According to Hong Kong’s Anti-Money Laundering Ordinance, business centres are allowed to legally provide virtual office services, but they need to hold a legal Trust or Company Service Provider Licence 」。 If a business centre is not licensed to do so, it will be illegal to operate it in Hong Kong. Therefore, businesses should check whether the business center holds a legal license beforehand when choosing a virtual office. You can visit the Hong Kong Companies Registry website and confirm if the chosen Virtual Office is legal by searching for the company name or license number.
In general, it is legal to use a virtual office address as the registered office address.
An invalid virtual office address usually includes the following two situations:
- Hotels: Offering virtual office services in hotels is generally considered illegal.
- Residential: It is also considered illegal to provide virtual office services in residential areas.
In addition to the above, if an address was originally a registered address but is used as a virtual office, it will also be considered illegal. In order to avoid breaking the law, entrepreneurs should check the details in advance when choosing a virtual office.
Companies Registry https://www.tcsp.cr.gov.hk/tcspls/index?lang=en
