- An HSIC code is the Census and Statistics Department’s industry classification, in five levels from a letter to six digits.
- The incorporation form and annual return want the Companies Registry’s three-digit business nature code, not a six-digit HSIC sub-class.
- Business registration takes a written description. A change of nature is notified within one month, on IRBR193 or eTAX.
- A code and description that don’t match the Registry’s list can get an annual return sent back.
You reach the business nature box on the incorporation form, search for your HSIC code, and come back with six digits that don’t fit. That’s because the form isn’t asking for an HSIC code. It wants the Companies Registry’s three-digit business nature code, which works at a far broader level of the same classification.
Three different forms ask about what your business does, and each wants something different.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- What an HSIC code is, and who publishes it
- Which form wants the Registry’s code, and which wants a written description
- How the five levels fit together, with one worked example
- How to choose your main activity, and what to file when it changes
What is an HSIC code in Hong Kong?
An HSIC code is the Census and Statistics Department’s number for what a business mainly does. The full name is the Hong Kong Standard Industrial Classification, and the current edition is HSIC V2.0.
It is a statistics framework first. The Census and Statistics Department uses it to sort economic units into industries by the nature of their major economic activity, so that industry figures are comparable.
V2.0 was released in 2008 and has been in common use since 2009. It is modelled on the UN’s International Standard Industrial Classification, Revision 4, and adapted for Hong Kong. The first HSIC dates from 1990, and V1.1 followed in 2001.
Which code does your Hong Kong form actually want?
It depends on the form, and only one of them asks for an HSIC code by that name. The incorporation form and the annual return use the Registry’s list. Business registration uses words.
| Where you’re writing | What it wants | Whose list |
|---|---|---|
| NNC1 incorporation form, nature of proposed business | A three-digit code and its description | Companies Registry |
| NAR1 annual return, business nature | A three-digit code and its description | Companies Registry |
| Business registration with the Business Registration Office | The nature of the business, written out | Inland Revenue Department |
| Anything asking for an HSIC code by name | An HSIC code, to six digits if asked | Census and Statistics Department |
The Registry’s list is the List of Code and Description of Business Nature, last updated in December 2024. It is the document to have open when you fill in either Registry form.
Your business registration certificate is a separate matter. It shows the nature of your business in words, and it is maintained by the Business Registration Office rather than the Companies Registry.
The Companies Registry's box takes a code and a description from the Registry's own list, and the two have to agree. A six-digit HSIC sub-class does not belong there. The Registry names an inconsistent code and description as a common reason it returns an annual return for correction.
How do you read the five levels of an HSIC code?
Each level narrows the one above it, from a one-letter section down to a six-digit sub-class. The Census and Statistics Department names them as follows.
| Level | Name | How many | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Industry Section | 21 | One letter, A to U |
| 2 | Industry Division | 88 | Two digits |
| 3 | Industry Group | 221 | Three digits |
| 4 | Industry Class | 483 | Four digits |
| 5 | Industry Sub-class | 1,001 | Six digits |
Here is the Department’s own example, walked from the top:
- G Import/export, wholesale and retail trades
- 47 Retail trade
- 472 Retail sale of food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores
- 4721 Retail sale of food in specialised stores
- 472105 Retail sale of fruits and vegetables, fresh
Now compare the Registry’s list. It has 88 codes, the same number as HSIC’s 88 divisions, and it numbers them the same way: HSIC division 47 is Retail trade, and so is Registry code 047.
So a greengrocer is 472105 in HSIC. On the incorporation form, the same business is 047 Retail trade. The Registry works at the division level, not the sub-class.
How do you choose the code for your main activity?
Pick the one activity that earns most of the company’s money, then find its code on the list the form names. If the company does more than one thing, enter the major activity only.
How to fill in a Registry form
- Open the Registry’s list: the List of Code and Description of Business Nature is the one the incorporation form and annual return use.
- Find your section: all 19 are in the table below.
- Copy the code and description exactly: take the three-digit code that fits, and write the description as the list prints it, not in your own words.
Registry example: in External Circular No. 1/2024, a company wrote “Restaurant” with no valid code. The correct entry is 056 Food and beverage service activities. The code was missing, and the wording didn’t match the list.
The 19 sections on the Registry’s list
| Section | Title | Codes |
|---|---|---|
| A | Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 001–003 |
| B | Mining and quarrying | 005–009 |
| C | Manufacturing | 010–033 |
| D | Electricity and gas supply | 035 |
| E | Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities | 036–039 |
| F | Construction | 041–043 |
| G | Import/export, wholesale and retail trades | 045–047 |
| H | Transportation, storage, postal and courier services | 049–053 |
| I | Accommodation and food service activities | 055–056 |
| J | Information and communications | 058–063 |
| K | Financial and insurance activities | 064–066 |
| L | Real estate activities | 068 |
| M | Professional, scientific and technical activities | 069–075 |
| N | Administrative and support service activities | 077–082, 084 |
| P | Education | 085 |
| Q | Human health and social work activities | 086–088 |
| R | Arts, entertainment and recreation | 090–093 |
| S | Other service activities | 094–096 |
| T | Work activities within domestic households | 097–099 |
Two things catch people out:
- The numbers skip: the Registry notes that “the codes in the list are not a continuous sequence”, so a gap doesn’t mean a code is missing.
- Two codes sit in unexpected sections: public administration is 084, under N. Extraterritorial organisations and bodies is 099, under T.
If a form asks for an HSIC code by name
That’s a different list: the Census and Statistics Department’s full HSIC V2.0 classification, which is more detailed than the Registry’s.
Search a plain description of what you sell on the HSIC V2.0 search tool. If nothing fits, send the Department a general enquiry form describing your main activity. It will reply with a code, which it treats as for reference only.
What do you file if the business nature changes?
Tell the Business Registration Office in writing within one month of the change. Use form IRBR193 or eTAX, and give the new nature and the date it changed. You don’t need an HSIC code.
This is the second of two similar duties. The first applies when a new company starts trading:
| When | What you tell the Business Registration Office | How |
|---|---|---|
| Within one month of starting to trade | The nature of the business and the start date. Also the business name and address, if they differ from the company name and registered office. | Letter or form IRBR200 |
| Within one month of a later change of nature | The new nature and the date it changed | Letter, form IRBR193 or eTAX |
Both duties are on the Inland Revenue Department’s page on changing business registration particulars.
What happens next
- If you’ve just incorporated: the Registry issues your certificate of incorporation and business registration certificate together, whether you incorporate a Hong Kong company in person or set one up from overseas. The business registration certificate shows the nature of business as CORP until you notify that you’ve started trading.
- After you notify a change: the Business Registration Office updates its records within five working days and issues an amended certificate, either on the spot or by post, depending on how you submitted.
- On your next annual return: use the code and description from the Registry’s list, not the wording on your business registration certificate. Notifying the Business Registration Office doesn’t update the Companies Registry.
How Sleek helps you file the right business nature
You now know which list each form wants, and why a six-digit HSIC code ends up in the wrong box. What’s left is getting it right on the forms that carry your company’s name.
With Sleek, you can:
- Incorporate with the code in place: the business nature goes onto NNC1 from the Registry’s list when we file the incorporation.
- Keep a company secretary on it: a Hong Kong company secretary who files NAR1 each year with the same list open.
- Get annual return support: the business nature fields checked against the current list before the return goes in.
- Match the code to the description: a check that the two agree, so the return isn’t sent back for correction.
If you already know your main activity, the right code is usually a two-minute lookup, and we’re glad to do it with you.
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FAQs about HSIC codes in Hong Kong
Can I leave the business nature code blank on the incorporation form?
You can, but the Registry strongly advises against it. Its incorporation guidance says the field is optional, and that the information will be available for public search, which is why a shows it. The annual return lets you leave the fields blank if they don’t apply. If you fill them in, the code and description must match.
What if the HSIC search has no exact match?
Use the Census and Statistics Department’s general enquiry form. You describe your major business activity, its main customers and its broad category, and the Department replies with a code. It states that the code is for reference only, so check it against the Registry’s list before it goes on a company form.
Is an HSIC code the same as a Singapore SSIC or a US SIC code?
No. Each is a separate national classification with its own numbering, so a code from one won’t match another. Hong Kong forms use HSIC, or the Registry’s own business nature list for company filings. If you’re , don’t copy the code from your home registration.
Does choosing the wrong code mean I need a licence?
No. The business nature code describes your activity; it doesn’t grant or require permission to trade. The Inland Revenue Department puts it plainly: “Business registration is not a licence to trade.” Whether you need a licence depends on the activity itself, which the guide to covers.
