Business Licenses and Permits in Hong Kong: What You Actually Need
Hong Kong has no general business license. There is no single permit that authorises you to tradem and for most companies, no industry license is required at all.
What every business does need is a Business Registration Certificate. This is a tax registration with the Inland Revenue Department, it is not a license. Conflating the two is the most common error we see in practice.
There is a second error that may cost you more, Hong Kong exempts most professional services from licensing, but not all of them. If your business forms companies for clients, provides a registered office address, acts as a company secretary or supplies nominee directors, you are carrying on a trust or a company service business and you need a license from the Registrar of Companies. The maximum penalty for operating without one is a fine at level 6, HK$100,000 with six months imprisonment, and disqualification from holding a license for a period the court specifies.
That requirement cuts both ways, and it is worth knowing before you appoint anyone: the firm handling your company secreterial work must hold that license too, unless it is an exempt legal or accounting practice.
This guide covers what you must register, which businesses need an industry license, what the penalties are, and how to check your own position.
Key takeaways
- There is no general business license in Hong Kong. Whether you need one depends entirely on what your business does.
- Every business must register with the IRD within one month of commencing. A one-year certificate costs HK$2,350 and a three-year certificate HK$6,170, both inclusive of the HK$150 a-year levy. Failing to register carries a fine of up to HK$5,000 and up to one year's imprisonment.
- A Business Registration Certificate is a tax registration. It confirms the IRD knows you exist. It authorises nothing.
- Company service providers need a TCSP license. Carrying on trust or company service business unlicensed attracts a fine of up to HK$100,000 with six months imprisonment and disqualifications from holding a license for a period the court specifies. Check your provider holds one.
- The Trade and Industry Department runs a free license lookup. The Business License Information Service lists every license and permit in Hong Kong by activity.
Registration and Licensing are Separate Obligations
These come from separate authorities, and you can satisfy one while breaching the other.
| Business Registration Certificate | Industry license or permit | |
| Issued by | Inland Revenue Department | The relevant regulators (FEHD, Customs, SFC, Registrar of Companies etc.) |
| Purpose | Tax registration | Authorisation to carry out a specific activity |
| Who needs it | Every business, without exception | Only businesses in regulated activities |
| Deadline | Within one month of commencing business | Before the activity begins |
| Cost | HK$2,350 for one year; HK$6,170 for three | Varies by regular, in addition to the BR fee |
If you incorporate a local company, the Companies Registry's one-stop service issues the Business Registration Certificate alongside the Certificate of Incorporation, so registration is handled at formation. The amount payable for that first certificate is set by the date you submit the incorporation application, and not by the date the certificate starts. Branches, sole proprietorships and partnerships apply to IRD directly.
The one-year total rose from HK$2,200 to HK$2,350 when the Protection of Wages of on Insolvency Fund levy returned to HK$150 after a period at zero. Budget measures change this figure regularly, so confirm the current rate at renewal rather than assuming last year's.
Which Business Need a License
Where a business touches public health, public safety, or other people's money and assets, expect a license.
| Business Activity | License required | Authority |
| Restaurant, café, food factory | Yes | Food and Environmental Hygiene Department |
| Selling alcohol | Yes, separate application | Liquor Licensing Board |
| Hotel or guesthouse | Yes | Office of the Licensing Authority |
| Company formation, registered office, company secreterial services | Yes |
Registrar of Companies (Companies Registry) - TCSP |
| Employment or recruitment agency | Yes | Labour Department |
| Money changing or remittance | Yes | Customs and Excise Department |
| Dealing in precious metals and stones | Registration | Customs and Excise Department |
| Regulated financial activity | Yes | Securities and Futures Commission |
| Insurance broking or agency | Yes | Insurance Authority |
| Money lending | Yes | Registrar of Money Lenders |
| Travel agency | Yes | Travel Industry Authority |
| Security and guarding services | Yes | Security and Guarding Services Industry Authority |
| Residential care or childcare | Yes | Social Welfare Department |
| Private healthcare facility | Yes | Department of Health |
| Education or tutorial centre | Yes | Education Bureau |
| Telecommunications services | Yes | Office of the Communications Authority |
| Waste disposal, discharge to water | Permit | Environmental Protection Department |
| Consulting, marketing, design, most e-commerce | Usually none |
Business registration only |
The last row covers most new Hong Kong companies. If you are selling professional services or shipping ordinary goods, business registrations is very likely the whole of your obligation.
The Exception Most Professional Firms Miss
Professional services are largely unlicensed in Hong Kong. Corporate services are not.
Under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance, anyone carrying on a trust or company service business must hold a license issued by the Registrar of Companies. That covers forming companies for others, acting or arranging for a person to act as a director or company secretary, providing a registered office or business address, and acting as or arranging a nominee shareholder.
Solicitors, foreign lawyers and accounting professionals are exempt from the licensing requirement under section 53B, as are partnerships in which every partner is such a professional. Everyone else needs the license.
Section 53F is unambigious about the consequences. Carrying on that business without a license is an offence punishable by a fine at level 6 - up to HK$100,000 - and six months' imprisonment. The court may also disqualify the offender from holding a license for a period it specifies.
Two implications follow.
If you are building a corporate services, fiduciary or startup-formation business, this license is not optional and cannot be added later. Apply before you take a client. A pending application would not be a defence, you may only trade once the license is granted.
If you are buying those services, verify your provider is licensed. The Companies Registry maintains a public register of licensees, and a license number is the fastest way to check that whoever holds your statutory records and registered address is authorised to do so. Unlicensed provider are not a theoretical problem, the Registry publishes enforcement outcomes.
T8 Corporate & Business Services is a licensed trust or company service provider, license number TC005552.
A Free Port Still Has Paperwork
Hong Kong is a free port. There are no general tariffs and no general import or export license.
Control apply to specific categories rather than to trade in general: strategic commodities, reserved commodities such as rice, pharmaceuticals, food, and various restricted items under the Import and Export Ordinance. If you handle any of these, licensing comes before your first shipment.
The obligation that catches new traders is the declaration duty. Whether or not a license is required, an accurate import or export declaration must be lodged with Customs within 14 days of importation or exportation.
Food and Beverage Licenses Attach to the Premises, Not the Company
Food and beverage is the most heavily licensed sector in Hong Kong, and the one where timing hurts most.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department issues the main licenses - General Restaurant License, Light Refreshment Restaurant License, Food Factory License - with restricted food permits sitting on top for higher-risk items such as sushi, sashimi, and cut fruit. Alcohol is a separate application to the Liquor Licensing Board: a restaurant license does not cover it.
Three things determine your timeline.
The license attaches to the premises. Fire safety, building stucture, drainage and ventilation are all assessed against that specific address. Signing a lease before checking whether the premises can be licensed is the single most expensive mistake in this sector.
However, a provisional license can bridge the gap. FEHD's provisional license route lets operators begin trading while the full license is processed. Build this into your plan rather than discovering it late.
Fit-out and licensing should run in parallel. Waiting for licence approval before starting works, or completing works before checking licensing requirements, both add months.
Incorporate First, Register Second, Apply Third
Incorporate the company, obtain business registration, then apply for any industry licence. Most regulators require the applicant to be an existing legal entity with a Business Registration Certificate.
Renewal is where things do get a bit tricky. Business registration renews annually or triennially depending on the certificate you hold. Industry licenses run on their own cycles, set by the issuing department, and none of them are aligned with your BR anniversary or your financial year end.
These three changes can invalidate a license:
1) moving premises, where a premises-based (e.g. F&B) license does not travel with you;
2) selling the business, where a license rarely transfers automatically with the shares or assets;
3) changing the licensed activity, where adding alcohol, extending hours or altering the layout can each require fresh approval.
How to Check Your Own Position
The Trade and Industry Department operates the Business License Information Service, a free searchable database covering every license, permit and certificate required in Hong Kong, with the responsible authority and appication requirements for each.
Two tips for using it. Search by what you actually do rather than by your industry label - a company describing itself as "wellness" may be operating a massage establishment, a food business, or neither. And check each activity separately, because businesses frequently need one license for a core activity and a permit for something incidental.
If the answer is unclear, ask the department directly before launch. Regulators will confirm whether an activity falls within their scope, and that confirmation costs nothing.
What Operating Without a License Actually Costs
Statutory maxima vary widely: HK$5,000 and up to a year's imprisonment for failing to register a business; HK$100,000 and six months for unlicensed trust or company service business; HK$350,000 and three years' imprisonment for operating an unlicensed employment agency.
The commercial consequences compound. Regulators can order you to stop trading immediately. Insurers may decline claims arising from unlicensed activity. Commercial leases routinely include compliance covenants, so unlicensed operation can put tenancy at risk. Banks ask what authority you trade under during account opening and periodic review. And acquirers and investors treat licensing gaps as a material issue in diligence, frequently affecting price.
Where T8 Fits
T8 Corporate & Business Services has supported businesses in Hong Kong and Singapore since 2016. We handle incorporation, business registration, company secreterial service, registered office, accounting, payroll, audit coordination, corporate bank account support, and visa and HR matters - as a licensed trust or company service provider (TC005552).
We would like to be clear about the boundary. Industry license applications go to to the relevant government department, not to us. What we do is make sure the foundation is right, the company correctly formed, business registration in place and renewed on time, statutory records maintainted, and the sequencing sorted so a license application is not held up by something we should have handled first.
If you are unsure whether your planned activity is regulated, that is a short conversation worth having before you sign a lease or take your first client.
Contact us here.
FAQs
Is a Business Registration Certificate a business license?
No. It is a tax registration with the Inland Revenue Department confirming your business exists. It grants no authority to carry out any particular acitivity. If your business is in a regulated sector you need both the certificate and the relevant license.
Do I need a license to run a consultancy from home?
Usually not. Consultancy and most professional services require no industry license, and a home-based office generally does not change that. Check your tenancy agreement and, for residential buildings, the Deed of Mutual Covenant, since these may restrict business use regardless of what the licensing rules say.
Does my company secretary need to be licensed?
Usually yes. Providing company secreterial service, a registered office or company formation services as a business requires a trust or company service provider license from the Registrar of Companies. Solicitors' firms and accounting practices are exempt under section 53B. Anyone else operating without a license faces a fine up to HK$100,000 and six months' imprisonment. Ask any prospective provider for their license number and check it on the public register.
Do I need an import or export licence to trade goods through Hong Kong?
For most goods, no. Hong Kong is a free port. Specific categories including strategic commodities, reserved commodities, pharmaceuticals and food are controlled. Regardless of licensing, an accurate declaration must be lodged with Customs within 14 days of importation or exportation.
How much is a business registration and how often do I renew?
HK$2,350 for a one-year certificate and HK$6,170 for three years, inclusive of the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund levy. Renewal follows the certificate term. Industry licences renew on cycles set by their own departments, which will not align with your BR anniversary.
Need help Company Secretarial? T8 Corporate & Business Services is here to help - reach out to us for a call.
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