Can a non-resident or foreign owner run an online store through a Hong Kong company?

A foreign individual or company can own 100% of a Hong Kong limited company. The Companies Ordinance requires:

• at least one director who is a natural person, aged 18 or over (a private company may have any nationality or residence of director);
• a company secretary who is an individual ordinarily resident in Hong Kong, or a body corporate with a Hong Kong registered office;
• a registered office address in Hong Kong; and
• at least one share issued.

A company is also expected to report its significant controllers (people with more than 25% of shares or voting rights, or who otherwise control it) in a register kept by the company.

Being owned from overseas does not by itself change Hong Kong profits tax: tax follows where the profits arise, not where the owner lives. Tax residence is a separate question from a director's residence; see the answers on locality of profits. Opening a Hong Kong bank account or payment account can involve extra identity and source-of-funds checks for non-resident owners.