tend to publish transparent, fixed pricing and compete on it directly, which is a large part of why they consistently appear at the lower end of the range in the comparison above. Traditional accounting and corporate service firms more often quote per engagement, which can better suit complex structures, but makes upfront comparison harder.

Choosing the Right Provider

Three things are worth weighing before you commit to a provider:

• Budget. Match cost to your financial plan, but weigh it against what's actually included. A package covering the core incorporation documents (Articles of Association, Certificate of Incorporation, and Business Registration Certificate) end-to-end is worth more than the cheapest line item.
• Communication. Choose a provider and company secretary who can respond clearly in both English and Chinese, since Hong Kong operates in both, and who answers questions promptly rather than after a multi-day delay.
• Company size. Larger organisations with more complex structures benefit from a provider experienced in that complexity. Smaller companies are often better served by simpler, more standardised service.

What Happens After You Incorporate

The figures above cover incorporation itself. They don't cover what comes next: an Annual Return due within 42 days of your incorporation anniversary, Business Registration renewal, and ongoing company secretary and registered address fees, typically HKD 4,000 to HKD 8,000 combined per year depending on provider. Missing the Annual Return window is the most common way this cost picture changes unexpectedly, since the late fee climbs in tiers the longer it's outstanding.

For the full breakdown of what's due, when, and what late filing actually costs, see our guide to Hong Kong Companies Registry fees, filings, and compliance.

Get Your Hong Kong Company, One Fee

Statrys provides a digital Hong Kong company formation package covering registration, registered address, and company secretary service in one bundle, built to avoid the separate-line-item pricing this guide just walked through.

The package includes:

• 100% online incorporation
• Preparation and filing of all required documents
• One year of registered address service (renewable)
• One year of company secretary service (renewable)
• Government fees
• Fast-track support for a multi-currency business account application (subject to approval)

Accounting services are also available, billed by transaction volume so you're not paying for capacity you don't use.