International registration of a yacht under the Hong Kong flag. Service offer

Ships and yachts can be registered in Hong Kong under the Merchant Shipping (Registration) Ordinance 1990.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has the world’s fourth largest shipping registry in terms of gross tonnage. Hong Kong applies English law and territorial taxation principle. Registration is done electronically and requires virtually no original documents and/or notarised copies of documents (see below).

Upon registration of a yacht or a ship, a Certificate of Registry (with no expiry date) is issued; a 2-year radio licence is also required. A tonnage fee is payable every year and a radio licence renewal fee every 2 years.

Ships can be registered with the Hong Kong Marine Department by:

• Hong Kong companies;
• non-Hong Kong companies that have established a place of business in Hong Kong*;
• individuals who are resident in Hong Kong.

There are no restrictions on the nationality of the owners of companies and/or ships.

*It can be called a local equivalent of forming a branch, but such registration does not entail mandatory physical presence of a company in Hong Kong (having to rent an office, etc.).

Registration includes the following steps:

1. Name reservation

It is done online, name reservation is valid for 3 years.

2. Application for registration of a ship

Documents (in electronic form):

• Application (a Marine Department form);
• Declaration of Entitlement to own a ship registered in Hong Kong (a Marine Department form)*;
• Title document: Builder’s Certificate (for new ships), purchase document (e.g. Bill of Sale);
• Mortgage (if any);
• Passport of an authorised person (usually, for convenience, of the ship owner);
• Certificate of Incorporation of the company;
• Colour photo of the yacht (ship) – in electronic form;
• Declaration of Marking of the ship (a Marine Department form);
• Certificate of Survey from one of the following recognised organisations:
  • American Bureau of Shipping,
  • Bureau Veritas SA,
  • China Classification Society,
  • DNV AS,
  • Korean Register,
  • Lloyd’s Register Group Limited,
  • Nippon Kaiji Kyokai,
  • RINA Services S.p.A.,
  • Russian Maritime Register of Shipping.

*This document confirms that the applicant falls within the category of persons qualified to register ships in Hong Kong.

All submitted documents must be in the English language or have English translation.

3. Application review

After the application is made, the applicant may be asked to submit additional documents. If the request is not complied with within 30 days, the application for registration may be returned (the application fee will not be refunded). The application review time is 4 - 6 weeks.

4. Application for radio licence

It is a mandatory thing to do after the registration. It is done entirely electronically. The application processing time is 9 working days.

[1] The fees are valid as of December 2024.

[2] Does not include the cost of Hong Kong company incorporation and preparation of related documents.