The Companies Registry undertakes to implement Unique Business Identifier (“UBI”) by two phases for entities under the administration of the Registrar of Companies. Business Registration Number (“BRN”) (i.e. the first eight digits of the Business Registration Certificate number) assigned by the Business Registration Office of the Inland Revenue Department is adopted as the UBI of companies and entities. Phase 1 was implemented for Limited Partnership Funds with effect from 1 November 2021. Phase 2 will be implemented on 27 December 2023 to cover limited companies and various other entities.
Key features of Phase 2 of UBI on relevant companies and entities with effect from 27 December 2023 include:-
- BRN will be adopted as the “No.” on the “Certificate of Incorporation”, “Certificate of Registration”, or “Certificate of Change of Name” issued by the Registry;
- BRN, instead of the existing company registration number, will have to be quoted on specified forms and documents delivered to the Registry; and
- BRN will be the key number for searching and identifying a company or entity under different services of the Registry.
What is the UBI of my company / entity?
The Business Registration Number (BRN) (i.e., the first 8 digits of the Business Registration Certificate number) assigned by the Business Registration Office of the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) will be adopted as the UBI of companies/entities.
-
New Companies:
- For companies incorporated/registered on or after 27 December 2023, the BRN is also adopted as the “No.” on the “Certificate of Incorporation” or “Certificate of Registration of Non-Hong Kong Company” issued by the Companies Registry.
-
Existing Companies:
-
For existing companies incorporated/registered before 27 December 2023 under the Companies Ordinance and entities formed/registered under miscellaneous ordinances administered by the Registrar of Companies before 27 December 2023 that do not have a BRN (e.g., companies exempted from registration under the Business Registration Ordinance, Cap. 310), a dummy BRN converted from the previous Company Number/CR Number/Company Registration Number will be adopted as the UBI.
-
For an existing local company without a BRN, a “C” will be added as the prefix for the dummy BRN. For other entities without a BRN, the original alphabetic prefix will be used. If the converted number is less than eight digits, zeros will be added between the alphabetic prefix and the numerals to form the dummy BRN.
- Example:
- A local company incorporated before 27 December 2023 with a CR Number “12345” in the Registry’s record but no BRN in the records of the IRD will have a dummy BRN “C0012345” as its UBI.
- Similarly, a registered non-Hong Kong company with a CR Number “F1234” but no BRN record will have a dummy BRN “F0001234.”
- Example:
-
-
Dummy BRN Records:
- Companies/entities with a dummy BRN do not have business records in the Business Register maintained by the IRD. The BRN with alphabetic prefix is only assigned by the Registry for use as a UBI in the absence of business registration records and does not exempt any entity from the statutory requirements of business registration.
- Upon the implementation of the second phase of UBI on entities on 27 December 2023, you can look up the corresponding BRN of a company/entity by the existing Company Number/CR Number/Company Registration Number and vice versa using the “Quick Search > CR No. / BRN Mapping” function provided in the Electronic Search Services of the Companies Registry.
Where can I use the UBI of my company / entity?
- BRN as the UBI can be used in communication with government departments and businesses.
- Upon the implementation of UBI (i.e. 1 November 2021 for LPFs and 27 December 2023 for other types of entities), the BRN shall be used in filing specified forms and documents with the Registry.
- BRN will be the key number used by the Electronic Search Services of the Registry for searching and identifying a company or entity.
How can I obtain evidence on the change in identification number of my company / entity after the implementation of UBI?
- An Information Sheet evidencing the change to use BRN as an identification number of every company on the Companies Register will be made available for public inspection after the launch of the Revamped ICRIS on 27 December 2023. The Information Sheet can be purchased in the form of an image record via the Electronic Search Services on the Registry’s new e-Services portal. Please refer to the information pamphlet “Price Guide to Main Services” which can be downloaded from the “Publications > Information Pamphlets” section of the Registry’s website for the fee required.
- Alternatively, you may apply for a Letter of Confirmation issued by the Registry as evidence after the launch of the Revamped ICRIS on 27 December 2023 via the Electronic Search Services on the Registry’s new e-Services portal. The application form for the Letter of Confirmation can also be downloaded from the “Forms > Other Forms” section of the Registry’s website (www.cr.gov.hk) on or after 27 December 2023. The application fee required is HK$130.
Veritas gives a lot of insights on corporate risks such as tax risk, operation risk, financial risk etc…….which greatly improves our risk management. Greatly recommend to other SME bosses!
Veritas helps me a lot on those tedious compliance stuff, so that I can focus on company operations and boost business performance.
