For overseas parent companies
Foreign Company Subsidiary Registration in Hong Kong
A Hong Kong subsidiary is a Hong Kong company owned by your parent, with its own liability and its own audit.
GCC business setup specialists
Subsidiary or registered branch
An overseas company can incorporate a Hong Kong subsidiary or register itself as a non-Hong Kong company. The subsidiary is separate and only its own accounts are audited and filed; the registered branch brings the parent onto the Hong Kong register.
- Subsidiary or branch decided on liability and disclosure
- Corporate shareholder documentation handled
- Audit obligation flagged before you commit
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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Compare the routes
Subsidiary against registered non-Hong Kong company
The disclosure difference decides it for most groups.
| Subsidiary | Registered branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Separate company? | Yes | No — the parent registered here |
| Liability | Generally confined to the subsidiary | Sits with the parent |
| What is audited | The subsidiary’s own accounts | Parent accounts may be filed here |
| Activities | Whatever it is set up to do | The parent’s business carried on here |
| Company secretary | Required, resident | An authorised representative is required |
| Typical fit | A real Hong Kong operation, ring-fenced | A lighter presence |
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 subsidiary
Lighter than a GCC subsidiary; disclosure matters more.
01
Route and disclosure
Subsidiary against registered branch, weighed on liability, audit and what each puts on the Hong Kong register.
02
Incorporate
Hong Kong company incorporated with the parent as shareholder, company secretary appointed and the Significant Controllers Register established.
03
Set up to operate
Business Registration obtained, statutory records opened, bank introduction made and the filing calendar set.
From the parent
What a corporate shareholder needs
Far lighter than Saudi or Oman — usually no attestation chain.
- Parent certificate of incorporation
- Parent constitutional documents
- Parent registered address and company number
- Details of the parent’s ownership chain
- Identity evidence for ultimate controllers
- Board resolution approving the Hong Kong subsidiary
- Proposed company name
- Director details and passport copies
- Shareholding and share capital
- Significant controller analysis
- Registered office and company secretary arrangements
- Certified translations where documents are not in English
Scope
What is included, and what is not
Stated plainly, so nothing is added once the engagement starts.
Included in the service fee
- Subsidiary or branch recommendation
- Analysis of what each route discloses
- Company name availability check
- Incorporation with a corporate shareholder
- Business Registration Certificate
- Company secretary and registered office arranged
- Significant Controllers Register established
- Filing calendar set
Not included, quoted separately
- Companies Registry and IRD fees, paid at cost
- Regulated filings, made by the licensed local provider
- Annual audit, performed by a Hong Kong CPA
- Group tax and transfer pricing advice
- Parent-company accounts preparation
- Accounts preparation, quoted separately
- Legal advice on intra-group agreements
- 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 subsidiary — FAQs
Subsidiary or registered branch?
A subsidiary ring-fences liability and only its own accounts are audited and filed. Registering the parent as a non-Hong Kong company can bring the parent’s accounts onto the register, which decides it for many groups.
Does the parent need attestation?
Generally no. Certified copies and translations where documents are not in English are usually sufficient, which is a sharp contrast with the GCC.
Does the subsidiary need its own audit?
Yes. Every Hong Kong company is audited annually regardless of size or group membership.
Who are the significant controllers?
The analysis traces through the parent to the individuals who ultimately own or control the group, and the register is kept at the registered office.
Can the subsidiary do something the parent does not?
Yes. It is a separate company and can be set up for any lawful activity.
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