Search Hong Kong Companies Registry / e-Services Portal

TL;DR. Hong Kong’s official business registry is the Companies Registry. The current search system is the e-Services Portal at https://www.e-services.cr.gov.hk, launched 27 December 2023 (Revamped ICRIS). The Cyber Search Centre at icris.cr.gov.hk is historical and redirects to the e-Services Portal. Fees from the Major Fees under the Companies Ordinance page at https://www.cr.gov.hk/en/services/fees.htm: company name search is free; company particulars search HK$22; image records HK$9-29; certificate of continuing registration HK$170; certifying fee HK$130. No turnaround time is published; confirm at source. The Unique Business Identifier, based on the Business Registration Number, replaced the former company number. The interface is English and Chinese.

What is the official Hong Kong business registry?

The Companies Registry of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is the statutory body responsible for incorporating and registering companies, maintaining the public register, and enforcing the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622). The current online system is the e-Services Portal at https://www.e-services.cr.gov.hk, launched 27 December 2023 with the Revamped Integrated Companies Registry Information System (Revamped ICRIS). The former Cyber Search Centre host https://www.icris.cr.gov.hk redirects to the e-Services Portal and is historical.

The portal covers companies incorporated in Hong Kong under the Companies Ordinance, registered non-Hong Kong companies (branch offices), limited partnerships, and related filings. The Business Registration Office, a separate but related government body, handles the Business Registration Certificate which is distinct from the company incorporation record. From 27 December 2023, the Unique Business Identifier (UBI) uses the Business Registration Number (BRN) in place of the former company registration number as the key identifier.

Records in ICRIS cover companies incorporated from the 1980s onward in digital form. Older records may require a physical search at the Companies Registry counter in Queensway, Hong Kong. The registry holds documents including articles of association, annual returns, change of director filings, mortgage and charge registrations, and winding-up orders.

What can you search?

The e-Services Portal supports searches by:

• Company name (English or Chinese, partial match supported)
• Business Registration Number (BRN / UBI), which replaced the former company registration number from 27 December 2023
• Registered non-Hong Kong company identifier
• Director name (returns companies where the individual is listed as director)

Data available per entity includes: company name (English and Chinese), company number, date of incorporation, registered office address, company type, status (live, struck off, being wound up, dissolved), list of current and former directors, company secretary, issued share capital, and a list of all filed documents available for purchase.

Data freshness is event-driven. Annual return data reflects the most recently filed return, which for private companies may be up to 12 months prior. The Registry does not publish an update interval.

How much does it cost?

Fees are from the Companies Registry page https://www.cr.gov.hk/en/services/fees.htm, Major Fees under the Companies Ordinance. Name search is listed under Free Search. Image record online fees on that table run from HK$9 (any other document, registered user download) to HK$29 (prospectus and similar, unregistered online view). Certificate of continuing registration is HK$170. Certifying fee is HK$130. The HKD to USD conversion used here is 0.128 (approximate; the Hong Kong dollar is pegged to the US dollar in a narrow band). The fees page publishes no turnaround time.

Do you need a local account or ID?

Account registration on the e-Services Portal requires an email address and basic contact details. The fees page lists both Registered Online Users and Unregistered Online Users for image records, so an account is optional rather than required. No Hong Kong identity document (HKID), Hong Kong company, or local bank account is required for registration or document purchase.

The e-Services Portal registration process includes a captcha step. The fees page at https://www.cr.gov.hk/en/services/fees.htm names only a cheque payable to “Companies Registry”. PPS, bank transfer and international credit cards are not named there.

Is the website in English?

Yes. The e-Services Portal and Companies Registry site are bilingual in English and Traditional Chinese. All search interfaces, document type labels, filing type descriptions, and status indicators are available in English. Company names in Hong Kong are registered in English, Chinese, or both; the registry reflects the exact filing. For Chinese-only company names, no automatic English transliteration is provided.

What’s the turnaround time?

Neither the e-Services Portal nor the fees page publishes a turnaround time, so it is unknown; confirm at source.

Certified extracts requiring the Companies Registry seal for legal proceedings may require a specific service request; contact the Companies Registry for certified copy processing times.

Is there an API?

No general public API is available for the e-Services Portal. The Companies Registry does not operate an open developer API or API key program. The Registry has offered a bulk data service for licensed users, described as the “Bulk Data Transfer Service” for organizations that need large-scale programmatic access; this is a separately negotiated service, not a self-service API. Contact the Companies Registry at cr@cr.gov.hk for terms.

For compliance platforms needing structured Hong Kong entity data, the licensed bulk service or a commercial data supplier (see below) are the practical options.

What you legally cannot do

The Companies Registry’s Terms and Conditions for the e-Services Portal prohibit automated scraping of the portal, systematic downloading of documents for commercial resale, and any use of the data that misrepresents the source as other than the official registry. These prohibitions are consistent with Hong Kong’s Copyright Ordinance (Cap. 528), which covers government copyright in official records.

Hong Kong’s Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (PDPO, Cap. 486) governs how personal data of individuals obtained from registry records, including director names and addresses, may be collected, stored, and used. Compliance buyers processing this data for AML, KYC, or CDD purposes should document the data purpose and retention policy in line with PDPO requirements.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• BRN / UBI is the anchor identifier. From 27 December 2023, the Business Registration Number is the Unique Business Identifier for companies on the register, replacing the former company registration number. The e-Services Portal provides CR No. / BRN mapping for entities incorporated before UBI. Always search by BRN when you have it; English transliterations of Chinese company names vary.
• Private company vs public company. Most Hong Kong companies are private companies limited by shares. Public companies have higher disclosure obligations. Unlimited companies and companies limited by guarantee are less common but appear on the register.
• Shareholding disclosure. The Significant Controllers Register (SCR) requirement is under the Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2018, which commenced 1 March 2018 (Companies Registry SCR overview). It is not a 2021 ordinance. Companies must maintain a record of significant controllers (generally those holding 25%+ of shares or voting rights). The SCR is held at company level, not filed publicly with the registry. SCR information is obtained by requesting it from the company itself through the formal legal process.
• Branch offices. Non-Hong Kong companies registered in Hong Kong file as “Registered Non-Hong Kong Companies” and have a separate registration number. Documents filed by the branch do not automatically include the parent company’s full filing history; a separate search in the parent’s home jurisdiction is needed.
• Status labels. “Live” means the company is registered and not subject to dissolution proceedings. “Being wound up” means formal winding-up proceedings are underway. “Dissolved” means the company no longer exists as a legal entity.
• Hong Kong maintains a separate FATF status from Mainland China. Hong Kong is assessed as a separate jurisdiction in FATF evaluations as it has its own AML/CFT legal framework under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance (AMLO, Cap. 615).

For a broader view of how registry verification fits into a global compliance workflow, see the Global Business Due Diligence Guide.

Alternatives if you cannot access the e-Services Portal directly

• Aggregator search (free, indicative only): OpenCorporates indexes Hong Kong company filings but lags official data. Useful for a quick name check; not for compliance-grade verification.
• ICRIS Bulk Data Transfer Service: for licensed organizations needing large-scale access; contact cr@cr.gov.hk.

Local data suppliers

• Dun and Bradstreet Hong Kong (dnb.com). Global credit bureau with a Hong Kong office. Provides commercial credit reports incorporating ICRIS data, trade references, and payment history. Target audience: banks, exporters, and corporates performing counterparty credit assessment.
• Experian Hong Kong (experian.com.hk). Provides commercial credit reports and business information services for Hong Kong entities. Target audience: financial institutions, trade credit teams.

Use ICRIS for the authoritative legal filing record. Use a commercial bureau when you also need credit risk scoring or trade payment behavior.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access the Hong Kong registry directly?

Yes. The e-Services Portal is accessible globally over the internet. Foreign buyers register with an email address. No Hong Kong address, company, or bank account is required. No fulfilment time is published, and the fees page names no payment method other than a cheque payable to “Companies Registry”.

What is the company number in Hong Kong?

From 27 December 2023, HKSAR-incorporated companies are identified by Business Registration Number (BRN) as the Unique Business Identifier (UBI). The former company registration number is no longer the key search identifier; the e-Services Portal maps CR No. to BRN for older entities. Registered non-Hong Kong companies are identified on the same UBI basis. The company number in older filings is historical.

What entity types are registered with the Companies Registry?

The Companies Registry registers private companies limited by shares (the dominant form), public companies, companies limited by guarantee, unlimited companies, and registered non-Hong Kong companies (branch offices). Limited partnerships are separately registered under the Limited Partnerships Ordinance (Cap. 37). Business name registrations for sole proprietors and partnerships are handled by the Business Registration Office under the Business Registration Ordinance.

Does Hong Kong have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?

Hong Kong has a Significant Controllers Register (SCR) requirement under the Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2018, commenced 1 March 2018 (live Companies Registry SCR overview at cr.gov.hk). It is not the Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2021. Companies must maintain an SCR internally, recording individuals or legal entities holding 25% or more of shares, voting rights, or the right to appoint or remove a majority of directors. The SCR is not publicly filed with the Companies Registry; it is held at the company and accessible to law enforcement on demand. This differs from the EU’s public UBO register model.

How current is the data in ICRIS?

Data is updated on a filing-event basis. Annual return data is current to the date of the most recently filed return, which may be up to 12 months prior for private companies. For director changes, the effective date of change is recorded in the filing. The Registry does not publish an update interval.

Is Hong Kong on the FATF grey list?

No. Hong Kong is not on the FATF Increased Monitoring list as of May 2026. Hong Kong operates under its own AML/CFT framework as a separate FATF jurisdiction from Mainland China. Standard customer due diligence applies for Hong Kong counterparties. For the current FATF list, see fatf-gafi.org.

What’s the difference between the Companies Registry and the Business Registration Office?

The Companies Registry handles incorporation and ongoing filing obligations under the Companies Ordinance: articles of association, annual returns, director changes, and winding up. The Business Registration Office handles the Business Registration Certificate, which is required for all businesses operating in Hong Kong, including sole proprietors and partnerships that are not incorporated companies. A Hong Kong company will typically have both a Companies Registry filing and a Business Registration Certificate; for compliance purposes, the Companies Registry record is the primary source for entity verification.

Last verified: 2026-09-02. Sources: Companies Registry HKSAR (cr.gov.hk), e-Services Portal (e-services.cr.gov.hk), Major Fees under the Companies Ordinance (cr.gov.hk/en/services/fees.htm), Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622), SCR overview (Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2018 commenced 1 March 2018), FATF (fatf-gafi.org). For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.