Do I need business registration to sell online in Hong Kong?

The Business Registration Ordinance applies to anyone who carries on a business in Hong Kong. It is about what you do, not where the shop window is. Selling through your own Shopify store, a marketplace such as Amazon or HKTVmall, or an Instagram page is the same activity for registration purposes.

A government reply to a Legislative Council (LegCo) question (LCQ14, 10 December 2014) said that where a business conducted over the internet is carried out in Hong Kong, the person running it must apply for registration under the Ordinance. The same reply said the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) checks online businesses and follows up unregistered ones.

The deadline for sole proprietorships and partnerships is within one month of the business starting. The IRD does not accept applications for a business that has not yet started. Companies incorporated in Hong Kong are registered at the same time as incorporation.

Failing to apply for business registration is an offence, with a fine of HK$5,000 and imprisonment for one year (IRD, as of 2026).

Marketplaces often ask sellers for a business registration certificate as part of onboarding. That is a platform rule on top of the legal duty, so check the platform's own seller terms.