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Q & A for Application for Business Registration Through the Internet

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1.

Q:

Internet business registration application under eTAX are available to which types of business?

 
 

A:

eTAX provides Internet business registration application for the following three types of business:

  • sole proprietorship
  • partnership (other than limited partnership fund) which does not have more than 6 partners
  • Branch of all types of businesses (other than limited partnership fund)

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2.

Q:

Is the application for business registration through the eTAX secure?

 
 

A:

It is secure. Please refer to our eTAX Security Statement.

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3.

Q:

Can a company open an eTAX Account for digital signing and submission of application for branch registration?

 
 

A:

No. At present, only individuals can open eTAX Accounts.

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4.

Q:

Am I required to submit a copy of my Hong Kong Identity Card after making the application for business registration through the Internet?

 
 

A:

You are not required to submit a copy of your Hong Kong Identity Card as your identity has already been verified upon authentication. However, if you apply for registration of a partnership, you need to upload in your application a soft copy (soft copies) of the identity document(s) of other partner(s).

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5.

Q:

How can I authenticate the application?

 
 

A:

For business or branch registration by sole proprietorship and partnership business

  • sole proprietor´s or the applicant partner´s eTAX Password, MyGovHK Password (already linked up with eTAX Account), recognized personal digital certificate or iAM Smart+, or
  • the recognized organizational digital certificate of the business


For branch registration by company

  • the recognized organizational digital certificate of the company

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6.

Q:

How can I make the payment for the business registration fee and / or levy when I submit the application for business registration through eTAX? 

 
 

A:

You may pay the business registration fee and / or levy by JCB, Visa, MasterCard, UnionPay, FPS or PPS.

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7.

Q:

How can I know whether my application for business registration has been successfully submitted through the Internet?

 
 

A:

An acknowledgement bearing a Transaction Reference Number will immediately be shown on the display screen of your computer or mobile device after you have paid the business registration fee and / or levy through the Internet. You are advised to print the acknowledgement or save it for record purposes.

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8.

Q:

How can I rectify the errors if I find that some errors have been made in the application after submitting it through eTAX?

 
 

A:

You should give a duly signed written notice to the Commissioner of Inland Revenue with particulars including your name, capacity, name of the company / business, Transaction Reference Number of the application, business registration number (if any), and details of the amendment. You should not use the paper business registration application form for this purpose.

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9.

Q:

I have commenced my business but have not applied for business registration within the prescribed time limit, i.e. one month from the date of commencement of business.  Can I apply for business registration through eTAX although my application is late? 

 
 

A:

Yes. For example, if you commenced your business on 5 October 2019, and applied for business registration through eTAX on 13 March 2022, the eTAX system will calculate the business registration fee and levy payable for the registration certificate with a commencement date on 5 October 2021, i.e. the latest anniversary of the commencement date of your business. If the application is accepted, the Business Registration Office will (a) issue a Business Registration Certificate with the commencement date on 5 October 2021; and (b) follow up the business registration matters for two years from 5 October 2019 (i.e. from 5 October 2019 to 4 October 2021).

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10.

Q:

How can I get the application result after making the business registration application through eTAX?

 
 

A:

When the result of your application is available, a notification email will be sent to the email address provided by you in the application.  After receiving the notification email, you may log into the function “View and Download Result of Application” with the Transaction Reference Number (see A7) to obtain the application result (valid Business Registration Certificate and / or reply letter) within 2 months from the date of issue of the result.  To log into that function, authentication by means of digital certificate, “iAM Smart” or eTAX Password is required.