Guide to incorporating an offshore company

Anyone who intends to incorporate an offshore company should know these few simple facts that serve as a guide to incorporating an offshore company.

Company name
The Hong Kong Companies Registry needs to approve the suggested name of your company before initiating the incorporation process.

Directors
An offshore company need to have:

• A minimum of one director with an unlimited maximum number of directors;
• Directors can either be a Hong Kong natural person or even a company;
• Directors can either be residents or non-residents of Hong Kong;
• Offshore company directors can be from any country;
• Nominee directors are permitted.

Shareholders

• The number of shareholders ranges from 1 to 50;
• Shareholders can either be persons of majority age or companies;
• They can either be Hong Kong residents or non-Hong Kong residents;
• Shareholders can be persons of any nationality;
• 100% local or foreign shareholding is allowed;
• A sole director can act as a shareholder.

Company Secretary
All Hong Kong Companies are mandated by law to appoint a company secretary. A company secretary can either be a local individual or a corporate resident. There is no professional qualification that is required. A company with a sole director or shareholder cannot double as a company secretary.

Share Capital
Any amount of share capital needs to be injected into the company’s bank account.