Expiry of the Revenue (Reduction of Business Registration Fees) Order 2016

The Revenue (Reduction of Business Registration Fees) Order 2016 (“2016 Order”) will expire on 1 April 2017.  For business or branch registration certificates which commence on or after that date¹, the prescribed business registration fee or the prescribed branch registration fee, as the case may be, will be payable together with the levy.  Please refer to the business registration fee & levy table for details of the total amount payable under a certificate.

An upsurge in demand for new business registration services in March 2017 is anticipated.  In order to obtain your business registration certificate smoothly, please pay attention to the following important notes –

Companies

Under the one-stop company and business registration service, companies are only required to lodge one single application for company and business registration with the Companies Registry.  An applicant for company incorporation is deemed to have applied for business registration simultaneously, and is no longer required to apply to the Business Registration Office for registration.

For details of the one-stop company and business registration service, please browse the website of the Companies Registry.

Other businesses (sole proprietorship, partnership, etc.)

You must register your business or branch of business carried on in Hong Kong within 1 month from the date of commencement of business.  If you are required to submit your application in March 2017, please submit the application by electronic means or by post as far as possible.  If you have to submit your application in person, please come to the Business Registration Office during the non-peak hours from 8:45 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. so that your application can be processed promptly.  If you commence a business / branch in March 2017, and submit the business / branch registration application within one month from the commencement date, i.e. in April 2017, you will still be entitled to the waiver of the first-year business / branch registration fee under the 2016 Order and are only required to pay the levy.

The Business Registration Office will not accept any application for registration in respect of a business or branch of business which has not yet commenced or  in existence.  Any person who submits false information in his application for business registration shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to a fine of $5,000 and to imprisonment for 1 year.