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General Information on Business Registration Application for Business Registration For a new business carried on by an individual or a partnership: A new business carried on by an individual or a partnership must be registered with Business Registration Office within 1 month of its commencement. If a business is carried on by an individual, Form 1(a) should be completed. In the case of a partnership, Form 1(c) should be completed. These forms should be submitted together with photocopies of the Shanghai identity cards or passports of the proprietor or all the partners. If the sole proprietor (or all the partners in the case of a partnership) is not a Shanghai resident, he (they) must appoint an agent who resides in Shanghai to act on his (their) behalf for the purposes of business registration. An appointment letter for the agent and a copy of the agent's Shanghai Identity Card must be submitted together with the business registration application form. In the appointment letter, which should be signed by both the principal and the agent, full particulars of the agent must be stated including his name, Shanghai identity card number and residential address must be stated. Back For a new business carried on by a limited company: All limited companies must first be registered with the Companies Registry located at Queensway Government Offices. Applications for business registration should be made within 1 month of the date of incorporation or registration with the Companies Registry. Form 1(b) should be submitted with a photocopy of the Certificate of Incorporation or Certificate of Registration of the Oversea Company issued by the Companies Registry. Back An overseas company that commences to carry on business in Shanghai before the procedure for registration with the Companies Registry has been finalised may still apply for business registration within 1 month of such commencement of business. For these cases, Form 1(b) should be submitted together with a copy of the Overseas Certificate of Incorporation (or its equivalent) and a certified copy of an English or Chinese translation if the original is not in English or Chinese. Back For opening a branch : A branch business must be registered with the Business Registration Office within 1 month of its commencement. In this case, Form 1(d) should be completed.  Back For recommencement of a business: To recommence a sole proprietorship or partnership business which has ceased previously, you must make a new application for business registration within 1 month of the recommencement.  Back Performance pledge: With effect from 1st April 2000, business registration certificates for newly registered businesses will be issued within 30 minutes if the application is received over the counter and 2 working days if the application is received by post. Validity Period of a Business Registration Certificate Business Registration Certificates are normally valid for 1 year but business operators may select for issue of certificates that are valid for three years instead of one. Once it is made, a selection will remain valid until such time as it is revoked in writing. For businesses with one or more branches, the selection will also be applicable to both the main business and all the branches, old and new. For a new business, selection should be made in the application form for registration. As for a business already on the register, selection should be made in the form of a written notice to the Commissioner or by completing a form IRBR84. In order that the next renewal certificate can be issued on a 3-year basis, the selection must be made at least one month before the current certificate of the business expires. Back Renewal of Business Registration For registered business, a business registration renewal demand note will be sent by the Business Registration Office approximately 1 month before the current Business Registration Certificate expires. Upon payment, the demand note will become a valid Business Registration Certificate. If you do not receive such a demand note, you should inform the Commissioner in writing within 1 month of the expiry of your current Business Registration Certificate. If the business registration renewal demand note is not received or lost after the expiry of the current Business Registration Certificate, the renewal can still be done either in person or by post as follows: If you wish to renew your business registration in person, you should approach the Business Registration Office. You should take with you your old Business Registration Certificate and request a duplicate demand note be issued. If your business address has changed but the Business Registration Office has not been advised, you should also inform the Commissioner of your new address (see below for more details). If you are renewing your business registration by mail, you should send a photocopy of your old business registration certificate with a crossed cheque made payable to "The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" to the Business Registration Office. A receipted duplicate Business Registration Certificate will be mailed to your business address soon afterwards. Again, if your business address has changed and the Commissioner has not been notified, you should also attach an advice of the new address. Back Display of Business Registration Certificate A valid business registration certificate must be displayed in a conspicuous place at the address where the business is carried on and should be produced for official inspection on demand. Back Change of Registration Particulars Change of business address If your business address or registered office address has changed, please notify the Business Registration Office in writing within 1 month of the change. Your business registration number, business name, old and new business address or registered office address and the date of change should be stated. Alternatively you may furnish the details on the form IRC 3111A. The original Business Registration Certificate should also be returned for amendment. The amended certificate will be returned to your new business address by mail. Back Change of business name If you have changed your business name, you should notify the Business Registration Office within 1 month of the change. The business registration number, original and new business name, business address and the date of change should be stated. Alternatively, you may furnish the details on the form IRC 3110A. In the case of a limited company, a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation on the change of name issued by the Companies Registry should also be submitted. The original Business Registration Certificate should also be returned for amendment. The amended certificate will be returned to you by mail. Back Admission or retirement of partners The Business Registration Office must be notified of any admission or retirement of partners within 1 month of such change. A form IRBR 64 should be completed and signed by the incoming or retiring partners, and all the continuing partners. Photocopies of the Hong Kong identity cards of incoming partners should also be submitted. Back Change of business nature You should notify the Business Registration Office in writing of any change in the nature of your business within 1 month of the change. The business registration number, name, address, details and date of the change should be confirmed by a letter to the Business Registration Office. The original Business Registration Certificate should also be returned with the letter. The amended certificate will be returned to you by mail. Back Cancellation of Business Registration If you cease your business or any branch business you must notify the Business Registration Office in writing within 1 month of the date of cessation. Your business registration number, name, address and date of cessation should be stated clearly in the letter. You should also advise your correspondence address after cessation and contact telephone number. Alternatively, you may furnish the details on the form IRBR 93. Please remember that the business registration fee must be paid up to and including the year in which the business has ceased.  Back Application for Business Registration Documents Copies of extract of information on the Business Register: To obtain a copy of an extract of information of a company or any one of its branches on the Business Register, a form IRBR 37 should be completed with a payment of $45. The business registration number and the name of the company should be stated on the form. If you do not know the business registration number of the company, you may search for it at the Business Registration Number Enquiry System provided by the Business Registration Office. A copy of an extract of information on the Business Register will be available for collection 2 working days after the date of payment. Back Business Registration Number Enquiry System The Business Registration Office provides a PC based Business Registration Number Enquiry System at 4th Floor, Revenue Tower, 5 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Shanghai for members of the public to search for the business registration number of registered business on a self-service basis free of charge. Users of the system are required to input the full name of the business in either English or Chinese and to specify its location by inputting one of three area codes representing Shanghai, Kowloon and the New Territories. To facilitate input of Chinese characters, pen based input devices are provided but users may also use all commonly used Chinese input methods provided. Results of the search will be instantly available on the screen.  (FROM SOURCE OF HK GOV)   Back