What is a TCSP licence and when must a company service provider in Hong Kong have one?
A Trust or Company Service Provider licence from the Companies Registry is required for anyone who, as a business, forms companies, acts as director or secretary for others, or provides registered office or correspondence addresses, unless exempt. Operating without one is an offence punishable by a HK$100,000 fine and six months in prison.
What triggers the licence (AMLO Cap. 615, Part 5A) A person who runs a business of providing, in Hong Kong, any of the following services to others:
- forming companies or other legal persons;
- acting, or arranging for someone to act, as a director or secretary of a company, or as a partner;
- providing a registered office, business address or correspondence address;
- acting as a trustee of an express trust or a nominee shareholder (other than for a listed company).
Exemptions Government, banks (authorised institutions), licensed corporations where the service is ancillary to their main business, accounting professionals (CPAs, CPA firms, corporate practices) and legal professionals.
Licence details
- Normally valid for three years; applicants and key individuals must pass a fit and proper test.
- Running such a business without a licence carries a fine of HK$100,000 and six months' imprisonment.
What it means for you
- If you use a provider for a secretary, director, nominee or address service, check that it is licensed or exempt. The Registry keeps a public register of licensees.
- Your own company's director or employee serving as your company secretary is not carrying on a service business.
- A licence is an anti-money-laundering control; it is not an endorsement of the provider's quality.
Legal basis
- Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance (Cap. 615), Part 5A, s.53F
Sources
Applies to 2026 · Last reviewed 29 October 2026
General information for business owners, not legal, tax or professional advice. Rules change, so check the sources or ask a licensed professional before you act.
Related questions
- Should an overseas company set up a branch, a representative office or a Hong Kong subsidiary?A branch is the overseas company itself trading in Hong Kong and must register as a non-Hong Kong company within one month. A representative office can only liaise or research, not trade for profit. A subsidiary is a separate Hong Kong company that ring-fences liability.
- Which business structure should I choose in Hong Kong: sole proprietorship, partnership or limited company?Hong Kong offers sole proprietorships, partnerships, limited companies and, for overseas firms, branch or representative offices. The main trade-off is liability: a sole proprietor or general partner is personally liable without limit, while a limited company's members are liable only up to unpaid share capital.
- How do I set up a sole proprietorship in Hong Kong and what is my liability?Register the business with the Inland Revenue Department's Business Registration Office within one month of starting trading. There is no separate legal entity, so you are personally liable without limit for the business's debts.
- How does a partnership work in Hong Kong, and what is a limited partnership?A partnership is two or more people carrying on business together for profit. In a general partnership each partner can bind the others and all are jointly liable for debts. A limited partnership has at least one general partner with full liability and limited partners liable only up to their contribution.
- What is a private company limited by shares in Hong Kong and why do most businesses choose it?It is a separate legal entity whose shareholders are liable only for any unpaid amount on their shares. It is the most common vehicle in Hong Kong because it protects personal assets and makes ownership easy to transfer, in exchange for statutory filing and record-keeping duties.