Setting up a Hong Kong company is not difficult. What catches people out is the compliance work that follows. Here is the same list in the order you will actually need it.

1. Company name. Prepare two or three options, Chinese or English. A Chinese name must end with 「有限公司」and an English name with “Limited”. The Companies Registry rejects names identical or too similar to existing ones, and rejects names implying banking, trust or insurance activity (those need separate licences).

2. Shareholders and directors. At least one director and one shareholder — they can be the same person, any nationality, aged 18 or over. You need ID or passport copies plus proof of address dated within the last three months (utility bill or bank statement showing name and address).

3. Share capital. HKD 10,000 in 10,000 shares by default. Hong Kong does not require the capital to be paid up, but the figure is written into the articles of association, and changing it later costs money and needs a resolution — so do not overstate it.

4. Registered address and company secretary. Both are statutory requirements. The address must be a real Hong Kong address (government and bank mail goes there) and the secretary must be a licensed Hong Kong company or a Hong Kong resident. Most startups bundle both into a secretarial package.

5. Timeline and deliverables. After name approval, electronic filing usually issues the certificates in one to two working days. You receive the Certificate of Incorporation (CI), Business Registration Certificate (BR), incorporation form NNC1, articles of association, company chop and share register.

6. After incorporation. The certificate is only the start: you need a bank account to get paid, an annual return (NAR1) within 42 days of each anniversary, an annual BR renewal, and an audit and tax return after the first financial year. Put these dates in a calendar on day one.

One caveat: account opening is decided by the bank. No adviser can guarantee approval. What we can do is prepare the business proof, shareholder background and expected turnover in the form banks expect, which reduces the chance of rejection.