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  Home >  Tax Information - Others  >  Business Registration > Application for Business Registration Documents

Application for Business Registration Documents

 

 

Purpose of Business Register and Privacy of Personal Data

 

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Business Registration Number Enquiry

  • If you want to apply for an extract of information of a business or any of its branches on the Business Register or a certified/duplicate business/branch registration certificate of a registered business, 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.

 

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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 delivered instantly by online mode. The electronic extract can also be viewed on screen and printed within the next 7 calendar days from the date of application.
  • To enable 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.
  • As the records of the following types of businesses have either been removed or are not yet entered on the Business Register, please do not make any application in respect of these cases: 
    • Businesses that have ceased to be carried on for 10 or more years.
    • New businesses for which the registration process has not yet been fully completed.
  • 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.

 

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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) or complete application form IRBR37, 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 applicant shall provide particulars and make declaration through one of the following ways:
  • The certified extracts will be send out by post or available for collection after 11:00 a.m. on the next working day upon successful application.
  • To enable 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.
  • As the records of the following types of businesses have either been removed or are not yet entered on the Business Register, please do not make any application in respect of these cases:
    • Businesses that have ceased to be carried on for 10 or more years.
    • New businesses for which the registration process has not yet been fully completed.
  • 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.

 

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Certified Copies or Duplicates of a Valid Business 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 plain duplicate of a valid BRC of a business from the Business Registration Office. You can apply via GovHK (www.gov.hk/br) or complete application form IRBR37, 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 valid BRC will be issued:
    Application Channel Certified BRC Duplicate BRC
    GovHK Paper only Electronic Record only
    Form IRBR 37 Paper only Paper only
  • Delivery time for certified copies or duplicates of valid BRC:
    • Paper form will be sent out by post or 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 upon successful application.
  • For more information on certified copies and duplicates of valid BRC, 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 Business Registration Certificate: Specimen of a duplicate Business Registration Certificate:

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Collection and Submission of Application Form & Payment

  • You can obtain Form IRBR 37 from the Business Registration Office. You can send the completed form with a crossed cheque for payment of the prescribed fee by post to the Business Registration Office.
  • Address : 2/F, Inland Revenue Centre, 5 Concorde Road, Kai Tak, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

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

 

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