公司注册处对提交文件硬拷贝时的纸质标准的要求

尽管注册易或电子提交成为流行趋势。还有一些人会将文件的硬拷贝提交给公司注册处。如果您是其中之一，则应注意纸张标准和要求。 
什么是论文标准和要求？
普通、白色、中等重量的 A4 纸，表面为哑光。克重不小于76gsm和201mm x 297mm尺寸
文本必须用具有均匀密度的永久黑色墨水以纵向格式打印或打印在纸上。字体大小至少为 10 号。
纸张设置：
内容页边距：每个内容页的四边各 5 毫米
首页边距：顶部和底部边距分别至少为 35 毫米和 50 毫米。
包含 2 张或更多张纸的文件应在左上角装订固定在一起。
双面打印是可以的。文档第二页上的信息应打印在第一页的背面。
对于单独装订的股东名单，您可以将名单打印在横格纸上，纸张尺寸大于A4。您可以使用增强模式使用 24 针式点阵打印机。
如想了解更多信息，请与我们联系。 
您可能需要阅读：香港可接受的官方文件格式

香港公司注册处的4个主要登记册

香港有限公司的 4 个主要登记册是什么？ 
主要有 4 个登记册：董事名册、公司秘书名册、成员名册和重要控制人名册。 
根据香港的新公司条例，有限责任公司必须有一名指定的公司秘书。自您开始营业以来，您必须通知公司注册处 (CR) 和税务局 (IRD)。如果贵公司的资料有任何更新，包括注册地址、股东、董事、公司秘书和股份变动的信息。您还必须更新 CR 和 IRD。
董事名册 
香港公司必须备存董事名册。而且必须是英文。尽管如此，每家公司都需要至少一名董事。根据公司条例第 158 条规定，贵公司没有董事是违法的。因此，自公司成立以来，您需要保留适当的董事登记册，其中包含相关详细信息或详情。 
公司秘书名册
根据《公司条例》（第 622 章）第 474(1) 条，每家公司必须在香港委任一名公司秘书。公司秘书登记册包括所有公司秘书历史的记录。
成员名册
会员名册可以用英文或中文书写。所有业务经理都需要将此登记册保存在香港的注册地址。否则，公司必须提交表格 NR2 通知公司注册处。 
重要控制人名册
根据《公司条例》（第 622 章），重要控制人登记册是提高实益拥有人透明度的工具。新法律于 2018 年 3 月1日生效。该法律的目的是避免滥用公司结构。例如，隐藏犯罪所得、避税或资助恐怖分子。它是一种防止在重要控制人登记制度中滥用公司结构的工具。 
重要控制人由两部分组成： 
可注册人– 控制公司并被视为可注册法律实体的人。
可注册法人实体——公司和公司股东。该公司对公司拥有重大控制权。 
 
在哪里保存您的公司记录？
每家公司都应保存公司记录。此外，4 个主要登记册必须保存在香港的注册办事处。如果您不打算将登记册保存在您的注册办事处，那么您必须提交表格 NR2 以通知 CR 您将每个登记册保存在哪里。但是，登记册仍需在香港维持。 
公司是一个法人实体。这与创始人、股东和员工完全分开。因此，组织本身必须遵守《公司条例》中的众多要求。
公司秘书在香港的角色是什么？
我们在之前的博客中强调了任命专业公司秘书的重要性。同时，专业的公司秘书可以介入并处理所有公司条例。事实上，委任公司秘书在香港是必须的。 
公司秘书的工作是什么？  
准备并提交香港政府要求的任何法律要求。
准备、记录、存储和复制所有法定文件
按照法规要求向公司注册处提交文件
执行公司的议程并在董事会会议上做记录
维护公司的法定和非法定记录和登记册
成为公司与注册处之间的主要纽带
当公司想要停止运营时，负责公司注销
在会议期间执行董事会的决议
如果需要，就立法、破产和清算中的任何问题提供建议。
申请公司商业登记证
最后，如果您最初未能提供准确的信息或在续订期间未能更新任何登记册。你的公司会犯下刑事罪行。责任人可处以港币 25,000 元的罚款。同时，只要违法行为持续，每天进一步罚款港币700元。因此，请确保您的公司注册符合公司条例的要求。 
但是，您可以通过 CR 或 IRD 网站保持信息更新。否则，您的公司秘书可以帮助您。 
如想了解更多信息，请联系我们。
您可能需要了解：公司注册处 –未能交付年度回报

4 MAIN REGISTERS AT THE HONG KONG COMPANY REGISTRY

What are the 4 Main Registers for a Hong Kong Limited Company? 

There are 4 main registers: Register of Director(s), Register of Company Secretary, Register of Members and Register of Significant Controllers. 

Under the New Companies Ordinance in Hong Kong requires limited liability companies to have a designated Company Secretary. You must to inform the Companies Registry (CR) and Inland Revenue Department (IRD) since you start your business. If your company’s particulars have any update including registered address, information of shareholders, directors, company secretary and share changes. You have to update CR and IRD as well.

Register of Director 

A Hong Kong company must maintain a register of directors. And it must be in English. Nevertheless, every company needs at least one director on the board. According to section 158 of the Company Ordinance stated that it is illegal not to have a director in your company. Therefore, you need to maintain a proper register of directors with relevant details or particulars since the incorporation. 

Register of Company Secretary

Under section 474(1) of the Companies Ordinance (Cap 622), every company must appoint a Company Secretary in Hong Kong. The Register of Company Secretaries includes the record of all the Company Secretaries history.

Register of Member

Register of Member can be written in English or Chinese. All business managers need to keep this register at the registered address in Hong Kong. Otherwise, the company has to file Form NR2 notifying the Companies Registry. 

Register of Significant Controllers

According to the Companies Ordinance (Cap 622), a Significant Controller Register is a tool to enhance the transparency of beneficial ownership. The new law rolled into effective on 1st March 2018. The purpose of the law is to avoid the misuses of company structure. For instance, hiding criminal proceeds, tax avoidance, or financing of the terrorist. It is a tool against company structure misuse in the Significant Controller Register regime. 

A Significant Controller consists of 2 parts: 

Registrable Person – a person who has control over the company and is considered as a registrable legal entity.

Registrable Legal Entity – a company and a shareholder of the company. This company has significant control over the company. 

 

Where to keep your Company Records?

Every company should maintain the Company Records. Furthermore, the 4 main registers must be kept at the registered office in Hong Kong. If you are not going to keep the registers at your registered office. Then you have to file a form NR2 to notify the CR where do you keep each register. However, the registers still need to maintain in Hong Kong. 

A company is a legal entity. That is totally separate from the founders, shareholder and employees. Thus, the organization itself has to comply with the numerous requirements in the Companies Ordinance.

What are the roles of a Company Secretary in Hong Kong?

We have emphasized the importance of appointing a professional Company Secretary in our previous blogs. Meanwhile a professional Company Secretary can jump in and deal with all the Company Ordinances. In fact, appointing a Company Secretary is a MUST in Hong Kong. 

What are the jobs of a Company Secretary?  

  1. Prepare and submit any legal requirement requested by the Hong Kong government.
  2. Prepare, record, store, and reproduce all statutory documents
  3. File documents with Companies Registry, as required by statute
  4. Run your company’s agenda and take minutes during board meetings
  5. Maintain the company’s records and registers, both statutory and non-statutory
  6. Become the main link between a company and a registry office
  7. Is responsible for company deregistration when the company wants to cease operations
  8. Implement the board’s resolutions during meetings
  9. Advice on any issue in legislation, bankruptcy, and liquidation if the need arises.
  10. Apply for the company’s business registration certificate

Last but not the least, if you fail to provide accurate information initially or update any of the registers during the renewal. Your company would have committed a criminal offense. The accountable individuals are liable to a fine start at HKD25,000.  Meanwhile, the further penalty of HKD700 per day for as long as the offense persists. So, please make sure your company registry is up to requirement of Company Ordinance. 

Yet, you can keep your information update via CR or IRD website. Otherwise, your Company Secretary can help you. 

For further information, please contact us.

You may want to read: COMPANY REGISTRY – FAILURE TO DELIVER ANNUAL RETURN

MATERNITY LEAVE REIMBURSEMENT SCHEME IN HONG KONG

What is the Reimbursement of Maternity Leave Pay (RMLP) Scheme?

The Employment (Amendment) Ordinance 2020 (“Amendment Ordinance”) took effect on 11 December 2020. The Amendment Ordinance increases the maternity leave (“ML”) under the Employment Ordinance (“EO”) (Cap. 57) from 10 weeks to 14 weeks. 

Other then the first 10 weeks maternity leave pay (“MLP”), the employers are required to pay statutory rate to the entitled employee. That is 80% of the employee’s average daily wage on the first 10 weeks. Furthermore,  the wage of the additional 4 weeks MLP payable in respect of the extension of maternity leave after the first 10 weeks, its subject to a ceiling of $80,000 per employee. 

Moreover, the RMLP Scheme is an administrative scheme overseen by the Labour Department and operated by a processing agent to control and monitor the said scheme.

All the same, employers are required to pay the additional four weeks’ MLP (i.e. 11th to 14th week) under the Amendment Ordinance on the normal pay day. Then after employers may apply to the RMLP Scheme for reimbursement of such MLP paid. 

Criteria for Application:

An application of Reimbursement of Maternity Leave Pay must meet the following requirements:

  1. the employee pertinent to the application employed by the employer (“applicant”) is covered by EO;
  2. ML and MLP are fulfilled by the employee.
  3. The employee have taken her ML and the applicant has paid 14 weeks’ MLP to the employee;
  4. The confinement date of the employee occurs on or after 11 December 2020; and
  5. The additional 4 weeks’ MLP paid to the employee has not been/ will not be covered / subsidized by other government funding.

For further information, please contact us. 

You may want to read: THE 2021-2022 BUDGET TARGETS ON REVIVING THE ECONOMY

 

香港的产假补偿计划

什么是产假补偿 (RMLP) 计划？
《2020 年雇佣（修订）条例》于 2020 年 12 月 11 日生效。《修订条例》将《雇佣条例》（“EO”）（第 57 章）下的产假（“ML”）由 10 个星期延长至14 周。 
除首 10 周产假工资（“MLP”）外，雇主必须向有资格的雇员支付法定工资。这是员工前 10 周平均日工资的 80%。此外，在第一个 10 周后延长产假的额外 4 周 MLP 的工资，其上限为每名员工 80,000 港元。 
此外，RMLP 计划是一项行政计划，由劳工处监管，并由处理代理运作，以控制和监督上述计划。
尽管如此，根据《修订条例》，雇主必须在正常发薪日支付额外四个星期的 MLP（即第 11 至第 14 周），而雇主可以向RMLP计划申请报销已支付的MLP。 
申请标准：
申请补偿 产假薪酬 须符合以下条件：
与雇主雇用的申请相关的雇员（“申请人”）受 EO 保护；
ML 和 MLP 由员工完成。
员工已经拿到了她的 ML，并且申请人已经向员工支付了 14 周的 MLP；
雇员的分娩日期发生在 2020 年 12 月 11 日或之后；和
支付给员工的额外 4 周 MLP 没有/不会得到其他政府资金的覆盖/补贴。
如想了解更多信息，请联系我们。 
您可能想要了解：关于振兴经济的 2021-2022 年预算目标

公司更新必须在 15 天内报告

每间注册公司都必须遵守《公司条例》的规定。还必须在规定的时间内向公司注册处处长提交法定申报表。公司更新必须在 15 天内通知公司注册处，而一些公司更新需要在 42 天内报告。
 
什么情况应该在变更后的15天内报告？
第 658 条要求公司以 NR1 表格提交注册办事处地址变更通知。
第 645 条和第 652 条规定，如果公司董事、公司秘书和/或详情发生变化，公司应在表格 ND2A 和/或 ND2B 中提交变更通知。
什么情况下您应该在更改后的 42 天内报告？
根据第 662 和 654 条的规定，以下公司必须以 NAR1 表格形式提交周年申报表以及年度注册费 
就私人公司而言，在该年公司注册成立周年日后的 42 天内。
对于上市公司，就每个财政年度而言，在公司报税日后 42 天内。公司的回报日为公司会计基准期结束后 6 个月的日期。申报表必须附有经核证的公司财务报表、董事报告和审计报告的真实副本。
对于担保有限公司，就每个财政年度而言，在公司返回日期后的 42 天内。公司的回报日期为公司会计参考期结束后 9 个月的日期。申报表必须附有经核证无误的公司财务报表、董事报告和审计报告的副本。
如需更多信息，请联系我们。
您可能想了解：香港有限公司的年度义务是什么？

COMPANY UPDATES THAT MUST BE REPORTED WITHIN 15 DAYS

Every registered company must comply with the requirements of the Companies Ordinance. Also have to deliver statutory returns to the Registrar of Companies within prescribed time periods. Company updates are required to notify Company Registry within 15 days. While some company updates require report within 42 days.

 

What situation you should report within 15 days after change?

  1. Section 658 requires a company to deliver a notice of change of address of registered office in Form NR1.
  2. Sections 645 and 652 state that if there is a change in the company’s director, company secretary and/or in the particulars. Then the company should deliver a notice of change in Form ND2A and / or ND2B.

What scenario you should report within 42 days after change?

Under the provision of Sections 662 and 654, below company must deliver an annual return in Form NAR1 together with an annual registration fee 

  1. For a private company, in respect of every, within 42 days after the anniversary of the date of incorporation of the company in that year.
  2. For a public company, in respect of every financial year, within 42 days after the company’s return date. The company’s return date is the date that is 6 months after the end of the company’s accounting reference period. The return must be accompanied by certified true copies of the company’s financial statements, directors’ report and auditors’ reports.
  3. For a company limited by guarantee, in respect of every financial year, within 42 days after the company’s return date. The company’s return date is the date that is 9 months after the end of the company’s accounting reference period. The return must be accompanied by certified true copies of the company’s financial statements, director’s report and auditors’ report.

For further information, please contact us.

You may want to read: WHAT ARE HONG KONG LIMITED COMPANY ANNUAL OBLIGATIONS?

 

WHAT DO YOU NEED FOR A SHARE TRANSFER?

What is a share transfer?

A share transfer is the process of transferring existing shares from existing shareholders to new shareholders or third parties. The process can either be sale or gift and is a common exercise performed by Hong Kong companies with shares. The process mostly involves either adding new shareholders or changing the existing proportion of shareholders.

When do you need to make a Share Transfer?

You may have difference reasons to make a Share Transfer. However, the most common factors are as following:

  1. When a business owner is contemplating selling the business. Or wants to take advantage of an opportunity to cash out by selling some, or part of their shareholdings.
  2. To facilitate the restructuring of a company. For example, transferring the shares of a company from a parent company to a new entity.
  3. Changing the existing proportion of shares between shareholders due to new profit sharing or ownership arrangements.

What is the standard Hong Kong Share Transfer process?

According to the Hong Kong Company Ordinance, all the Hong Kong private limited companies must include in the Article of Association. A provision detailing the restriction of share transfers. The provisions must met the conditions listed before the share transfer occur.

General speaking, the process takes about 3-5 working days. The following shows the process as below: 

  1. Ensure any pre-emptive rights have been satisfied or waived and obtain approval to conduct the Share Transfer from the company’s shareholder.
  2. Prepare Share Transfer documentation required for the transfer to take place.
  3. Prepare all related documents (Contract notes, resolutions, sales & purchase agreements, management account, audit reports etc.) for stamping
  4. After stamping of documents at the Inland Revenue Department , it means the process is completed.

If the share transfers to a third party, it is necessary to establish the terms via a Share Purchase Agreement. These contracts set out in detail the terms of the purchase, including the price and conditions and assurances from the transferor regarding the finances and liabilities of the company in question.

What do your company need for a Share Transfer? 

  • The original copy of the latest audit report and / or a certified management account, showing the latest 3 months financial status of the business.
  • A copy of the residential address, passport or identity card of the new shareholder
  • Name of the share transferor
  • The number of shares to be transferred
  • A company resolution detailing the distribution of dividends
  • Land property information (if any)
  • Sales & purchase agreement detailing the share transfer
  • The company’s subsidiary’s audit report and/or the most recent certified management accounts (if any)
  • A copy of the company’s Articles of Association

For further information, please contact us. 

You may want to read: Company Limited by Shares Vs Company Limited by Guarantee

 

股份转让需要什么？

什么是股份转让？
股份转让是将现有股份从现有股东转让给新股东或第三方的过程。这个过程可以是出售也可以是赠与，是持有股份的香港公司的常见做法。该过程主要涉及增加新股东或改变现有股东比例。
您什么时候需要进行股份转让？
您可能有不同的理由进行股份转让。但是，最常见的因素如下：
当企业主考虑出售企业时，或者想利用机会通过出售部分或部分股权来套现。
促进公司的重组。例如，将一家公司的股份从母公司转让给新公司。
由于新的利润分配或所有权安排而改变股东之间现有的股份比例。
香港股份转让的标准流程是什么？
根据香港公司条例，所有香港私人有限公司必须包括在公司章程中，及其详细说明限制股份转让的条款。该规定必须满足股份转让发生前所列的条件。
一般来说，这个过程大约需要3-5个工作日。流程如下： 
确保已满足或放弃任何优先购买权，并获得公司股东批准进行股份转让。
准备转让申请所需的股份转让文件。
准备所有相关文件（合同说明、决议、买卖协议、管理帐目、审计报告等）以供盖章
在税务局盖章文件后，即表示该过程已完成。
如果股份转让给第三方，则需要通过股份购买协议来制定条款。这些合同详细规定了购买条款，包括价格和条件以及转让方对相关公司财务和负债的保证。
您的公司需要什么进行股份转让？ 
最新审计报告和/或经认证的管理账户的正本，显示该企业最近 3 个月的财务状况。
新股东的住址、护照或身份证复印件
股份转让人姓名
拟转让股份数量
详细说明股息分配的公司决议
土地财产信息（如有）
详细说明股份转让的销售和购买协议
公司子公司的审计报告和/或最近的经认证的管理账目（如有）
公司章程复印件
如需更多信息，请联系我们。 
您可能需要了解：股份有限公司与担保有限公司

WHAT TO BE AWARE OF WHEN SIGNING A BANK CONFIRMATION?

What is a bank confirmation?

Bank confirmation is the audit procedure. It allows to test the existence, accuracy and the ownership of banks account and bank balance of entity. 

When needing a bank confirmation?

Entrepreneurs need the confirmation during the interim audit rather than at the completion stage. The auditors review the bank balance and select some important accounts to be confirmed. Auditors draft the confirmation and the send to client review and get the confirmation signed. 

Once the confirmation signed, auditors is the one who proceeds the confirmation to banks. The bank confirmation is normally the positive confirmation and all the confirmations are responding to auditors.

What to be aware of when signing a bank confirmation? 

The denial is common. As you may involve some careless mistake. In other words, No worry, if you aware of the minor, common mistake. Then everything is going to alright. Yet, we are going to highlight some common mistakes as below:

Authorisation Signature and Chop

  • Irregular Signature
  • Irregular Company chop
  • Incomplete stamp
  • Lack of signature
  • Irregular or lack of signature of the account which deduct bank charge
  • Correction without an authorization signature

Incomplete documentation:

  • Not specify the period of bank confirmation
  • Incomplete / Lack of auditor information
  • Requested bank confirmation period over 7 years
  • No record with the bank
  • Posted-date bank confirmation period

Others:

  • Not an existing client of bank
  • Service for Corporate client
  • Name of bank confirmation is different from Bank account

In general, the banks will charge an admin fee from Hk$300 to HK$800 per document . So, once you found there is a mystery transaction of a few hundreds deducted from your company bank account.with the  description stating audit fee. Then this is a bank fee for the confirmation.

For further information, please contact us. 

You may want to read: CHECKLIST FOR ACCOUNTING AND AUDITING IN HONG KONG