Immigration
Investment, employment and dependant visas
Running a Hong Kong company does not require you to live here — but many founders choose to. Hong Kong offers clear visa routes for entrepreneurs, their key staff and their families, with low personal taxes and a path to permanent residency after seven years.
| Visa | Who it's for | Key requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Investment as Entrepreneurs | Founders who own and will run a Hong Kong business | Viable business plan, sufficient capital, contribution to HK economy (e.g. local jobs, office), good background |
| General Employment Policy (GEP) | Professionals hired by a Hong Kong company, including your own | Genuine vacancy, relevant qualifications and experience, market-rate salary, sponsor company with real operations |
| Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) | High earners or graduates of top-100 universities | Annual income ≥ HK$2.5M or eligible degree; no job offer needed; 24–36 months |
| Dependant visa | Spouse and children under 18 of a visa holder | Proof of relationship and sponsor's ability to support; spouses may work |
| Extension & permanent residency | Existing visa holders | Extensions on a 2-3-3 or 3-3 pattern; right of abode after 7 years' continuous ordinary residence |
- Eligibility assessment and route selection
- Business plan tailored to Immigration Department expectationsFor Investment visas — the single most important document
- Preparation and review of all forms and supporting documents
- Sponsor company documents (from your iCorp.HK secretarial file)
- Submission, follow-up and response to ImmD requests
- Extensions, change of employer, dependant applications
Intellectual property
Trademark registration in Hong Kong and Mainland China
Hong Kong is a "first-to-file" jurisdiction, and so is Mainland China — the two systems are entirely separate. If you sell, source or manufacture in the region, registering your brand early prevents squatters from blocking your business or your Amazon listings.
Search & clearance
Availability search in the Hong Kong and CNIPA registers, advice on classes (Nice classification) and distinctiveness.
Filing & prosecution
Application with the Hong Kong IPD or CNIPA, response to examination reports, publication and registration.
Monitoring & enforcement
Renewals (every 10 years), opposition against conflicting marks, Amazon Brand Registry support, customs recordal in China.
- Hong Kong trademark: ~6–9 months to registrationGovernment fee HK$2,000 for the first class
- Mainland China trademark: ~9–12 monthsFiled through our licensed agent; Chinese-character marks recommended
- Madrid Protocol international applications via Hong Kong (where applicable)
- Copyright, design and domain name advice
Nominee services
Nominee director and shareholder services — transparent and compliant
Some clients prefer not to appear in public records as director or shareholder — for privacy, for commercial reasons, or because local counterparties expect a Hong Kong-resident director. Our nominee services provide this while remaining fully compliant with Hong Kong law.
- Nominee (professional) director — individual or corporate
- Nominee shareholder holding shares on trust for you
- Declaration of trust, nominee agreement, undated resignation letter and share transfer
- Power of attorney for you to operate the company
- Beneficial owner recorded in the Significant Controllers Register (not public)
- Full disclosure to banks during KYC — nominees never hide ownership from regulators
Conditions. Nominee services are subject to enhanced due diligence, a refundable security deposit, and an annual fee. The nominee director remains legally responsible for the company and will not sign documents that have not been reviewed. We decline nominee requests for high-risk activities.
Presence
Virtual office in Central Hong Kong
Your registered office address is for government mail. A virtual office gives you a business presence: an address for your website, invoices and bank, a local phone number and somewhere to meet clients when you are in town.
| Feature | Address | Address + Phone | Executive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business correspondence address (Sheung Wan) | |||
| Mail receipt, scanning & email notification | |||
| Mail forwarding worldwide | At cost | Monthly included | Weekly included |
| Dedicated +852 phone number | |||
| Live call answering in your company name | Business hours | Business hours | |
| Meeting room hours per month | 2 | 8 | |
| Use of address for bank account |
Legal & documents
Legal documentation, legalisation and more
Commercial and corporate documents
Working with Hong Kong solicitors, we prepare and review the documents your business runs on — drafted for Hong Kong law and enforceable in practice.
- Shareholders' agreements and joint venture agreements
- Service, distribution, agency and supply agreements
- Non-disclosure and non-compete agreements
- Employment contracts and staff handbooks
- Loan agreements and intercompany agreements
- Terms & conditions and privacy policies for websites
Certification, apostille and legalisation
- Certified true copies of company documents by CPA or solicitor
- Notarisation by Hong Kong notary public
- Apostille by the High Court (Hong Kong is a Hague Convention member)
- Consular legalisation for non-Hague countries (incl. Mainland China via China Appointed Attesting Officer)
- Certificate of Incumbency and Certificate of Good Standing
- Translation of documents (English / Chinese / Russian)
People & operations
- Recruitment of local staff and contractors
- Payroll, MPF and employment visa coordinationSee Accounting & Audit for payroll
- Office search and serviced office introductions
- Introductions to insurers, logistics and payment providers
Beyond Hong Kong
Singapore, Mainland China and offshore companies
If your structure needs more than one entity, we incorporate and administer companies in other jurisdictions through our own team and long-standing partners — and keep them aligned with your Hong Kong company.
Singapore Pte. Ltd.
Incorporation with local resident director and secretary, bank account support, annual compliance and tax filing.
Mainland China WFOE
Wholly foreign-owned enterprise or representative office, typically held through your Hong Kong company for treaty benefits.
Offshore jurisdictions
BVI, Seychelles, Cayman Islands, Samoa, Mauritius and Malta — with economic substance and reporting compliance.
FAQ
Business support — frequently asked questions
Yes — the Investment as Entrepreneurs route is designed for exactly this. The Immigration Department looks for a credible business plan, adequate funding, evidence that the business will contribute to Hong Kong (for example by creating local jobs or renting an office), and a clean background. Simply incorporating a company is not enough; the substance of the business plan is decisive. Processing typically takes 4–8 weeks once a complete application is lodged.
Around 6–9 months if the examiner raises no objections and nobody opposes the mark during the 3-month publication period. Registration lasts 10 years from the filing date and can be renewed indefinitely. Mainland China requires a separate application through CNIPA and takes roughly 9–12 months; we recommend registering a Chinese-character version of your brand as well.
Yes, when done properly. The nominee is a real director with real legal duties, acting under a written agreement with the beneficial owner. The beneficial owner must be identified in the company's Significant Controllers Register (accessible to law enforcement, not the public) and disclosed to banks during KYC. Nominee services provide privacy from the public register — not anonymity from regulators.
A Hong Kong correspondence address for your website, invoices and bank statements; mail receipt with same-day scanning and forwarding on request; and, on higher plans, a dedicated +852 number with live answering and meeting-room hours. Most banks accept our address as the company's correspondence address; some ask for an additional operating address, which we discuss during bank pre-screening.
Often yes, when you use the documents abroad — to open a foreign bank account, register a subsidiary, or prove ownership to a foreign authority. Hong Kong is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so a High Court apostille is accepted in 120+ countries. For non-Hague countries and Mainland China, consular legalisation or attestation by a China Appointed Attesting Officer is required instead. We handle the whole chain, including notarisation and translation.