Change of Company Name

You can always change the company name even after the company registration process is completed. This is very common especially when a company wants to improve its brand awareness. If you decide to start the name change process, the company shall pass a special resolution and notify the Hong Kong Company Registry. Once the Companies Registry and the Inland Revenue Department approve the application, they will issue a name change certificate and a new business license in around 10 business days.

How to choose a new name?

The new name can be expressed in English or in Chinese. If the name is in English, the name should end with the word “Limited”. If the name is in Chinese, the name must end with “有限公司”. Company owners shall observe that there are two types of written Chinese – Traditional and Simplified version. The Hong Kong Company Registry only accept Traditional Chinese for registration purpose and simplified Chinese is not allowed. To come up with a brilliant name, you may want to take notes of the following tips that help to boost up your company image.

What are the steps?

To change the company name,  you shall conduct a name search on the index kept by the Registrar of Companies. You must make sure the name is not offensive or contrary to public interest. For example, wordings such as banks, health, revolution might require further approval. You should also make sure no one trademark the name so you can stay away from dispute. If you are not familiar with the name search procedures, you can read our blog for details.

Once you confirm the name is available, you can start to draft the special resolution. The company shall also prepare and deliver the form NNC2 within 15 days. The name change certificate can usually be ready within one week while the new business registration license usually takes two weeks. Once you receive the new company documents, you should inform your customers and suppliers so they are aware of the changes.

What are the fees to change company name?

Depending on complexity and the choice of your company name, our service fee starts HK$1,395 and this already includes the government registration fee.

Format of the Name Change Certificate

The Company Registrar may issue the name change certificate in either electronic form or hard copy form. Both format have the same legal effect. The format depends on the way of your submission. If you submit the application by traditional paper form, they will issue the certificate in hard copy. If you choose the new channel – e-registry, then the certificate will be provided in digital format. For details, you can contact our Hong Kong company formation team at info@getstarted.hk.