- In Hong Kong, a Certificate of Good Standing is the market name for the Companies Registry’s Certificate of Continuing Registration (CCR).
- It confirms your company remains on the Companies Register as at the date of issue. It doesn’t prove solvency, tax compliance or financial health.
- The fee is HK$170. Postal or courier delivery costs extra.
- It’s normally available within six hours of ordering, excluding non-service hours and non-working days.
- Apply online via the Registry’s e-Services Portal (e-Search Services), or in person at the e-Services Centre, 13/F Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway.
- What is it? Official proof your company is still registered with the Companies Registry on the issue date. Official name: Certificate of Continuing Registration.
- Cost? HK$170 per copy.
- How fast? Usually within 6 hours (excluding non-service hours and non-working days).
- Where? e-Services Portal or the e-Services Centre at 13/F, 66 Queensway.
A Certificate of Good Standing in Hong Kong (officially a Certificate of Continuing Registration) is issued by the Companies Registry and confirms that a company remains on the register as at the date of issue. Banks, lenders and overseas registries often ask for it.
It isn’t the same as a Certificate of Incorporation or a Business Registration Certificate, and it doesn’t certify financial health.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- What a Certificate of Good Standing is in Hong Kong, and why it’s the same as a Certificate of Continuing Registration (CCR)
- What the certificate proves, and what it doesn’t (vs incorporation and Business Registration)
- When banks, lenders and overseas registries usually ask for one
- How to apply online or in person, what it costs (HK$170), and how long it takes
What is a Certificate of Good Standing in Hong Kong?
A Certificate of Good Standing is the Companies Registry document that certifies a named company is incorporated or registered under the Companies Ordinance and remains on the Companies Register as at the date of issue.
The certificate shows the company’s current name and its date of incorporation, registration or re-domiciliation, per the Registry’s Certificate of Continuing Registration pamphlet.
That’s the whole job: continuing registration, not a clean bill of financial health.
It covers live Hong Kong-incorporated companies, registered non-Hong Kong companies, and re-domiciled companies. Anyone may apply for any live company in those categories. You don’t need to be a director or shareholder.
Is a Certificate of Good Standing the same as a Certificate of Continuing Registration?
Yes. In Hong Kong they’re the same document. The Companies Registry’s official title is Certificate of Continuing Registration (CCR). Banks, overseas counsel and international counterparties usually ask for a “Certificate of Good Standing”, so that’s the phrase most founders search for.
When someone asks for a Hong Kong Certificate of Good Standing, order a CCR from the Companies Registry. Don’t hunt for a separate product with a different form name.
What does the certificate prove, and what doesn’t it prove?
It proves one thing: that your company was still on the Companies Register on the day the certificate was issued.
The Registry’s Certificate of Continuing Registration pamphlet certifies that the named company “is a company incorporated in Hong Kong, a registered non-Hong Kong company or a re-domiciled company under the Companies Ordinance and the company remains registered in the Companies Register as at the date of issue.”
It doesn’t prove:
- Solvency, creditworthiness or “good financial standing”
- That profits tax or Business Registration fees have been paid
- That annual returns are up to date. It isn’t a filing-compliance audit
- That you can trade. That’s what a Business Registration Certificate is for
It also isn’t a replacement for your formation documents. Your Certificate of Incorporation, Certificate of Re-domiciliation or Certificate of Registration of a Non-Hong Kong Company record that the company came into existence. The CCR records that it still exists.
| Document | Issuer | What it proves |
|---|---|---|
| CCR / Certificate of Good Standing | Companies Registry | The company is still registered, as at the issue date |
| Certificate of Incorporation | Companies Registry | The company was formed |
| Business Registration Certificate | Inland Revenue Department | Business registration and tax file identity |
Want to see what the public register currently shows before you order? Run a Hong Kong company search first.
Counterparties often treat "good standing" as a credit or solvency signal. It isn't. The CCR only speaks to live registration on the issue date. If a bank or lender wants financial comfort, they'll still ask for accounts, tax filings or a separate KYC pack.
When do you actually need a Certificate of Good Standing?
Most companies only need one when someone asks for it. There’s no statutory requirement to hold a CCR, and no reason to order one for your own files.
Every request comes from outside the business:
- Bank account opening or KYC refresh: corporate banks and payment providers often want registry proof that the entity is still live
- Lending, credit cards or vendor onboarding: lenders and counterparties use it as a status check
- Overseas registration or licensing: registering as a foreign entity in another jurisdiction commonly requires a home-registry good-standing certificate
- Tenders, due diligence or M&A: buyers and counsel may request a fresh CCR dated close to signing
So if nobody has asked, don’t order one. If someone has, order a fresh one. The certificate speaks only to the day it was issued, and counterparties want to know how things stand now, not how they stood two years ago.
How do you apply for a Certificate of Good Standing in Hong Kong?
Apply online through the Companies Registry’s e-Services Portal, or in person at the e-Services Centre.
If you’re working from an old checklist that points to the Cyber Search Centre at icris.cr.gov.hk, that route is retired.
Online (e-Services Portal)
- Open the e-Services Portal and go to e-Search Services
- Order a Certificate of Continuing Registration for the company
- Pay HK$170
- Choose how to receive it: collect at the e-Services Centre, or have it posted or couriered for an extra handling charge
While you’re in the portal, it also handles the wider Hong Kong Companies Registry searches and filings you may need alongside the certificate.
In person
The Registry’s e-Services Centre is on the 13th Floor, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong.
Remember that an onsite application must be collected onsite. There’s no option to have it sent to you afterwards.
The "within 6 hours" clock pauses overnight and on non-working days. An order placed late on a Friday afternoon may not be ready until the next working day. Build that buffer into bank or tender deadlines before you promise a same-day pickup.
What does a Certificate of Good Standing cost, and how long does it take?
The Companies Registry fee is HK$170 per copy, and a CCR is normally ready within 6 hours of order (excluding non-service hours and non-working days).
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Fee | HK$170 per certificate |
| Turnaround | Normally available within 6 hours of ordering, excluding non-service hours and non-working days |
| Collection | At the e-Services Centre, or by post or courier for an extra handling charge |
| Delivery time | Postal and courier transit time is additional and not included in the six hours |
The six-hour figure is the Registry’s own stated turnaround, for both onsite collection and dispatch to the postal or courier agent.
Service-provider mark-ups (if someone obtains it for you) sit on top of the Registry fee. Always separate the government fee from any handling charge.
Who can get a Certificate of Good Standing, and who can’t?
Any member of the public can apply, for any live company. You don’t need to be a director, shareholder, or authorised representative of the company you are searching.
Eligible companies:
- Companies incorporated in Hong Kong
- Registered non-Hong Kong companies
- Re-domiciled companies under the Companies Ordinance
Not eligible:
- Companies that have been deregistered or struck off. The certificate confirms continuing registration, so a company no longer on the register can’t have one issued.
The inclusion of re-domiciled companies is recent, following Hong Kong’s introduction of an inward company re-domiciliation regime. If you’ve moved a company into Hong Kong, the CCR is available to you and will show the re-domiciliation date.
If your company has lapsed and you need proof of standing, restoration comes first. That is a corporate-secretarial exercise rather than a search, and worth advice before you start.
How Sleek helps with getting a Certificate of Good Standing
A licensed company secretary can order the CCR when you need it and keep the filings that keep the company eligible for one.
With Sleek, you can:
- Order the CCR on demand: Get the Companies Registry certificate when a bank, lender or overseas registry asks for it.
- Stay on the live register: Annual returns, statutory registers and BR renewal kept current so you’re still eligible to receive one.
- Incorporate cleanly: Start with Hong Kong incorporation or foreign-founder incorporation if the company isn’t formed yet.
- Hand ongoing compliance to one team: Use the company secretary service so the next request is a process, not a scramble.
Sleek is a Companies Registry-licensed TCSP. That means document fetches sit inside the same filing workflow that keeps the company live.
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FAQs about the Certificate of Good Standing in Hong Kong
No. A CCR isn’t a filing-compliance or tax-payment certificate. You can be live on the register and still have late returns or outstanding BR demand notes. Keep your annual return and BR renewal on schedule independently of any good-standing request.
No. The CCR is for companies on the Companies Register: live Hong Kong-incorporated companies, registered non-Hong Kong companies and re-domiciled companies. A sole proprietorship or ordinary partnership isn’t that vehicle. For a limited company, start with Hong Kong incorporation.
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