Before incorporating a local limited company in Hong Kong, the first significant move is to choose a company name. You also want to make sure that the proposed name is appropriate for registration when it comes to picking a company name in Hong Kong.
You should not take the risk of selecting a name that the Companies Registry could condemn. Filing a new application would cost you time and money.
Let’s just imagine that you chose a name and started a company, but now you want to change it. What are you going to do? Do you know how to completely change the name of a company? Or do you know where you can search a company name’s availability?
And after establishing a Hong Kong corporation, if you want to change the name of the company, there is a document in the Hong Kong Ordinance that allows a company to do this. To get a complete overview of the process, keep on reading the article.
Company Name in Hong Kong
The first step is to select a company name to commence business activities in Hong Kong. You have to make sure that the proposed name is suitable for registration purposes while choosing the name for your Hong Kong business.
E.g., two businesses cannot have the same name assigned or a name that is too close to one another. Since corporations do not afford the risk of using a name that could be refused by the government, before making your final choice, it is best to review the rules encircling a given name.
Hong Kong General Guidelines for Corporate names
You have to follow certain rules and regulations when it comes to choosing the name of your limited company in Hong Kong. You can’t pick any name you like, as per the Hong Kong Companies Ordinance. To ensure that the company meets the requirements set by the Companies Registry, general constraints and restrictions need to be carefully implemented.
Government Name
Your company’s chosen name can’t contribute to the perception that it is linked to the government of Hong Kong or other government agencies.
Uniqueness
The uniqueness of the name is another norm that should be observed when picking up the business name in Hong Kong. You cannot select a name that is not registered with the records, or a name that is already registered with the records. Any name which is a copy of an already incorporated business corporation would not be accepted.
Language
Language criteria are the first law for deciding a Hong Kong company’s name. You may pick a business name for incorporation in Hong Kong in either Chinese or English, but it cannot be an amalgamation of both in general.
So, if you want to enter the name of an English corporation, the chosen name must have the word ‘Limited’ at the end.
Offensive Name
Company owners however are unable to use a brand that is contradictory to the general interest or derogatory. These types of names are easily rejected by the Companies Registry. The name of the company is confirmed only when, without objection, it obtains permission from the government, i.e., when the company is incorporated with a properly issued Certificate of Incorporation.
Other Company Name Restrictions
If you are cautious enough to ensure that the name you choose for your corporation incorporated in Hong Kong doesn’t end up in trouble, it would be beneficial. The purpose is to make sure that there is not so much striking similarity between the chosen name and any current business name.
Furthermore, it would not be considered to apply a definite article to the first name of the present position. For instance, if Xyz limited company is an already existing brand, it would not be enough new to add “the” at the beginning of the company, and so the government could refuse it.
Name Changing of the Hong Kong Limited company
A business may still apply to change its name after the incorporation process. If you want to revise the name of the limited company in Hong Kong, you must fill in a special resolution to change the name of the limited company as defined in the Companies Ordinance. Vita Liberta can help you through this.
Collect certificates of the name change
If the directors want to change the company’s name, from the back office, they will obey the directions to change the name. They will give you the official ” Certificate of Name Change” after the company has changed its name legally. After that, the new registered name will allow you to start running your company.
After Changing Company Name
As soon as you change the name of your Hong Kong business, you will also need to update this information in other locations. You can make an announcement of your current preferred name to all interested parties while you have been doing business operations under the previous name.
The places that you may need to change your business name are:
- Business cardYou also should update the name of the company on the business card to let your clients know that you are now running the company under the new identity
- Business Address & Registered AddressIf you’ve changed your company name, you can contact the Business Registration Office within 1 month of the update. It is important to specifically state the business identification number, the current and new business name, the business address, and the date of the change.
- Bank account You must update all business bank accounts and financial agreements if you change your company name.
- Website With the new company name, change the content of your website (and newsletter) and
immediately notify any external websites that connect to it. Also, register a new URL for your
website and create redirects to your main website. - Product and ServicesYou will need to introduce the items/products with the current name after adopting the new corporate name so that consumers get to know that you are offering the same products and services with the new identity.
- Company Agreements and ContractsIf you have legal agreements with current or ongoing buyers before changing the name of the
firm, then you need to amend the contracts with the new corporate name.
Let’s suppose you want to change the name of your business to XYZ limited company after starting a business with the name ABC Limited company. You need to tell the banks about the modifications and apply this update to the business account information to maintain the business under the current company name. The name on your website and other marketing items, such as business cards, brochures, social media accounts, and many more, should also be updated.
Conclusion
You now know more about the name of a company and the process for changing it. As mentioned above, you are also expected to amend all business licenses with the new name when changing the business name to keep the business data in one place.
We will help the business owners at Vita Liberta change their company name and ensure that the new name follows all government regulations. Our online back-office system, which will help make the operation seamless, streamlines our process. For more specifics on changing the name of the venture, feel free to contact us today!
Office in Hong Kong
Address: Office room 77, 7/F, Woon Lee Commercial Building, 7-9 Austin Ave, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Contact
Email: legal@vitaliberta.com
Office Tel: +85268416177
Skype: ygrtima