Certificate of Incorporation & Business Certificate
The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) of Hong Kong is committed to providing an efficient business registration service to enable business operators to comply with their legal obligations and to encourage members of the general society to get business information. However, the business registration is not for regulating business activities nor a license to trade.
The Business Registration law requires every individual to carry on a business in Hong Kong to apply for business registration within one month from the date of commencement of the business and to show a valid Business Registration Certificate at the place of the business. If the recorded particulars of the business have changed, the business administrator needs to inform the IRD in writing within one month of the change.
The IRD will record the information provided which can be accessed by the public. Business officials are suggest to get their Business Registration Certificates early and to ensure that changes in business particulars are updated to the Business Register as soon as possible. The information provided by the business officials will only be checked thoroughly and will not be verified for any new entry or prior amendment.
The Certificate of Incorporation
After the verification of the name, the Companies Registry requests the submission of the company incorporation forms. The day you present such documents, the company will have to pay the corresponding registration fees. Once the application is approved, the Companies Registry will issue the Articles of Association and a Certificate of Incorporation.
Business Registration Certificate
If any person or any individual is running a business in Hong Kong, then that company is obliged to get a Business Registration Certificate from the IRD. After applying for a Certificate of Incorporation, the application process for the Business Registration Certificate begins. Moreover, the document that you receive will be displayed at the company’s premises and should be renewed every year.
- If your company has multiple branches in Hong Kong, a business Registration Certificate must be requested for each office.
- Additionally, if there are any changes in the information, then it must be reported to Inland Revenue Department within one month of occurrence.
So now that you know what a Business Registration Certificate is, do you know about the Hong Kong Certificate of Incorporation? It is a document issued to the limited liability companies after the registration by Hong Kong Companies Registry. Most of the businesses in Hong Kong possess this certificate, and you should consider requesting a copy before doing business with them.
Therefore, to learn more about the Hong Kong Certificate of Incorporation, and learn more about it, then read on:
What is a Hong Kong Certificate of Incorporation?
The Incorporation Certificate is a standard format that is composed in both English and traditional Chinese characters. Note that it is quite easy to confuse this certificate with others sharing a standard format, so make sure you check the title “Certificate of Incorporation” is present. Other certificates of seems to be similar and serve the similar goal, including the “Certificate of Change of Name” “Certificate of Continuing Registration” and “Certificate of Registration as a Trust Company”.
What kind of information is mentioned in a Hong Kong Certificate of Incorporation?
The following information is mentioned in a Hong Kong Certificate of Incorporation.
- Registration Number
- Certificate Type
- Official Company name in Chinese, English or both
- Date of Establishment
After receiving your certificate of incorporation, you would definitely want to check the authenticity of the certificate. Well, this is possible to do so by using the Hong Kong Companies Registry’s online system, i.e., ICRIS. ICRIS stands for “Integrated Companies Registry Information System” and can be searched in English, but you may face difficulty identifying the company if they only have a Chinese name.
Another widely used alternative to using the ICRIS system is to order the China Checkup’s Chinese Certificate verification or Hong Kong company verification reports.
Do all Hong Kong-registered Entities have a Hong Kong Certificate of Incorporation?
Not all Hong Kong-registered entities have a Hong Kong Certificate of Incorporation. There are several types of company incorporation in Hong Kong, and only “LIMITED COMPANIES” are issued with this certificate.
However, the vast majority of entities in Hong Kong are “limited liability” companies registered with the Companies Registry. The companies are provided with a Business Registration Certificate. It is also a dual-language English/ traditional Chinese characters document. You can access the details of business registration using the Hong Kong government website or by using our verification services.
Now, the frequent issue that we encounter is many people are unaware about the level of the separation between Hong Kong and the Mainland China.
How do Mainland China Company and Hong Kong companies differ?
This is one of the most common situations we encounter which often leaves our clients with the air of confusion. As we all know that Hong Kong is a part of China, companies registered there work under a different legal, economic and tax system which is quite attractive to the owners of the Mainland Chinese companies. There are so many reasons why a company based in Mainland China, may be enrolled in Hong Kong. So here we’ll venture into Hong Kong Company Registration vs. Mainland China Company Registration.
Most of the people who are having business ties with Chinese companies may not realize that, but Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland are entirely separate economically and politically. There are historical issues as well, but we won’t go into them in this article but just say that the central Chinese government acts with popular “One Country, Two Systems” approach when it comes to Hong Kong. We are focusing more on the main point, which is the business registration process for a Hong Kong company and a Mainland China company are entirely different.
- You will be surprised to know that the business registration system in the Chinese Mainland is more demanding and complex than the one in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is more mature as a capitalist economy, and it offers an open business environment generally.
- In The Mainland, China registration is done by the AIC (Administration for Industry and Commerce), and then a Chinese business license is issued, whilst in Hong Kong companies are registered by the Companies Registry, and then a Hong Kong Certificate of Incorporation is issued. In almost all cases it is more comfortable to get a company registered in Hong Kong than it is on the mainland. Moreover, less upfront credit is needed to do so.
Once and for all, a Hong Kong organization can authoritatively enroll with an English name alone, while a Chinese name is required on the mainland (an English name might be enlisted along with it, but generally isn’t). This means that regarding checking out a Chinese company’s official registration record to verify it, Hong Kong and the Mainland are entirely separate. As far as the verification process is concerned, they may as well be seperate countries.
Do you also want to get your Business Registration Certificate in Hong Kong? We recommend you to get it done by Startupr since we offer professional and legal services at an affordable range. So, start your new Hong Kong company & Open a bank account, ALL ONLINE! We will provide you with incorporation plan that will suit your needs.
