Abstract: The law stipulates that all persons carrying on business in Hong Kong need to apply for a Business Registration Certificate, and this article will introduce in detail the definition of a Business Registration Certificate, the business that needs to be handled, the number of the Business Registration Certificate and the difference between a registered company.
What is a Business Registration Certificate?
Business Registration Certificate Business Registration (BR), according to the Hong Kong Business Registration Ordinance, a person carrying on a business in Hong Kong must apply for business registration within 1 month after commencement of business. In addition, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has clearly pointed out that all business activities for the purpose of profit, regardless of form, must apply for a business registration certificate on time.
In other words, the business registration certificate BR is a necessary registration procedure to confirm that a company or individual needs to make a profit-making project, whether you operate a physical store, an online store, or a freelancer need to apply for a business registration certificate to prove that you are operating legally and need to be renewed regularly during the operation.
“Business” subject to business registration
The business to be identified according to the IRD includes:
any form of business, business, craft, professional, occupational or other activity (whether physical or through the Internet) for profit;
clubs that provide facilities, services and dedicated premises for members to carry out social or recreational activities;
all limited companies incorporated in Hong Kong under the Companies Ordinance, or limited companies not incorporated in Hong Kong but having a place of business in Hong Kong, whether or not they actually carry on business in Hong Kong;
all non-Hong Kong limited companies that have representative or liaison offices in Hong Kong, or lease their properties in Hong Kong, regardless of whether they have a place of business in Hong Kong; and
All limited partnership funds registered in Hong Kong under the Limited Partnership Fund Ordinance, whether or not they actually carry on business in Hong Kong.
What is the Business Registration Certificate number?
Business registration numbers are issued by the Business Registration Office for a variety of purposes, including tax filing, tax refunds and opening corporate bank accounts. When the business operator applies to the Business Registration Office and pays the relevant fees, if the application is successful, it will obtain a Business Registration Certificate containing the Business Registration Number. The Business Registration Certificate number can be used as a tax identification number in the format XXXXXXXX-&&&–, where the first 8 digits represent the business registration number, and the next numbers and letters indicate the month and year of validity of the Business Registration Certificate and other information required by the tax office. Source: Hong Kong Inland Revenue Department
Business Registration Certificate.
The difference between a business registration certificate and a company registration
The Certificate of Incorporation (CI) is handled exclusively by the Companies Registry and gives the company a separate legal entity with its own financial and legal responsibilities and obtaining a company registration number by setting up a local limited company.
The business registration certificate can be held by an individual or company, which is your legal business and tax payment number, while the company registration number is the same as the company’s birth paper, and having a business registration certificate does not necessarily need to apply for a company, but once the company starts operating, it must apply for a business registration certificate.
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If you have any questions about the Business Registration Certificate or Hong Kong company registration, please feel free to contact the Langfeng Business Services team.
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