Company · Bank account · Business support
Country Manager, Hong Kong
Kelvin Lau
Companies and accounts in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Team
Vanessa Choi · Company registration in Hong Kong
Jason Wong · Bank accounts in Hong Kong
Foreign dividends, with conditions
A Hong Kong company in an international group is taxed on foreign dividends when they are received in Hong Kong. A 5% stake held for 12 months exempts them, but if taxed abroad below 15%, only a tax credit applies.
Company · Bank account · Business support
Business in Hong Kong: company and bank account
Hong Kong is a familiar base for trade with China and Asia: tax only on Hong Kong profit, no currency controls, no VAT and no dividend tax. We register the company and open its account — with a Hong Kong bank or an NRA account with a bank in mainland China. We check the bank before registration so the company isn’t left without an account.
- from €1,308
- Company registration and first year — package
- 3–7 days
- Registration once the full document set is ready
- 8.25%
- Tax on the first HK$2 million of profit, 16.5% above that
- 5 banks
- HSBC, Hang Seng, OCBC, DBS and CITIC
Hong Kong
What we do in Hong Kong
Team
Who handles your matters in Hong Kong
Company Secretary
Vanessa Choi
Company registration in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Project Manager
Jason Wong
Bank accounts in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
How business with Hong Kong works
Registration takes days, but after that two things decide the outcome: a bank that will accept your profile, and the annual cycle — audit, annual return and tax return, even with no turnover.
Trade between China and the world
Buying in China and selling to other countries, clients in Asia, a trading or holding hub in the region. A Hong Kong company is a familiar counterparty for Chinese suppliers and Asian banks.
A second jurisdiction alongside your UAE structure
The UAE company works with its main account, while the Hong Kong one handles payments to and from Asia. Some Hong Kong banks and platforms also open accounts for UAE companies, and the UAE account remains a backup channel.
Tax isn’t automatically zero
Only profit sourced in Hong Kong is taxed. An exemption through an offshore claim has to be proven with contracts, correspondence and the route of the goods, and an audit is mandatory at any turnover.
Bank first, company second
We check the director’s citizenship, the industry and the counterparties against bank requirements, then register the company and assemble the file. At HSBC and Hang Seng an account is usually opened in 6–8 weeks; a director’s visit is mandatory at all five banks.
Expert tip
A company without an account means audit and renewal costs with no benefit. So we choose the bank before registration, and if your link to Asia is still weak, we start with a platform and build up a transaction history for a traditional bank.
Kermen TserenkeevaSenior Lawyer · Company registrationTaxes
When Hong Kong tax really is low — and when it isn’t
The conditions are based on Hong Kong tax law and the Inland Revenue Department’s guidance as of October 2026. We check whether your model fits them before registration.
Inland Revenue Ordinance; IRD guidance DIPN 21
Two-tier rate
What it gives: 8.25% on the first HK$2 million of profit, 16.5% above that
Condition: the company has no connected entities — or the group has nominated it in the return for that year; connection means control of more than 50% of the shares, votes or capital
Does not cover: the group’s other companies — 16.5% on all profit
Profit not sourced in Hong Kong
What it gives: not taxed — under an offshore claim
Condition: in trading, both the purchase and the sale are negotiated and concluded outside Hong Kong; the tax office looks at all operations — finding buyers, negotiations, financing, shipping
Does not cover: a buyer or supplier in Hong Kong, contracts concluded from Hong Kong by phone or correspondence: if even one contract is concluded in Hong Kong, the tax office assumes all the profit is taxable
The exemption isn’t granted automatically: an offshore claim is made in the tax return, and the tax office requests contracts, correspondence and the route of the goods. An audit is mandatory at any turnover.
FSIE regime: since 1 January 2023, expanded from 1 January 2024
Dividends and disposal of shares
What it gives: exemption from profits tax
Condition: a stake of 5% or more held for at least 12 months — or economic substance in Hong Kong
Does not cover: income taxed abroad at a rate below 15%: instead of the participation exemption — a foreign tax credit
Interest and disposal of other assets, except IP
What it gives: exemption from profits tax
Condition: economic substance: enough qualified employees and expenditure in Hong Kong; for a pure holding company — people and premises
Does not cover: the 5% stake condition doesn’t apply to interest; IP income and gains on its disposal are exempt only in proportion to the company’s own R&D expenditure
This applies to companies in multinational groups — for example, a Hong Kong company owned by a UAE company. Foreign-sourced dividends, interest, IP income and gains on disposal of assets are taxed in the year they are received in Hong Kong — remitted there, used to repay a Hong Kong debt or turned into property brought into Hong Kong — if the exemption condition is not met.
Company documents
What a Hong Kong company will have on hand — and where it will be asked for
Chinese banks open an NRA account for a Hong Kong company based on the originals of its documents, so we keep the set in order from day one.
Certificate of Incorporation
Companies Registry
The certificate of incorporation: the company exists from this date. With electronic filing it is usually issued within an hour — together with the BR.
Business Registration Certificate
Hong Kong Inland Revenue Department
Business registration. Chinese banks ask for a current original for an NRA account.
One year; from 1 April 2026 — HK$2,350
Articles and NNC1
Companies Registry
The articles of association and the NNC1 incorporation form. Chinese banks accept an NNC1 or an NAR1 annual return no older than one year, and the articles in Chinese and English or with a translation.
NAR1 — every year, within 42 days after the anniversary
Corporate kit
Prepared by us
Share certificates, registers of shareholders and directors, the first resolutions.
Significant controllers register
Kept by the company
Who controls the company. Mandatory from the date of incorporation.
Changes — within 7 days
Address and secretary
In Hong Kong
The registered address is included in the package. A company secretary is mandatory — a Hong Kong resident or a company with an office in Hong Kong; a provider taking the role for a fee needs a TCSP licence.
Package from year two — from €1,308 a year
Hong Kong bank account
HSBC, Hang Seng, OCBC, DBS or CITIC
A director’s visit is mandatory at all five. At HSBC and Hang Seng, the balance is usually HKD 100,000.
HSBC and Hang Seng — usually 6–8 weeks; DBS and CITIC — several months
Or an NRA account in China
OCBC, HSBC, Chouzhou or Standard Chartered
Chinese bank account details without a company in China. Payments can’t be confirmed without tokens: OCBC, HSBC and Chouzhou issue two, Standard Chartered one.
3–4 weeks, plus about 2 weeks for tokens
Payment platform
Hong Kong or Chinese platform
A multi-currency account with CNY and HKD — a second payment channel while the bank reviews the company.
3–10 working days
FAQ
Expert answers
Kermen Tserenkeeva — Company registration
8.25% on the first HK$2 million of profit and 16.5% above that — and only on profit sourced in Hong Kong. There is no VAT and no dividend tax. Profit from deals negotiated and concluded outside Hong Kong can be declared under an offshore claim, but the exemption isn’t automatic: the tax office requests contracts, correspondence and the route of the goods. In a group of connected companies, only one applies the concessional rate.
Kermen Tserenkeeva · Company registrationCompany maintenance
What it costs to keep a Hong Kong company from year two
The package covers the company renewal and the registered address; government fees, the audit and the tax return come on top every year. Fees are per the Hong Kong Companies Registry and Inland Revenue Department as of October 2026.
From year two
from €1,308 a year
Company renewal and registered address; government fees, audit and tax return are extra
Every year
- Package renewal and registered addressfrom €1,308
- Business Registration — from 1 April 2026HK$2,350
- NAR1 annual return — within 42 days after the anniversaryHK$105
- Audit — by a local auditor, at any turnover; except for a company declared dormant
- Company secretary — a Hong Kong resident or a company with an office in Hong Kong; terms in the proposal
Reporting
- Profits tax return — with audited financial statements; the first one comes about 18 months in
- Offshore claim — tax office questionnaires and evidence on the deals, if you make one
- Significant controllers register — changes within 7 days
- Records of every transaction — kept for 7 years
With employees
- MPF — enrol within 60 days
- IR56E notification — within 3 months of the start of employment
- Employer’s return — once a year, within one month of issue
A late NAR1 costs from HK$870 to HK$3,480 instead of HK$105. A company with no account and no turnover pays for renewal, BR and audit all the same — which is why we choose the bank before registration.
Where we work
Other countries
Not sure which country fits?
Next step
Does Hong Kong suit your trade?
Tell us what you buy and from whom, who you sell to and where the director is from. We’ll tell you which bank will realistically consider the profile, whether you need a Hong Kong company and what its first year will cost.
Kermen TserenkeevaSenior Lawyer · Company registration