Guide to incorporating a public limited company

For you to incorporate your business in Hong Kong, you will have to register with the Companies Registry.

Minimum Requirements

Some of the minimum requirements to incorporate a business in Hong Kong include:

• A designated representative.
• A Hong Kong-based secretary.
• The company should have a minimum of one shareholder.
• There is no minimum share capital that is required.
• The company needs to have a local Hong Kong-registered address.

The first step is to apply for the business name and obtain a certificate of incorporation. You will have to choose a preferred business name for your company. The two types of companies that are available in Hong Kong are:

• Companies that are limited by shares
• Companies that are limited by guarantee

The name that you choose for your company needs to agree with the guidelines of Company naming in Hong Kong.

The next step is to deliver your application that you can either do physically or electronically. The stage of company application requires one to have 3 sets of documents namely:

• The incorporation form
• Copy of the Articles of Association
• Notice to the business registration office

Activities after incorporation

After you have successfully incorporated your business, you will have to complete these steps:

• Open a corporate bank account for your newly registered company
• File the annual tax returns in the IRD
• You will have to convene the annual general meetings yearly as required
• You need to submit corporate and profit tax

Conclusion

In summary, a public limited company can be started by anyone who has the ability and know-how. However, most investors choose to start a private limited company due to the demerits of the public limited company that includes even a company takeover that can be one of the extreme conditions.