Hong Kong Offshore Company Formation and Incorporation

by ISOG

Hong Kong Offshore Company Formation and Incorporation. 

Hong Kong is located on the south coast of the People’s Republic of China. There is an estimated population of 7 million inhabitants and an area of less than 1,092 square kilometers. The official language is English and Chinese and its currency is the Hong Kong dollar (HK $). The main industries are financial and investment services. Company law is based on the Companies Ordinance of the United Kingdom of 1932, which has been amended on numerous occasions, most recently in 2005.

Hong Kong Offshore Company Formation. 

Hong Kong offshore companies can carry out the same types of business as onshore companies and the liability of its shareholders is generally limited to the amount of capital they have invested into the company.

The tax rate applied by the government in the jurisdiction in which an offshore company is incorporated is very low if not zero. In some jurisdictions, offshore companies offer a high level of confidentiality which onshore companies do not have.

Usually an offshore company cannot operate in the jurisdiction where it has been incorporated. An exception is Panama, where a Panama offshore company can at the same time operate offshore at a zero tax rate and onshore at the local tax rate.

Hong Kong offshore company incorporation and Hong Kong offshore company formation are quite simple, as well as its management and administration, but it requires some planning. In fact, a company does not need to be administered in the country of its incorporation.

What you need to think about is the objectives you want to achieve by setting up a Hong Kong offshore company: Do you need confidentiality?; Do you need to operate freely in European countries?; Do you need to operate in countries which have a double taxation agreement in place?; or Do you need to protect your company assets from confiscation or expropriation orders or similar actions by foreign governments? In all these cases, ISOG Hong Kong lawyer and Hong Kong attorney at law can help you with Hong Kong offshore company incorporation.

Highlights of Hong Kong Offshore Company:

  • Minimum 1 director
  • Minimum 1 shareholder
  • Bearer shares not permitted
  • Confidentiality on shareholders information
  • Corporate seal required
  • Minimum licence fee: USD 340
  • Based on English Law
  • Are not identified as offshore companies
  • Neutral tax jurisdiction
  • Regulated financial services industry
  • None exchange controls
  • No restrictions on foreign Investment
  • Allotment of Multi-Currencies
  • Incorporated in Chinese and/or English language