Company Secretary
Hong Kong, a premier international financial centre, attracts businesses from around the globe. Its robust legal system and strategic location make it an ideal place to incorporate and operate a company. As of the end of 2025, there was a record high of more than 1,500,000 local and re-domiciled companies registered with the Hong Kong Companies Registry (CR).
Under Section 474 of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) , every Hong Kong-incorporated company is required to appoint a company secretary—a statutory role essential to maintaining good standing and ensuring compliance with regulatory obligations.
ComplianceOne Consulting Limited is a licensed Trust and Corporate Service Provider (TCSP) under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance (Cap. 615) (Licence No. TC007463). As a leading regulatory compliance firm in Hong Kong, we offer company secretarial services as a value-added component of our one-stop solution, supporting financial institutions and enterprises in meeting their corporate compliance needs with professionalism and efficiency.
Steps to Company Incorporation
Step 1: Choose the Company Name and determine the Company Type
Step 2: Define the Business Nature
Step 3: Establish the shareholding Structure and Share Capital
Step 4: Appoint the first company secretary
Step 5: Appoint the first directors
Step 6: Select a registered address and record-keeping premises
Additional Considerations in Company Incorporation
1）Company Name:
➤ Certain names may be restricted:
▇ Too similar to an existing company
▇ Protected by trademarks/copyrights
▇ Offensive or against public interest
▇ Suggestive of criminal activity
▇ Linked to the Chinese or HK SAR Government
➤ Certain names required prior approval from relevant regulatory authority:
▇ Bank
▇ Exchange
▇ Insurance
▇ Trust
▇ Practicing professional
2）Business Nature:
➤ Starting from 2023, all companies must select and fill in a code from the government's pre-set list of business nature codes that corresponds to their principal business activities when submitting incorporation forms or annual returns.
3）Background of Shareholder and Director:
➤ Shareholders (also known as members) – As capital contributors, their liability is generally limited to the unpaid amount on their shares (for companies limited by shares).
➤ Directors – Form the board of directors as the management body. They are responsible for overseeing the company's operations and ensuring compliance with statutory obligations.
➤ Nationality – Theoretically speaking, Hong Kong imposes no nationality restrictions on shareholders or directors. However, people from sanction or high-risk countries may encounter difficulties opening a local bank account and establish business relationship with a counter-party.
4）Share Capital:
➤ Unless required for specific regulated industries, the most common share capital amounts are HK$1, HK$100, or HK$10,000.
➤ Paid-up capital is not required in Hong Kong.
➤ The total value of issued shares represents the shareholders' liability to the company.
➤ Share capital increase (or share allotment) can typically be completed within 1 working day, whereas share capital reduction may take several months to process.
5）Registered Office:
➤ The address of the company secretary (i.e., a virtual office) may be used as the registered office
➤ Non-Hong Kong addresses, ‘care of’ addresses and post office box numbers are not acceptable.
What ComplianceOne can do for you
I）Company Incorporation:
➤ Registration of limited companies in Hong Kong or overseas jurisdictions (BVI, Cayman, Samoa, etc.)
➤ Preparation of Articles of Association (A&A), Statutory Book, Common Seal & Company Chops
➤ Application for Business Registration (BR) Certificate
II）Provision of registered address:
➤ Provisions of registered address
➤ Act as correspondence address for mailing documents
III）Significant Controllers Register (SCR):
➤ Preparation and maintenance of SCR registry
➤ Act as local designated representative
IV）Company Secretary Service:
➤ Filing of Annual Returns
➤ Preparation of General Minutes
➤ Preparation and maintenance of Register of Director (ROD) and Register of Member (ROM)
➤ Certified True Copy
➤ Apostille
➤ Corporate Changes:
i. Change of Company Name
ii. Change of Business / Branch Name
iii. Change of Business Nature
iv. Change of Registered / Business Address
v. Appointment / Resignation of Director
vi. Share Allotments
vii. Bought Sold Notes
viii. Profits Tax Return
ix. Employer's Return
x. Company Re-domiciliation
xi. Deregistration
External Reference
1.CR - How to register a new company?
https://www.cr.gov.hk/tc/services/register-company.htm
2.InvestHK - Setting Up in Hong Kong
https://www.investhk.gov.hk/en/setting-up-in-hong-kong/#business-locations