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How to read Hong Kong company documents

Unlike mainland China, where the primary corporate document is the Business License, companies incorporated in Hong Kong SAR have two separate documents that confirm their legal status and contain essential company information.

1. Certificate of Incorporation (CI)

The Certificate of Incorporation is issued once, at the time of incorporation, and never changes unless the company is closed or undergoes a formal name change.

The number on the picture corresponds to the list number below:

  1. Certificate of Incorporation number: a 7-digit number.
  2. Full legal company name: May include an English name only, a Chinese name only, or both. This name can be used for company searches.
  3. Date of incorporation
  4. Signature and name of the Companies Registrar

2. Business Registration Certificate (BR Certificate)

The Business Registration Certificate is issued annually, after the company files its yearly return with the government authorities.

Important: If a company’s Business Registration Certificate is expired and they cannot provide a valid (current) one, it always means they have failed to submit the required annual filing. This is a serious compliance issue and usually indicates problems with the company.

The number on the picture corresponds to the list number below:

  1. Original or Copy: Indicates whether the document is the original issued to the company or a replacement copy (issued because the original was damaged, stolen, or lost).
  2. Full legal company name: May include an English name, a Chinese name, or both. Must match exactly the name shown on the Certificate of Incorporation. Can be used for company searches.
  3. Company branches: This field may be empty if the company does not operate any branches.
  4. Registered address of the company
  5. Scope of business: May be shown in English, Chinese, or both. The English and Chinese versions must correspond to each other.
  6. Company type
  7. Issuing date and expiration date
  8. Business Registration Certificate number: The first 8 digits (e.g., 12345678) represent the company’s permanent Business Registration Number. This number can be used for official searches, including Hong Kong Company Report search on cntoolbox.com. The last group of digits (e.g., 111-22-33-4) changes every year when a new certificate is issued and serves only for verification purposes.