Providing a Hong Kong Company Secretary

According to the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622), every limited company must appoint a professional Company Secretary. This is not merely a clerical role; it is a statutory pillar that ensures your business remains in good standing. At Startupr, we provide professional, licensed secretarial services combined with our proprietary technology to handle your legal obligations, allowing you to focus entirely on your global growth.

Hong Kong is Asia’s regional business hub and boasts an energetic and international service sector. It is the most efficient place in the world for incorporating a company. Hong Kong has lured foreign investors with its tax-friendly policies, trade policies, free market, free business environment, easy company incorporation procedure, and excellent infrastructure. Also, no capital gains taxes or exchange controls are used on products and consumer goods.

In 2026, Hong Kong will remain the premier gateway to Asia and a world-class hub for international trade. Its strategic proximity to Mainland China makes it the most efficient jurisdiction for company incorporation. However, navigating the evolving regulatory landscape requires more than just a presence. It requires expert digital compliance management.

Registered Agent

If you want to open a company in Hong Kong, you are required to appoint a registered agent. In order to serve as a registered agent, not only must the individual be a resident, but he or she must have an actual physical address within Hong Kong.

Startupr acts as your official Registered Agent, providing a prestigious physical address in Hong Kong to handle all official government correspondence, legal documents, and letters. This ensures your business maintains a professional local footprint without the overhead of a physical office. Many entrepreneurs don’t have the time to handle all the courier documents, letters, and signings coming daily to their address. The registered agent can provide you with all the documentation services along with a business address for your company.

Company Secretary

A highly-experienced company secretary is required for a company to manage all the compliance matters. The company would be liable to ensure that the directors are reminded and enabled to concentrate on pursuing the strategic aims of the company. The secretary is a professional officer responsible for the company’s statutory compliance. Unlike a personal assistant, a Corporate Secretary ensures that the board of directors operates within the framework of Hong Kong law.

It is unacceptable for a business to have a company secretary who continually files late returns, along with forgetting to notify you about important government filings. This can cause unnecessary strain, delays, and government penalties. Moreover, it is vital as per the Companies Ordinance, that every limited company has to have a company secretary. Startupr manages the complete post-incorporation process along with all vital documents through our secure online portal.

Should I have a local secretary?

According to the Companies Ordinance of the Laws of Hong Kong, each company is required to hire a company secretary who must reside in Hong Kong. Please note that the “Secretary” in this regard refers to a corporate secretary and not a personal or clerical secretarial assistant. It is a professional and licensed agency mainly responsible for the compliance and statutory requirements of the company. In Hong Kong, the sole director or shareholder cannot act as the company secretary.

The legal duties of a company secretary are generally as follows:

• Provision of a registered office address for the receipt of government mail.
• Preparation and filing of the Annual Return.
• Renewal of the Business Registration Certificate (BRC).
• Incorporation of Hong Kong companies.
• Provision of a Hong Kong resident company secretary as required by HK company law.
• Managing and conducting the issuance and transfer of shares.
• Taking note of all the appointments and resignations of directors.
• Verifying the deregistration of companies.
• Attending to other statutory corporate compliance issues.
• Ensuring compliance with Significant Controllers Registers (SCR) and other statutory issues.

If you hire Startupr, we will handle all the above-mentioned duties of a company secretary, and we will act as your local company secretary as well as registered agent.

Change of Company Secretary

Don’t like the services of your current company secretary? If you are dissatisfied with your current provider’s speed or transparency, switching to Startupr is a fast and effortless process:

1. Request the Change: Select our secretarial service on our online form.
2. Document Preparation: We prepare all the necessary materials required for changing your recorded secretary.
3. Digital Signature: You sign the change notification (physically or via email).
4. Instant Update: We file the change electronically with the Companies Registry. Startupr becomes your new secretary immediately.

Renewal of Existing Clients

We value long-term partnerships. Our existing clients benefit from our proactive renewal system. You would be notified by Startupr when your renewal is due via email. We usually notify you about six weeks before the anniversary date for the company renewal. It is vital to always be on time to file for the renewals, since there can be several penalties applied otherwise.

Also, if you are already utilizing the business address and the mail forwarding system with Startupr, you can renew the service and give the payment for all of it together, as it is much easier for you to keep track of all the payments and details.

Why Choose Startupr?

Startupr provides a full-range of specialized corporate secretarial services to clients. We commit to reducing the uncertainties and answering the doubts of our clients when encountering related laws. We also evaluate whether the company strategy is meeting the statutory requirements of the Hong Kong jurisdiction. Startupr provides information about the latest and relevant corporate laws and regulations, and analyzes the impacts facing the company.

What makes us different?

Our unique system: It checks your information as you enter it in the form. Our system automatically conveys your data to the Companies Registry forms, and then we submit them directly to the relevant government portal.

We offer the lowest rates because our system is simply the most effective, and our communication with our international clients is straightforward, clear, and reliable. Our efficiencies go well beyond our offices. Quick and clean filings leave you more time for your own business, free of anxiety or stress. We handle all these document filing so you can handle your firm!

As your company secretary, we remind you:

• The Annual General Meeting (AGM) must be held within 18 months of incorporation after the announcement.
• To renew the Business Registration Certificate. We will remind you of this requirement via email six weeks before the due date.
• Annual return, which includes the list of officers & directors. It must be filed within 42 days of the anniversary of the initial registration date.
• Notification about due dates for each entity.

Startupr will gladly serve you as your trusted company secretary with many years of experience in the field of company formation and secretarial services. We strive to provide high-quality one-stop services for all your company’s needs. You can be sure that everything will be taken care of by us at Startupr.

Last update: March 2026