The parent registered here
Foreign Company Branch Registration in Hong Kong
Hong Kong calls this registering a non-Hong Kong company. It can bring the parent’s accounts onto the public register.
GCC business setup specialists
The disclosure trade-off
Registering a branch avoids forming a new company, which sounds simpler. The consequence is that the overseas company itself appears on the Hong Kong register, and depending on the parent’s own jurisdiction its accounts may have to be filed here.
- Disclosure consequences explained before you register
- Branch or subsidiary weighed properly
- Authorised representative arranged
20+
Mainland, free zone and offshore jurisdictions we file in — so the recommendation is based on your activity, not on which authority we happen to be registered with.
7,000+
Companies successfully established.
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What registration involves
The shape of a Hong Kong branch
Most surprises here are disclosure surprises.
| Question | Position for a registered branch |
|---|---|
| Separate company? | No. The overseas company registers a presence. |
| Who carries liability? | The parent company. |
| What is filed? | Parent particulars, constitutional documents and officer details. |
| Parent accounts | May have to be filed here depending on the parent’s jurisdiction. |
| Local representative | An authorised representative in Hong Kong is required. |
| Tax | Profits with a Hong Kong source are within the charge to profits tax. |
Company secretarial and registered office services in Hong Kong must be provided by a licensed trust or company service provider. We co-ordinate your engagement with a licensed Hong Kong provider and manage the process end to end; the regulated filings are made by them.
How it works
Registering the branch
The disclosure analysis comes first.
01
Disclosure analysis
What registering would put on the public record, including whether the parent’s accounts become filable. Many groups choose a subsidiary at this point.
02
Register
The overseas company registered as a non-Hong Kong company with the required particulars and an authorised representative.
03
Tax and operations
Business Registration obtained, profits tax position established and the filing calendar set.
- Parent certificate of incorporation
- Parent constitutional documents
- Parent company name, number and registered address
- List of the parent’s directors and secretary
- Authorised representative details
- Hong Kong address for the branch
- Description of the business carried on here
- Parent accounting reference date
- Parent accounts where filing is required
- Certified translations where not in English
- Details of Hong Kong employees, if any
- Expected Hong Kong turnover
Scope
What is included, and what is not
Stated plainly, so nothing is added once the engagement starts.
Included in the service fee
- Branch or subsidiary recommendation
- Disclosure analysis for the parent
- Registration as a non-Hong Kong company
- Authorised representative arranged
- Business Registration Certificate
- Profits tax position established
- Filing calendar set
- One adviser co-ordinating it
Not included, quoted separately
- Companies Registry and IRD fees, paid at cost
- Regulated filings, made by the licensed local provider
- Certified translation of parent documents
- Parent-company accounts preparation
- Profit attribution and transfer pricing advice
- Annual filings, quoted separately
- Audit where required
- Bank account opening decisions
Verify independently
Official Hong Kong authorities
We file directly with these bodies on your behalf.
Companies RegistryInland Revenue DepartmentImmigration DepartmentMandatory Provident Fund Schemes AuthorityIntellectual Property DepartmentCustoms and Excise Department
Questions
Hong Kong branch registration — FAQs
What is a non-Hong Kong company?
The statutory term for an overseas company that has established a place of business here. It is what other jurisdictions would call a branch.
Will my parent accounts become public?
Possibly, depending on the parent’s jurisdiction and its own disclosure regime. We establish this before you register, because for many groups it is decisive.
Is a subsidiary better?
Often, where you want liability ring-fenced and only the Hong Kong entity’s accounts on the register.
Does it pay Hong Kong tax?
Profits with a Hong Kong source are within the charge to profits tax. How profits are attributed is a technical question worth advice where amounts are material.
Do I need a local representative?
Yes. An authorised representative in Hong Kong is required for a registered non-Hong Kong company.
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