A Hong Kong KYB file draws on several public registers.
Start with the Companies Registry for identity, officers and filed ownership records. Add the IRD record and other public searches according to the purpose and risk of the review.
Hong Kong company search
Every Hong Kong company is on the register kept by the Companies Registry. Its particulars, the documents it has filed and the names of its current directors can be searched online through the Registry's e-Services Portal, and its Business Registration Certificate can be checked with the Inland Revenue Department. Shareholders of a local company appear on its annual return and incorporation form, so Hong Kong is one of the few jurisdictions where ownership of a private company is public.
Fill Easy returns these documents as PDFs. Send the company name or number to agent@fill-easy.com, or call the REST API, and automated documents such as company particulars come back in the same thread in under 5 minutes, with the source, retrieval time and request ID recorded on each result. Company particulars is the search most clients start with; the catalogue lists it at about 15 minutes when automated.
At a glance
- Registry
- Companies Registry (公司註冊處), e-Services Portal
- Authority
- Government of the Hong Kong SAR, under the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622)
- Language of records
- English and Chinese
- Currency of fees
- Hong Kong dollar (HKD)
- Public online search
- Yes. Company name search, document index and register of charges index are free; a company particulars report, a directors index search and document images are charged per item
- Shareholders disclosed
- Yes, for local companies with share capital, through the company particulars report, incorporation form and annual return. The significant controllers register is not public
- Directors disclosed
- Yes, current directors and reserve directors with their correspondence address
- Turnaround via Fill Easy
- Under 5 minutes for automated documents
Registry
Companies Registry
公司註冊處
Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
The Companies Registry administers the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) and keeps the register of local companies and registered non-Hong Kong companies. Its e-Services Portal (e-services.cr.gov.hk) is the public search channel: company name search, document index search, register of charges index search and register of disqualification orders index search are free, while a company particulars report (HK$22), a directors index search (HK$11 per company) and copies of filed documents are charged per item.
A company particulars report shows the registered office, share capital, current directors and reserve directors, the company secretary and, for a local company with share capital, its shareholders. The significant controllers register that every local company must keep is not filed with the Registry and is not public.
Identifier
Business Registration Number (BRN), the Unique Business Identifier; former Company Registration Number (CR No.)
Since 27 December 2023 the 8-digit Business Registration Number issued by the Inland Revenue Department is the identifier for every company on the register. Companies incorporated before that date also have a Company Registration Number of up to 7 digits, which the Registry's CR No. / BRN mapping still resolves.
Documents
| Document | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Company Particulars | The current state of the company: name in English and Chinese, BRN, date of incorporation, company type and status, name history, registered office, issued and paid-up share capital, shareholders (local companies with share capital), current directors and reserve directors, company secretary, and whether a register of charges exists. |
| Annual Return (NAR1) | The filed annual return as a document image: registered office, share capital, members and their shareholdings, directors and company secretary as at the return date. For a listed company the member list is limited to holders of 5% or more of a class of shares. |
| Business Registration Certificate | The certificate issued by the Business Registration Office of the Inland Revenue Department: business name, business address, nature of business, date of commencement, certificate number and expiry date. Fill Easy returns it from the Business Registration search. |
| Document images | Copies of documents registered with the Companies Registry, such as the incorporation form (NNC1), returns of allotment, notices of change of directors or secretary (ND2A, ND2B), changes of registered office and articles of association. |
| Director index search | The Hong Kong companies in which a person currently holds an appointment as director or reserve director, or the current directors of a named company. Former appointments are not included. |
| Certificate of Incorporation | The company's name, number and date of incorporation, as a document image from the Registry. |
Sample Hong Kong company particulars (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
Worth knowing
- Shareholder information for a private company comes from the last filed annual return, return of allotment or incorporation form, so it is current to the date of that filing, not to today. Check the annual return date on the company particulars report.
- Since 24 October 2022 directors' residential addresses and full identification numbers are protected information and are not shown on public search. The register shows a correspondence address and a partial identification number.
- Since 27 December 2023 the Business Registration Number doubles as the company's identifier at the Companies Registry. Older documents still carry the CR number; both resolve to the same company.
- A Business Registration Certificate is issued by the Inland Revenue Department, not the Companies Registry, and must be renewed every one or three years. An expired certificate does not mean the company has been dissolved.
- No local agent is needed to search the register. Anyone can order a company particulars report or document images.
- Litigation, land, bankruptcy and winding-up searches come from other Hong Kong registers and are listed separately in the catalogue.
Questions
Is the shareholder list of a Hong Kong company public?
Yes, for a company incorporated in Hong Kong with share capital. The company particulars report lists its shareholders, and the annual return (NAR1) image shows each member's shareholding as at the return date. A listed company only has to report members holding 5% or more of a class of shares. The significant controllers register, which records beneficial owners, is kept by the company and is not public.
What is the difference between a CR number and a Business Registration Number?
The Company Registration Number (CR No.) was assigned by the Companies Registry on incorporation and has up to 7 digits. The Business Registration Number (BRN) is the 8-digit number assigned by the Inland Revenue Department. Since 27 December 2023 the BRN is the Unique Business Identifier used by the Companies Registry as well, and the Registry's e-Services Portal maps one to the other.
What does a Hong Kong company particulars report show?
The company's name and number, date of incorporation, type and status, registered office, share capital, shareholders (for local companies with share capital), current directors and reserve directors, company secretary and whether a register of charges exists. It is the standard document for Hong Kong KYB.
How do I check a Hong Kong Business Registration Certificate?
The Business Registration Office of the Inland Revenue Department issues the certificate and lets the public order an extract of the business register through GovHK. Fill Easy returns the certificate as a PDF through its Business Registration search.
Can I find out which companies a person is a director of in Hong Kong?
Yes. The Companies Registry's directors index search lists the companies in which a person is currently a director or reserve director. It does not cover past appointments. Fill Easy runs this as the director index search in its catalogue.
How quickly does Fill Easy return a Hong Kong company search?
Automated documents such as company particulars arrive in under 5 minutes, and typically within about 15 minutes at most. Document images, annual returns and other searches are confirmed with the order.
Sources
- Companies Registry: FAQs on e-Services, electronic search (opens in a new tab)
- Companies Registry: fees for electronic search services (opens in a new tab)
- Companies Registry: implementation of the Unique Business Identifier (opens in a new tab)
- Companies Registry: annual return for a local private company (opens in a new tab)
- Companies Registry: New Inspection Regime, overview (opens in a new tab)
- Inland Revenue Department: application for business registration documents (opens in a new tab)