Official fee schedule
Hong Kong Government Company Registration Fees in 2026
A government-fee-only reference for incorporation, business registration, refund exposure, annual returns, and selected Registry records.
For a Hong Kong local company limited by shares, the 2026 government incorporation fee is HK$1,545 for electronic filing or HK$1,720 for hard-copy filing. If the Business Registration Certificate begins between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2027, the one-year charge is HK$2,200 plus a HK$150 levy, giving total formation payments of HK$3,895 electronically or HK$4,070 on paper. A three-year BRC is HK$5,720 plus a HK$450 levy, giving totals of HK$7,715 or HK$7,890. These are official charges only. They exclude company-secretary, registered-office, formation-service, document, accounting, audit, tax, banking and licence costs.
Key takeaways
- Electronic incorporation costs HK$175 less than hard-copy incorporation for a local company limited by shares.
- The 2026/27 one-year BRC costs HK$2,350 including levy; the three-year BRC costs HK$6,170 including levy.
- Government formation totals are HK$3,895 or HK$4,070 with a one-year BRC, and HK$7,715 or HK$7,890 with a three-year BRC.
- An unsuccessful incorporation application may not produce a full refund because the lodgment component is non-refundable.
- The normal on-time annual-return registration fee for a private company is HK$105; late fees escalate to HK$3,480.
- Always apply the fee table for the certificate commencement date rather than relying on an old article or quotation.
In this article
- Companies Registry incorporation fees in 2026
- Business Registration Certificate fee and levy for 2026/27
- Total government payment by filing and BRC choice
- Refund rules for an unsuccessful incorporation application
- Annual-return and selected post-registration government fees
- How to verify and pay the correct government fee
- Choose the 2026 government-fee option that fits the filing
Companies Registry incorporation fees in 2026
The Companies Registry charges HK$1,545 to incorporate a local company limited by shares through the electronic route and HK$1,720 for a hard-copy application. The fee applies to the incorporation filing, not to professional document preparation, a company secretary or a registered-office service.
| Application route | Government incorporation fee | Official processing format | Formation certificate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic | HK$1,545 | e-Services Portal | Electronic Certificate of Incorporation |
| Hard copy | HK$1,720 | Delivered to the Registry in paper form | Hard-copy Certificate of Incorporation |
Electronic and hard-copy Certificates of Incorporation have the same legal effect. The route affects the filing fee, delivery and stated processing time; it does not create a different class of company. The official Companies Registry fee schedule is the source to check before submission.
The company must also complete business registration through the one-stop process and pay the applicable business-registration charge. An advertisement that quotes only HK$1,545 is quoting one statutory component, not the complete government formation payment.
Business Registration Certificate fee and levy for 2026/27
For a certificate beginning from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, a one-year Business Registration Certificate carries a HK$2,200 fee plus a HK$150 Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund levy. A three-year certificate carries a HK$5,720 fee plus a HK$450 levy.
| Certificate period | Registration fee | Levy | Total BRC charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| One year | HK$2,200 | HK$150 | HK$2,350 |
| Three years | HK$5,720 | HK$450 | HK$6,170 |
The IRD official table controls the charge. The relevant date is the beginning of the certificate period, so a company incorporating or renewing near a fee-year boundary should use the table for its actual commencement date.
Selecting three years changes the cash timing of business registration only. It does not prepay annual returns, company-secretary or registered-office services, accounts, audit, tax filings or sector licences. It also does not prevent statutory fee changes when the next certificate begins.
Total government payment by filing and BRC choice
| Choice | Calculation | Total due | Difference from electronic + one-year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic + one-year BRC | HK$1,545 + HK$2,350 | HK$3,895 | Baseline |
| Hard copy + one-year BRC | HK$1,720 + HK$2,350 | HK$4,070 | +HK$175 |
| Electronic + three-year BRC | HK$1,545 + HK$6,170 | HK$7,715 | +HK$3,820 |
| Hard copy + three-year BRC | HK$1,720 + HK$6,170 | HK$7,890 | +HK$3,995 |
The electronic one-year total is the usual minimum for a standard online formation. The hard-copy route may be appropriate where the electronic signing or document process is genuinely unsuitable. Choose the three-year certificate for cash-flow and administration reasons, not because it changes the company’s legal or tax status.
The BRC selection is made within the one-stop registration process. Record it in the approved formation budget and confirm it again on the payment screen. If a service provider pays on the company’s behalf, the company should still receive the official receipt and both issued certificates; the provider invoice alone is not evidence that the statutory filing completed.
Do not net a private promotion or professional discount against the government line. A provider may subsidise its service or bundle incorporation with accounting, but the underlying statutory tariff remains the official amount. Keeping those lines separate makes later refunds, bookkeeping and year-two comparisons auditable.
Refund rules for an unsuccessful incorporation application
The incorporation fee has a registration component and a lodgment component. If an application is unsuccessful, the registration component may be refundable on request, while the lodgment component is not. The refund does not automatically reimburse professional service fees, certified documents, translations or time spent correcting the application.
| Route | Total incorporation fee | Potentially refundable registration component | Non-refundable lodgment component |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic | HK$1,545 | HK$1,280 | HK$265 |
| Hard copy | HK$1,720 | HK$1,425 | HK$295 |
Read the current refund procedure and timing on the Registry fee page before assuming any amount will be returned. A preliminary name search does not guarantee acceptance, and Hong Kong does not reserve a proposed name through that search.
- Screen the name and prepare an acceptable alternative.
- Review NNC1, the articles and IRBR1 against one approved source data sheet.
- Resolve director, secretary, founder and authority questions before signatures.
- Confirm the correct filing route and BRC certificate period before payment.
- Keep the rejection notice, receipt and refund request evidence with the formation records.
Annual-return and selected post-registration government fees
Incorporation is a one-time event, but government fees continue. A private company’s annual return is generally due within 42 days after each anniversary of incorporation. The on-time registration fee is HK$105. Filing after the statutory window triggers a higher fee determined by how late the return is.
| NAR1 delivery timing | Registration fee |
|---|---|
| Within 42 days after the incorporation anniversary | HK$105 |
| More than 42 days but not more than 3 months after the anniversary | HK$870 |
| More than 3 months but not more than 6 months | HK$1,740 |
| More than 6 months but not more than 9 months | HK$2,610 |
| More than 9 months | HK$3,480 |
The Companies Registry annual-return page confirms the deadline and late-fee scale. The annual return is not a tax return and does not renew the BRC. A company may owe all three workstreams—NAR1, business-registration renewal and tax compliance—on different dates.
Other current Registry fee points include HK$295 to register a local company name change, HK$22 for a Company Particulars Report, HK$130 certification fee for a certified copy plus the document cost, and HK$170 for a Certificate of Continuing Registration. These are event or search charges, not automatic annual fees.
How to verify and pay the correct government fee
- Identify the exact transaction: incorporation, BRC commencement or renewal, annual return, search, certified copy or corporate change.
- Confirm whether the company is filing electronically or in hard copy.
- For business registration, identify the certificate start date and one-year or three-year period.
- Check the Companies Registry and IRD official fee pages on the payment date.
- Separate the government amount from any professional or third-party invoice lines.
- Retain the official receipt, submission acknowledgement and certificate or registered filing as completion evidence.
A service provider may collect the government amount on the company’s behalf, but the invoice should still identify the tariff and verification date. If a proposal uses “government fee” for a provider’s administration surcharge, request a corrected breakdown.
Completion evidence differs by transaction. Incorporation is complete when the Certificate of Incorporation and BRC are issued. NAR1 is complete when the return is registered and the submission evidence is retained. A BRC renewal is evidenced by the paid demand note or renewed certificate. A search fee buys a search product; it does not file or renew anything for the company.
Keep official receipts in the accounting records with a label for the company, transaction, period and filing reference. This prevents a later accountant from treating a professional recharge as the underlying government payment and helps directors confirm that a deadline resulted in an accepted filing, not only an instruction to an agent.
Fee reductions, levy waivers and annual-return concessions can change. Use the live official source rather than extrapolating from the prior year. The amounts on this page were checked for the stated 2026 applicability and should be revalidated immediately before filing.
Choose the 2026 government-fee option that fits the filing
For a straightforward local private company limited by shares with portal-ready signers, electronic incorporation and a one-year BRC produce the lowest immediate government payment: HK$3,895. Choose hard copy because the execution method requires it, not because it changes the legal effect of the certificate.
Select a three-year BRC if paying HK$6,170 upfront suits the company’s cash plan and reduces renewal frequency. Keep annual-return and other compliance dates on the calendar because the longer BRC period does not suspend them.
If the entity is not a local company limited by shares, or the transaction is a branch registration, guarantee company, re-domiciliation or other event, stop using this table and consult the specific official tariff. The correct fee follows the legal filing, not the nearest headline.
Frequently asked questions
Are the 2026 Hong Kong company registration fees refundable?
Not in full in every case. For an unsuccessful incorporation application, the registration component may be refundable on request, but the lodgment component is non-refundable. Other service and third-party costs follow their own terms.
Does the HK$3,895 electronic total include a company secretary?
No. It covers the electronic Companies Registry incorporation fee and one-year BRC charge and levy. A company-secretary service and registered office are not government benefits included in that amount.
Is the annual return fee part of the incorporation payment?
No. The HK$105 normal fee is paid when the private company files NAR1 within 42 days after a later incorporation anniversary.
Does a three-year BRC remove annual filing requirements?
No. It changes the BRC renewal cycle only. Annual returns, accounting, audit, tax and change filings continue according to their own rules.
Which date determines the BRC fee?
Use the fee table applicable to the beginning date of the Business Registration Certificate, not simply the date on which you read or pay a quotation.
