How long does a Hong Kong Ltd take, and how do I pay?

About 5 business days for the incorporation step via the licensed agent. The $1,699 all-in price is settled in BTC (on-chain and Lightning) or USDT via BitSettle; the government incorporation and business-registration fees are included and we pay them in fiat from our operating account. Bank-account opening is a separate, slower process: plan 2 to 8 weeks.

Do I have to file an audit every year?

Yes. Every Hong Kong company must have its financial statements audited by a Hong Kong-registered CPA and file an annual profits-tax return with the Inland Revenue Department, plus an annual return with the Companies Registry, even when dormant or earning only offshore income. The audit and filing are billed by your accountant and are not in our formation price. The Year-2+ renewal ($1,099/yr) covers the agent, company secretary, and statutory renewals only.

Is offshore income really tax-free in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong taxes profits sourced in Hong Kong (16.5% corporate, with a reduced 8.25% band on the first HK$2 million of assessable profits). Profits genuinely sourced offshore can be claimed exempt, but the claim is filed and assessed by the Inland Revenue Department, not granted automatically, and thin-substance claims draw scrutiny. General information, not tax advice; get a Hong Kong tax adviser before relying on offshore treatment.

Is a Hong Kong Ltd anonymous?

No. Director particulars are filed with the Companies Registry and part of the company record is publicly searchable, and every company keeps a Significant Controllers Register that competent authorities can inspect. Beneficial owners are identified at the formation stage under the licensed agent's AML program regardless of our platform tier. If privacy is the goal, pick a Wyoming or New Mexico LLC; if a credible, bankable Asia entity is the goal, the disclosure is the price of admission.

SKU #16 · Hong Kong · REPUTABLE

Hong Kong Ltd company formation

Asia operational hub with strong banking-acceptance and treaty network. Common holding-company pick for operators with Asian customers, vendors, or treasury counterparties. Nominee director priced separately for non-resident founders.

Tier: REPUTABLE
Formation: up to 5 business days
KYC: Tier 1
Renewal: $1099/yr

Quick answer

What is the Hong Kong Ltd company formation and what does it cost?

Asia hub. Treaty network, multi-currency banking. It is $1,699 all-in / ₿0.02134422 / 2,134,422 sats, paid in Bitcoin or USDT, and formation takes 5 business days.

Tier: REPUTABLE
All-in price: $1,699 all-in / ₿0.02134422 / 2,134,422 sats
Year-2 renewal: $1,099/yr
KYC tier: Tier 1
Formation time: 5 business days
EU / FATF status: off both EU lists, off the FATF lists

Who this is wrong for:Banking is the real obstacle. Traditional Hong Kong banks have become notoriously hard for non-resident-owned companies: long onboarding, substance and resident-director expectations, in-person meetings, and outright declines are common. Budget for the Asia-corridor rail as your base case and treat a traditional HK bank account as upside, not a given.

What's included

Hong Kong government incorporation fee and the annual business-registration fee: we file and pay both on your behalf
Articles of Association (Hong Kong private company limited by shares, Companies Ordinance compliant)
Incorporation form (NNC1) and the statutory Register of Members and Register of Directors
First Directors' and Shareholders' Resolutions
Significant Controllers Register set up as required by the Companies Ordinance
First-year company-secretary service and registered office through a TCSP-licensed Hong Kong corporate-services provider
First-year licensed Hong Kong agent service
Sanctions screen on the order (OFAC, EU, UN) + Tier 1 KYC

What's NOT included

Apostille (sold separately at $189; a counterparty needing legalized documents adds 5 to 10 business days)
Year-2+ renewal ($1,099/yr, covering the agent, company secretary, and statutory renewals; audit and tax filing are separate)
Annual audited financial statements and the profits-tax return: every Hong Kong company files these yearly even when dormant or purely offshore, billed by your Hong Kong-registered CPA, not us
Nominee director (priced separately; often required in practice to open a traditional Hong Kong bank account for a non-resident-owned company)
Bank account opening (separate post-formation flow; the slow part of Hong Kong, 2 to 8 weeks depending on the rail)
Mail forwarding (we don't sell this)

We list what's not included on every product page so there are no checkout surprises.

When to choose this product

Operator-grade use case

The default Asia operating hub for operators with Asian customers, vendors, or treasury counterparties. A Hong Kong private company limited by shares banks and contracts across the region on equal footing with local players: tier-1 REPUTABLE reputation, predictable common-law corporate law under the Companies Ordinance, and one of the deepest multi-currency business-banking markets in the world via the Asia-corridor rail, which is purpose-built for this entity.

Most appropriate for non-US, non-EU founders running a holding or trading company who want sophisticated Asian counterparties and auditors to accept the paper without friction, and for operators with genuinely offshore-source income: Hong Kong's territorial system taxes profits sourced in Hong Kong (16.5% corporate, 8.25% on the first HK$2 million of assessable profits) and lets profits sourced offshore be claimed exempt, though the claim is filed and assessed by the Inland Revenue Department, not granted automatically.

Less ideal for founders whose primary driver is privacy, since director particulars are filed with the Companies Registry and part of the record is publicly searchable (a Wyoming or New Mexico LLC fits better there), and for operators who want set-and-forget maintenance: every Hong Kong company files audited accounts and a profits-tax return annually, a recurring cost meaningfully higher than an offshore IBC like the Seychelles IBC. Singapore Pte Ltd is the upper-tier Asia anchor if you need the stronger banking brand, though it forces a resident nominee director and costs more.

KYC document checklist

What you'll need to hand us

Tier 0

Applies

Email address
Country of residence
Intended use statement (free-text)

Tier 1

Required

Government-issued photo ID (passport or national ID)
Proof of address (utility bill, bank statement, or government letter, dated within 90 days)
Source-of-funds attestation (drop-down + free text)
Optional: PEP and adverse-media screening consent

Tier 2

Not required

Everything in Tier 1
Beneficial owner declaration for every party with 25%+ ownership
Source-of-wealth documentation (tax return, employment letter, salary, asset proof)
Manual enhanced-due-diligence reviewer notes from our KYC partner

FAQ

Common questions

How long does a Hong Kong Ltd take, and how do I pay?: About 5 business days for the incorporation step via the licensed agent. The $1,699 all-in price is settled in BTC (on-chain and Lightning) or USDT via BitSettle; the government incorporation and business-registration fees are included and we pay them in fiat from our operating account. Bank-account opening is a separate, slower process: plan 2 to 8 weeks.
Do I have to file an audit every year?: Yes. Every Hong Kong company must have its financial statements audited by a Hong Kong-registered CPA and file an annual profits-tax return with the Inland Revenue Department, plus an annual return with the Companies Registry, even when dormant or earning only offshore income. The audit and filing are billed by your accountant and are not in our formation price. The Year-2+ renewal ($1,099/yr) covers the agent, company secretary, and statutory renewals only.
Is offshore income really tax-free in Hong Kong?: Hong Kong taxes profits sourced in Hong Kong (16.5% corporate, with a reduced 8.25% band on the first HK$2 million of assessable profits). Profits genuinely sourced offshore can be claimed exempt, but the claim is filed and assessed by the Inland Revenue Department, not granted automatically, and thin-substance claims draw scrutiny. General information, not tax advice; get a Hong Kong tax adviser before relying on offshore treatment.
Is a Hong Kong Ltd anonymous?: No. Director particulars are filed with the Companies Registry and part of the company record is publicly searchable, and every company keeps a Significant Controllers Register that competent authorities can inspect. Beneficial owners are identified at the formation stage under the licensed agent's AML program regardless of our platform tier. If privacy is the goal, pick a Wyoming or New Mexico LLC; if a credible, bankable Asia entity is the goal, the disclosure is the price of admission.