Application for Business Registration Documents

From 4 September 2023 onwards, the paper-based applications for the public search service is fully replaced by the electronic service “Online Application for Business Registration Documents and Duplicate of a valid Business Registration Certificate”. For details, please refer to “What’s New” on the Department’s website.

Purpose of Business Register and Privacy of Personal Data
Business Registration Number Enquiry
Extract of Information on Business Register in Uncertified Form
Certified Extracts of Information on Business Register
Certified Copies or Duplicates of a Valid Business / Branch Registration Certificate
Videos on Online Application for Business Registration Documents, Viewing and Downloading the Applied Documents

Purpose of Business Register and Privacy of Personal Data

Please refer to Purpose of Business Register and Privacy of Personal Data.

Business Registration Number Enquiry

If you want to apply for an extract of information of a registered business or any of its branches on the Business Register or a certified copy /duplicate of its valid business/branch registration certificate, you are required to provide the business registration number and the name of the business concerned. If you do not know the business registration number of the business, you may look it up through our Business Registration Number Enquiry service via GovHK (www.gov.hk/br) or the computers provided by the Business Registration Office at 2/F of Inland Revenue Centre.
When using this service, you are required to input the FULL business name, in either Chinese or English, of the target business and its location, i.e. Hong Kong, Kowloon or New Territories.

Extract of Information on Business Register in Uncertified Form

Extract of information on the Business Register in uncertified form, which shows the current information of the business and its operator (if applicable), is delivered in electronic form over the Internet through GovHK. You can apply for the electronic extract at GovHK (www.gov.hk/br).
To enhance protection of personal data privacy, with effect from 1 November 2021, applicants for electronic extract of information of sole proprietorships or partnerships on the Business Register are required to provide their particulars and to declare that:
- the information obtained from the application will only be used for activities relating to ascertaining whether the relevant business is registered under the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310) and the particulars of that business so registered; and
- the personal data obtained from the application will be used in a manner consistent with the provisions of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486).
Upon confirmation by the relevant financial institution of the payment of the prescribed fee, the electronic extract of information will be instantly delivered by online mode. The electronic extract can also be viewed on screen and downloaded at any time within the next 7 calendar days from the date of successful application.
To enable the business operators to obtain their Business Registration Certificates early and to ensure that changes in business particulars are updated to the Business Register as soon as possible, unless there are reasonable grounds for doubt to be cast, the information will only be summarily checked and will not be verified before a new entry or an amendment is recorded. Applicants should be aware that the information on the Business Register is for reference only.
Electronic extract of information in respect of companies registered under the one-stop company and business registration service or changes of company particulars transmitted from the Companies Registry will normally be available for application 2 working days after the date of incorporation and registration, or the date when the changes were recorded, as the case may be.
Since the Business Register does not contain information on businesses which have ceased for 10 years or more, or new businesses for which the registration process has not yet been completed, please do not apply for the extract of information on these businesses.
You may download a specimen of an electronic extract of information on the business register for reference. The specimen is in PDF format. The PDF file can be opened by Adobe Acrobat Reader which is available at the Adobe Systems Incorporated.

Certified Extracts of Information on Business Register

A "Certified extracts of information on the Business Register" is made up of the following 2 components:
1. a copy of the original "application for registration" submitted by the business operator, or an application information sheet containing certain particulars submitted to the Companies Registry under the one-stop company and business registration service (Application Information Sheet); and
2. a full history of the amendments in respect of changes of the particulars set out in the original application or the Application Information Sheet, and other changes notified by the business operator or transmitted from the Companies Registry.
To obtain certified extracts of information of a business or any one of its branches on the Business Register, you can apply via GovHK (www.gov.hk/br) and pay the prescribed fee.
To enhance protection of personal data privacy, with effect from 1 November 2021, applicants for certified extracts of information of sole proprietorships or partnerships on the Business Register are required to provide their particulars and to declare that:
- the information obtained from that application will only be used for activities relating to ascertaining whether the relevant business is registered under the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310) and the particulars of that business so registered; and
- the personal data obtained from the application will be used in a manner consistent with the provisions of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486).
The certified extracts will be send out by post or made available for collection after 11:00 a.m. on the next working day upon successful application.
To enable the business operators to obtain their Business Registration Certificates early and to ensure that changes in business particulars are updated to the Business Register as soon as possible, unless there are reasonable grounds for doubt to be cast, the information will only be summarily checked and will not be verified before a new entry or an amendment is recorded. Applicants should be aware that the information on the Business Register is for reference only.
Certified extracts of information in respect of companies registered under the one-stop company and business registration service, or changes of company particulars transmitted from the Companies Registry will normally be available for application 2 working days after the date of incorporation and registration, or the date when the changes are recorded, as the case may be.
Since the Business Register does not contain information on businesses which have ceased for 10 years or more, or new businesses for which the registration process has not yet been completed, please do not apply for the extract of information on these businesses.
You may download a specimen of certified extracts of information on the business register for reference. The specimen is in PDF format. The PDF file can be opened by Adobe Acrobat Reader which is available at the Adobe Systems Incorporated.
- Specimen for cases registered under the one-stop company and business registration service
- Specimen for other cases

Certified Copies or Duplicates of a Valid Business / Branch Registration Certificate

A valid Business Registration Certificate (BRC) means a BRC that has not yet expired and the prescribed fee has been fully paid or exempted from payment under section 9 of the Business Registration Ordinance.
You can obtain either a certified copy or just a duplicate of a valid BRC or a branch registration certificate of a business or branch from the Business Registration Office. You can apply via GovHK (www.gov.hk/br) and pay the prescribed fee.
Certified copies or duplicates of valid BRC in respect of companies registered under the one-stop company and business registration service or changes of company particulars transmitted from the Companies Registry will normally be available for application 2 working days after the date of incorporation and registration, or the date when the changes were recorded, as the case may be.

The following table shows the manner in which certified copies or duplicates of a valid BRC/branch registration certificate are issued and the delivery time:

	Certified copy	Duplicate
Manner in which the document is issued	Paper	Electronic record
Delivery time	Will be sent out by post or made available for collection after 11:00 a.m. on the next working date upon successful application	Electronic record (in pdf format) will be ready for instant download via GovHK upon successful application.*

*The duplicate of a valid BRC /branch registration certificate can also be viewed on screen and downloaded at any time within 2 months from the date of successful application.

For more information on certified copies and duplicates of a valid BRC /branch registration certificate, you may refer to <FAQ - Application for Business Registration Documents>.
You may download the following specimens of certified copy and duplicate of BRC for reference. The specimens are in PDF format. The PDF file can be opened by Adobe Acrobat Reader which is available at the Adobe Systems Incorporated.
Specimen of a certified copy of BRC:
- Issued on or after 14 February 2011 [Please refer to “Format of Business Registration Certificates, Branch Registration Certificates and Renewal Notices"]
Specimen of a duplicate BRC:
- For applications made on or after 12 November 2012

Videos on Online Application for Business Registration Documents, Viewing and Downloading the Applied Documents