- ICRIS is the Companies Registry’s core system for Hong Kong company records. You use it through the official e-Services Portal at www.e-services.cr.gov.hk.
- You can search without an account as an Unregistered Online User. A registered e-Search subscription is optional and costs HK$500 per year for a principal account.
- Basic searches are free: company name, document index, charges index and disqualification orders index.
- Paid searches add depth: a Company Particulars Report costs HK$22, and director or image-record searches are chargeable.
- Director names are public. Usual residential addresses and full ID numbers are protected or withheld from general public inspection.
- What is ICRIS? The Companies Registry's online system for searching Hong Kong company information.
- Where do I search? The official e-Services Portal at www.e-services.cr.gov.hk.
- Is a search free? Yes for basic name, document-index, charges and disqualification searches. A Company Particulars Report is HK$22.
- Do I need an account? No for basic e-Search. Register only if you want a paid subscription or e-Filing.
ICRIS (the Integrated Companies Registry Information System) is what most people mean when they search for a Hong Kong company online. If you landed here looking for the government portal, go straight to the Companies Registry e-Services Portal.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- What ICRIS is and how it differs from the Companies Registry itself
- How to access the official portal, with or without an account
- What you can search for free versus what you pay for
- How to run a company search step by step
- What’s public about your own company, and how Sleek helps keep filings accurate
What is ICRIS in Hong Kong?
ICRIS is the Integrated Companies Registry Information System, the Companies Registry’s core platform for storing and searching Hong Kong company records. The public face of that system is the e-Services Portal, launched with the revamped ICRIS on 27 December 2023.
Through e-Search on the portal, you can look up a company by name or number, view basic particulars, browse filed-document indexes and buy image records or reports. The same portal also supports e-Filing of statutory forms, but this guide stays on the search side.
ICRIS is the tool. The Hong Kong Companies Registry is the institution behind it.
How do you access ICRIS?
Go to the Companies Registry e-Services Portal at www.e-services.cr.gov.hk. You can use it on a desktop, smartphone or tablet. English and Chinese are available on the site.
You have three access routes:
- Unregistered Online User: select Unregistered User Services and search without creating an account.
- Registered user with e-Search subscription: log in after paying the annual e-Search fee for lower image-record fees and keyword name search.
- Onsite: visit the Companies Registry e-Services Centre on the 13th floor of Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong (weekday office hours).
Help-desk contacts published by the Registry include the 24-hour help desk on (852) 8201 8273 and [email protected].
Do you need an ICRIS account for a free company search?
No. You can run free e-Search services without registering. Account registration is optional for search, and mandatory only if you need e-Filing or Access to Withheld / Protected Information services.
If you do subscribe to e-Search as a Registered Online User, the Companies Registry charges:
|
Account type |
Annual fee |
|
Principal account |
HK$500 |
|
Each subsequent account |
HK$100 |
Registered e-Search users can use keyword company-name search (a payable mode) and pay lower fees for some image-record downloads. Occasional users usually start as unregistered users and only subscribe if they search often.
What can you search in ICRIS?
You can search company names and numbers, view indexes of filed documents and charges, and buy deeper reports on particulars and directors. The main e-Search options are:
Search | What you get | Free or paid |
Company Name Search | Status, incorporation / registration date, name history, company type, dissolution date if any | Free |
Document Index Search | List of filed documents, filing dates and processing status | Free |
Charges Index Search | List of registered charges with basic descriptions and dates | Free |
Disqualification Orders Index | People or bodies currently disqualified from acting as directors | Free |
Company Particulars Search | Registered office, share capital, shareholders, directors and company secretary | Paid |
Directors Index Search | Directors of a company, or the companies a person directs | Paid |
Image Record Search | Digitised copies of filed documents | Paid |
The company number shown in ICRIS is the Companies Registry number (CRN). That is different from a Business Registration Number. For the difference, see BRN vs CRN explained, and for BR lookups see business registration number enquiry.
What is free vs paid on ICRIS?
The index searches are free, and reports, director details and document images are paid. Start with the free searches: a Company Name Search and Document Index alone often tell you whether a company is live, when it was incorporated and which returns it has filed. Only pay once you need the deeper detail.
Here are the current Companies Registry e-Search fees:
|
Service |
Fee (HK$) |
|
Company Name, Document Index, Charges Index, Disqualification Orders Index |
Free |
|
Company Particulars Report |
22 per company |
|
Directors Index (company-based) |
11 per company |
|
Director Particulars Search |
11 per director |
|
Directors Index (director-based) |
22 per director |
|
Image record (online) |
9 to 29 per document |
|
e-Search annual subscription |
500 principal / 100 subsequent account |
|
Certificate of continuing registration |
170 |
|
Certifying fee (certified copy or extract) |
130 |
Image-record fees vary by document type and by whether you are a registered or unregistered user. Fees change over time, so confirm the live list under Service Fees on the e-Services Portal, or on the Registry’s Major Fees page, before you pay.
How do you search a company in ICRIS step by step?
Open the e-Services Portal, log in or continue as an unregistered user, pick your search type, enter the company name or number, then view the free results or buy a paid report. Here is the full online flow.
Step 1: Go to the portal
Open www.e-services.cr.gov.hk on a computer or mobile device, and choose English or Chinese.
Step 2: Choose how to log in
Select Unregistered User Services to search without an account, or log in to your registered account if you have one.
Step 3: Open the Search menu
Pick a search type: Company Name Search, Document Index, Charges Index, Directors Index, Company Particulars or Image Record.
Step 4: Pick your name-search mode
For a free search, use Left Partial Search (type the start of the name and leave off endings like “Limited” or “有限公司”) or Exact Name Search (type the full name exactly, including punctuation, spacing and the ending). Keyword search is a paid mode for registered users only.
Step 5: Scan the result list
A left partial search shows up to 500 records, with the total count on the first page. Enter a longer string to narrow a broad result.
Step 6: Open the company record
Review the free basics: status, incorporation or registration date, name history and company type.
Step 7: Browse the Document Index (free)
See which documents have been filed, their dates and processing status. Use a Document Group, such as “Directors, Company Secretary and Authorized Representatives”, to jump to the filings you want.
Step 8: Buy deeper detail if you need it
Order a Company Particulars Report (HK$22) for the registered office, share capital, shareholders, directors and company secretary, or order image records of specific filings.
Step 9: Pay online
Use a credit card (VISA, Mastercard, JCB, UnionPay), Apple Pay or Google Pay, FPS, or PPS Shop&Buy. A digital receipt appears on screen.
Step 10: Download or view the result
Ordered items are usually ready within 5 minutes and stay in the download area for 7 calendar days. Image records open in a PDF viewer. Certified copies come as hard copies, collected at the e-Services Centre or posted for a handling charge.
Save or print your results before you leave the screen. Online viewing is one-time: once you exit the results page, ICRIS clears it. Unregistered users should also keep the Order Number and Download Code from the digital receipt, since you need them to re-download within the 7-day window. The portal logs you out after 20 minutes of inactivity.
How do you read ICRIS search results?
Start with status and dates, then move to people, address and filings. A typical free name-search result or paid particulars report will cover:
- Company status: live, dissolved, in liquidation or other status flags.
- Incorporation or registration date, and any company-name history.
- Company type and, for non-Hong Kong companies, place of incorporation.
- Registered office (on a paid Company Particulars Report for local and re-domiciled companies).
- Current directors, reserve directors and company secretary (paid searches / reports).
- Share capital and shareholders where applicable (particulars report).
- Document index entries: annual returns, incorporation forms and other filings you can order as image records.
If the company has registered charges, the free Charges Index shows the list before you buy deeper charge documents.
What information about your company is public?
A lot of company information is public, including director names. Anyone who runs a company search can usually see your company’s status, incorporation date, name history and, through paid reports, directors and the registered office.
That is the privacy point customers often raise: “when somebody does a company search, I do not want my name to become there as director.” In Hong Kong, director names are part of the public register. What is no longer open to general search is different:
- Usual residential addresses and full identification numbers filed on or after 24 October 2022 are treated as Protected Information.
- From 27 December 2023, data subjects may also apply to withhold earlier residential addresses and full ID numbers (Withheld Information).
- Protected and Withheld Information are available only to specified persons under Cap. 622N, not to the general public.
Beneficial ownership sits on a different register. For that regime, see the Significant Controllers Register.
What do people use ICRIS for?
Due diligence, name checks and verifying that a company is real and current. Common business uses include:
- Checking a supplier or client before you sign: status, directors and recent filings.
- Confirming a company name is available or already taken before you incorporate.
- Verifying the registered office and company number against a contract or invoice.
- Reviewing what the public can see about your own company after a director or address change.
For CFOs and operations managers, ICRIS is a first-pass due-diligence tool. For first-time founders, the free name search is often the starting point before incorporating with Sleek.
How Sleek helps with incorporation and Companies Registry filings
Looking a company up on ICRIS is free for the basics. Keeping your own record accurate is ongoing work. Sleek handles incorporation and Companies Registry filings so the public register reflects the right directors, address and returns.
With Sleek, you can:
- Incorporate your Hong Kong company and get the filings onto the register correctly from day one.
- Keep annual returns and changes of particulars filed on time, so a search of your company shows current information.
- Work with one team for secretarial and compliance, instead of chasing separate Registry logins and deadlines.
Sleek does not replace the official e-Services Portal for public searches. It keeps your company’s side of the register tidy while you use ICRIS to check others.
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