The Ultimate Hong Kong Offshore Company Registration Guide

For many entrepreneurs, Hong Kong is one of the most preferred destinations to set up a business. It is where many opportunities lie – supportive government, banking environments that are ideal, low tax rates, and much more.

On the same token, setting up an offshore company in Hong Kong provides plenty of advantages for entrepreneurs.

This guide will help you understand what is an offshore company, its benefits, and how you can easily register an offshore company in Hong Kong.

What is a Hong Kong offshore company?

An offshore company refers to a type of company incorporated outside of its original location or origin country with one or more headquarters in a strategic location.

In Hong Kong, offshore companies are often set up by entrepreneurs who wish to promote or run a business in other countries while gaining the most out of elements such as low taxes or the ease of setting up a business.

Why set up an offshore company in Hong Kong?

Before we get into the benefits of offshore companies, there are many reasons why entrepreneurs set up an offshore company in Hong Kong.

• Hong Kong has a flexible economy and few to no political interruptions, while also being supportive of more companies being formed.
• The process of setting up an offshore company is straightforward, and this benefits many entrepreneurs.
• There are several business-friendly policies in place, apart from Hong Kong being a strategic location for businesses to thrive.

Benefits of setting up an offshore company

Setting up an offshore company offers many benefits for entrepreneurs on an international level. Let’s explore the benefits of setting up an offshore company in Hong Kong.

1. Ease of setting up

There’s a reason why Hong Kong is ranked as the ‘number one business destination in the world. The country has a great, business-friendly environment for entrepreneurs to operate within and beyond, while also having reliable tax regimes.

Whether you’re setting up an offshore company or other types of companies, Hong Kong allows for 100% foreign ownership of companies. This makes the set-up process even more appealing to entrepreneurs worldwide.

2. Tax benefits

Hong Kong is well known for its flat-rate corporate tax. Based on Corporate Income Tax, the standard profit Tax Rate in Hong Kong is 16.5%.

However, what’s even better for offshore companies in Hong Kong is that some of these taxes are exempted completely. This is known as an OTC. According to the IRD, offshore companies are exempt from any sort of income earned outside of the country.

6 steps to incorporate an offshore company in Hong Kong

It’s surprisingly simple. As mentioned earlier, China is keen on attracting foreign companies, so the entire process is extremely streamlined.

There are really only four basic steps:

1.   Come up with a valid name for your company. Hong Kong’s Company Register Office released a pdf with naming guidelines to help. 
2.   Decide whether or not your company will be limited by shares or guarantees. 
3.   If your company will be limited by shares, the liability of members is limited by the articles of association to the amount unpaid on the shares respectively held by them. This is a rather legal topic that is outside of the scope of registering your company, however, it’s logistically fairly simple.
4.   If your company is limited by guarantee, there is no share capital and the liability of members is limited by the articles of association to the amount that the members respectively undertake to contribute to the assets of the company in the event of its being wound up. Non-profit-making organizations are usually registered as guarantee companies. Again, this is directly from the official Hong Kong Company Registry website.
5.   Register these forms electronically using this link:

•   Form NN1 – Application for Registration of a non-Hong Kong company
•   A certified charter or equivalent
•   A certified copy of the company’s certificate of incorporation or equivalent
•   A certified copy of the company’s latest published accounts
•   Notice to the Business Registration Office (IRBB2)

Now just collect your Certificates of Registration upon approval.

Register your offshore company with Air Corporate

Registration typically takes no more than a week once these steps have been completed.

There are companies in Hong Kong whose sole business is guiding foreign companies through the incorporation and/or registration process, but the process is simple enough that most companies can do it on their own.

For more information, check out the Hong Kong government’s official Company Registry Website, found here.

Does this seem like a bunch of busy work you don’t want to deal with?

Register with Air Corporate and get a registered offshore company approved in under 48 hours.