Your Ultimate Guide to Hong Kong Business Registration Certificate

A business registration certificate is critical for anyone who wants to do business in Hong Kong. But navigating the process of getting one can be challenging. Unless you follow the procedure to the T, it can delay your plans and prevent your business from taking off.
So here’s the ultimate roadmap — a guide that tells you everything you need to know about obtaining a business registration certificate. You will learn about:
A business registration certificate is a document issued by the Business Registration Office of the Inland Revenue Department (IRD), Hong Kong. It certifies that a business is registered with the Hong Kong government.
The issuance of BRC proves that your business has complied with the relevant requirements to operate in Hong Kong. Important information you may find on your BRC include:
Here’s a sample BRC:
Source: Inland Revenue Department of Hong Kong (IRD)
Once you receive your BRC, display it prominently in your place of business. Failure to apply for business registration attracts strict penalties— as of date, the fine is HKD 5,000, and you may also be imprisoned for one year.
If you apply for your business registration certificate one year after commencing the operations, you have to pay the registration fees for the current year and the previous years
BRN or business registration number is an eight digit unique number assigned to every business entity by the IRD. You can find it printed at the bottom of your BRC.
However, it is not a permit for commencing trade or business operations.
You can think of it as the social security number for your business — you need to mention it for all official business, such as filing tax returns, opening company accounts, or filling out different forms/documents issued by government departments.
That’s why you don’t need to apply for a separate tax identification number in Hong Kong — the BRN is good enough.
Obtaining a business registration in Hong Kong is mandatory for all businesses unless specifically exempted by the Companies Ordinance.
Both local and non-Hong Kong businesses need to apply for BRC, including:
However, if you are only an employee at these organizations, you won’t be regarded as carrying on business for business registration. That’s why you don’t need to apply for any BRC separately.
The timeline for applying for your business registration certificate depends on the type of business:
Type of business |
Timeline for application |
If your business is a sole proprietorship, partnership (except limited partnership fund) or you are an unincorporated body of persons, a non-Hong Kong company or a branch of a non- Hong Kong company | Within one month from its date of commencement of business.
IRD rejects registration applications for businesses that do not exist or haven’t commenced their operations yet. |
If you are a limited partnership fund | Within one month from its date of registration |
If you are a company incorporated or to be incorporated under the Companies Ordinance | You can use the one-stop service from IRD that allows you to make a single application to incorporate the company with the Companies Registry and also obtain business registration certificate |
If you use the one-stop service, you will receive the certificates of incorporation and business registration together to begin your operations. So using the one-stop service is ideal, especially if you want to set up the presence of your non-Hong Kong company through a subsidiary.
There are several application channels for obtaining your business registration certificate:
You can send your application via post.
To obtain a copy of the application, you can e-mail [email protected], fill up form IRBR194 or send in your request by post or by fax (2824 1482) to the Business Registration Office. Make sure to include your name, address and the type of application form and required quanitiy.
The certificate is issued within 2 working days of Business Registration Office receiving a properly completed application.
You can submit a physical copy of your application in person to the Business Registration Service Counter at Business Registration Office. A copy of the application is available at the Business Registration Office at 2/F of Inland Revenue Centre, Kai Tak.
Typically, the business registration certificate is issued within 30 minutes of the receipt of application. You can collect it over the counter.
You can use the eTax service by the Government of Hong Kong and apply for your business registration certificate online. The online service is available to:
Normally, the certificate is issued within 2 working days from the receipt of a duly filled application.
Before you begin, you can check out a specimen application form for business registration for body corporates.
Regardless of the application method, you must pay the relevant business registration fee and levy and attach a copy of your proof of identity document with your completed application. Accepted documents include:
Completing the paperwork on your own can be overwhelming — even a single typo can result in your application getting rejected, forcing you to start the process from scratch. Even though it may seem like a minor inconvenience at that moment, it can quickly snowball into a bigger problem.
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A business registration certificate in Hong Kong is proof that the business is duly registered with the Hong Kong government and has fulfilled the requirements for operation.
A certificate of incorporation is the birth certificate of your company — it confirms that your company has come into existence as a standalone legal entity.
Once you successfully pay the business registration fee/levy online, you receive an acknowledgment with a Transaction Reference Number. This indicates that your submission was successful.
While you can do the paperwork on your own, it is best to outsource to an external agency such as Air Corporate.
This ensures you receive your registration certificate without breaking a sweat.
This is only possible if you have applied online.
You can write to the Commissioner of Inland Revenue with the details of the changes you need. Make sure to include your name, capacity, name of your business, and the Transaction Reference Number of the application.
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