Setting up a company in Hong Kong rests on four public facts: the law that is kept, tax set by local legislation, no foreign-exchange controls, and the published cost and time to incorporate.
In the Fraser Institute's Economic Freedom of the World: 2026 Annual Report, released on 6 October 2026, Hong Kong continues to be rated the world's freest economy. Among the five areas, freedom to trade internationally ranks first, and regulation ranks second.
Source: Fraser Institute; Hong Kong Government news, 2026-10-06
This is an index from a third-party think tank. It is not a promise to any one company, and it does not say how your business will turn out.
The laws previously in force in Hong Kong are maintained, including the common law, rules of equity, ordinances, subordinate legislation and customary law, except where they contravene the Basic Law.
Contracts and disputes sit in that kept system. That is the legal framework, not a promise about how any one deal ends.
Source: Basic Law, article 8 Official page
The Hong Kong SAR refers to the previous low-tax policy and legislates its own tax types, rates, allowances and other tax matters. For a corporation, two-tier profits tax is 8.25% on the first HK$2 million of assessable profits and 16.5% on the remainder, and it applies only to the one nominated entity. A connected entity is one that controls more than 50%. Profits tax is charged only on profits arising in Hong Kong. Offshore is not automatic: where the principal place of business is in Hong Kong and no business is carried on overseas, the profits are likely still chargeable.
The two-tier rates apply only to the nominated entity. Count that before opening several companies. Registering the company in Hong Kong does not by itself make the profits offshore.
Source: Basic Law, article 108; IRD profits tax page, two-tier FAQ, and the territorial source guide Official page
Hong Kong does not apply a foreign-exchange control policy. The Hong Kong dollar is freely convertible. The markets in foreign exchange, gold, securities and futures remain open. The government safeguards the free flow of funds within, into and out of Hong Kong.
Money the business receives can enter Hong Kong, stay there, and leave, without an exchange-control rule in the way. That does not mean a particular bank will open an account for a particular company.
Source: Basic Law, article 112 Official page
The Companies Registry fee to incorporate a private company limited by shares is HK$1,545 for electronic submission and HK$1,720 for hard copy. The business registration fee and levy are charged separately. The certificate is normally issued within one hour after the documents are submitted electronically, and normally within four working days for a hard-copy submission. The Hong Kong SAR is a separate customs territory.
The fee and the timing are published, and the official text keeps the word normally. It is not a promise that every application finishes in that time.
Source: Basic Law, article 116; Companies Registry fees page and the local-company incorporation FAQ Official page
The figures for the BUD Fund and E-commerce Easy are on that page. This page does not repeat them.
The next step is the service catalog, where the work already on offer is listed.
This page is based on public information as of 2026-10-06.