Most fee tables you will find for the Hong Kong Business Registration Certificate show HK$2,200 and a levy of zero.
Both figures were correct until 31 March 2026. Neither is correct now.
The short answer
| Certificate | Registration fee | Levy | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| One year | HK$2,200 | HK$150 | HK$2,350 |
| Three years | — | — | HK$6,170 |
The HK$150 Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund levy was waived from April 2024 to March 2026. It came back on 1 April 2026.
That two-year waiver is why so much published guidance is wrong right now. Pages written during the waiver quoted a levy of zero, and most have not been updated.
One year or three years
The three-year certificate is not simply three times the one-year price.
| One year | Three years | |
|---|---|---|
| Total cost | HK$2,350 | HK$6,170 |
| Cost per year | HK$2,350 | about HK$2,057 |
| Saving over three years | — | about HK$880 |
Take the three-year certificate when the company is clearly going to keep trading. The saving is real and it removes two renewal deadlines from your calendar, which is worth more than the money for a company run from abroad.
Take the one-year when the business is new, uncertain, or you might close it. Paying three years up front for a company you dissolve in eighteen months is a poor trade.
The administrative saving matters more than the cash saving. Every renewal is a date you have to catch from another timezone, and a missed one costs more than the certificate.
The renewal clock
Renewal is not something you initiate. The Inland Revenue Department comes to you.
- The IRD issues a demand note about one month before expiry
- Payment is due within one month of the demand note date
- The certificate renews on the anniversary of the original registration, annually or triennially
Two structural problems for a non-resident owner:
- The demand note goes to the registered address in Hong Kong, which for most foreign-owned companies is a service provider. If they do not forward it promptly, the first you hear of it is when it is late
- The window is short. One month of notice, one month to pay. There is no long runway
This is the practical argument for the three-year certificate: it turns three chances to miss a deadline into one.
What happens if it expires
An expired BR certificate is not a dormant administrative issue.
- The business is operating without a valid registration, which is an offence
- A penalty applies on late payment
- Banks and counterparties asking for a current certificate will see the gap
- The company remains liable for the fee regardless, so waiting saves nothing
The compounding problem is that the BR renewal sits alongside the annual return and the profits tax return, on different clocks. A company that loses track of one has usually lost track of the others, and the penalties are separate.
Losing the certificate
This happens more than people admit, and it is fixable.
If the certificate was issued electronically: re-download it from your GovHK account. No fee.
If it was issued on paper: apply to the Business Registration Office for a duplicate of the valid certificate, through GovHK, and pay the prescribed fee, typically around HK$150.
Two things worth knowing:
- A duplicate is not a new registration. The number does not change and the expiry date does not move
- You can only get a duplicate of a valid certificate. If it has expired, the answer is renewal, not a duplicate
The display obligation, briefly
The certificate must be displayed at the place of business. For a company operating from a service provider's registered office, this is handled by the provider as part of the service.
The rules on which number appears where, and which one a form is actually asking for, are covered separately in our guide to the Hong Kong business registration number.
Budgeting for it
The BR fee is one of a small number of unavoidable annual costs for a Hong Kong company.
| Annual item | Approximate |
|---|---|
| BR certificate | HK$2,350, or HK$2,057 a year on the three-year |
| Annual return (NAR1), filed on time | HK$105 |
| Company secretary and registered office | typically bundled |
| Audit | required, no small-company exemption |
The BR fee is the second largest fixed government cost after the audit, and unlike the audit it does not scale with anything. A dormant company pays the same HK$2,350 as a trading one, which is worth knowing before committing to the full annual cost of a Hong Kong company.
The summary
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| One-year certificate | HK$2,350 |
| Three-year certificate | HK$6,170 |
| Why the price changed | the HK$150 levy returned on 1 April 2026 |
| Who initiates renewal | the IRD, by demand note |
| How much notice | about one month, then one month to pay |
| Lost electronic certificate | free re-download from GovHK |
| Lost paper certificate | duplicate, around HK$150 |
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Hong Kong business registration fee in 2026?
HK$2,350 for a one-year certificate, made up of a HK$2,200 registration fee and a HK$150 levy. A three-year certificate is HK$6,170.
Why do other sites say HK$2,200?
The HK$150 levy was waived from April 2024 to March 2026. Pages written in that window quote a levy of zero and have not been updated.
Is the three-year certificate cheaper?
Yes. It works out at about HK$2,057 a year, saving roughly HK$880 over three years, and removes two renewal deadlines.
When do I renew?
On the anniversary of registration. The IRD sends a demand note about a month before expiry and payment is due within a month of that note.
What happens if my BR certificate expires?
The business is operating without valid registration, which is an offence, and a penalty applies. The fee remains payable regardless.
I lost my BR certificate. What do I do?
If it was issued electronically, re-download it free from GovHK. If it was paper, apply to the Business Registration Office for a duplicate and pay the prescribed fee, typically around HK$150.
Does a duplicate change my registration number?
No. The number and the expiry date are unchanged.
Can I get a duplicate of an expired certificate?
No. Duplicates are only issued for valid certificates. An expired one needs renewal.
Does a dormant company still pay the BR fee?
Yes. The fee is flat and does not depend on activity.
Where does the demand note go?
To the registered address in Hong Kong, which for a foreign-owned company is usually the service provider who must forward it.
Sources
- Inland Revenue Department: business registration fee and levy
- Companies Registry: business registration and company records
- Labour Department: Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund levy
The registration fee and the levy are set by the Hong Kong government and have both been changed at short notice in recent budgets: the levy was waived for two years and restored on 1 April 2026, and the fee itself has moved more than once. Confirm the current figures against the Inland Revenue Department before budgeting, particularly around the start of a financial year.