Hong Kong Company Registered Offices

The registered office is the address to which all communications and notices to a Hong Kong registered company may be addressed.

Address for Service

Under the Companies Ordinance, documents may be served on a Hong Kong registered company by delivering it, by hand or by post, to the company’s registered office. Such documents may include communications from the Registrar of Companies as to non-compliance with the Companies Ordinance or originating process by a creditor to commence legal proceedings.

Given that documents may be regarded as having been duly delivered to a Hong Kong registered company if posted or at left at the registered office, it is important for every Hong Kong registered company to put in place arrangements at its registered office to ensure that communications are filtered and escalated to the directors of the company as may be appropriate.

Keeping of Statutory Records

The Companies Ordinance requires every Hong Kong registered company to maintain certain records. These records include statutory registers and minute books. The former include the register of directors, the register of charges, the register of debentures and, in the case of a company limited by shares, the register of shareholders. The latter include the minutes of the meetings of the board of directors and the shareholders.

These records are normally kept at the company's registered office and, under the Companies Ordinance, may be available for inspection by the members of the company as well as members of the public. As a consequence, every Hong Kong registered company must have arrangements in place at its registered office to determine any request for inspection and to facilitate any inspection.

Correspondence Address of Officers

Under the Companies Ordinance, the registered office address is regarded as the correspondence address for the directors of a Hong Kong registered company.

A Hong Kong registered company's registered office address need not be the same as its business address. However, the Companies Registry does not accept the use of a post office box office address as a company's registered office address.

Generally, the name of a Hong Kong registered company must be shown at its registered office so that it is easily visible. There are exceptions where the company has yet to commence business (i.e. it has not yet had any accounting transactions) and where the company is in liquidation or receivership.