[kyojee]

Hi all,

I will be moving to hong kong with a dependent pass (husband is on an employment pass). I have a few questions, and wonder if there is someone who might have a similar experience out there.

Does anyone work from home, and do we need to register with any authority in HK that we are using the rented premises as a home office? The nature of the business is design and as a trade office.

I currently have a company in my country, and am still trying to sort out the pros and cons of setting up a representative office in Hong Kong, or a new company as a subsidiary of my existing, or if I should create a new entity. I don't think this decision would have any impact on whether I can use my home as an office, but if any one have had difficulties of some sort, I would be happy to hear from you.

Thank you in advance...

[mootje]

I don't know if it's true but I've heard you can work from home for one year. Is there a business association from your homecountry located in Hong Kong? Maybe they can help you.

Originally Posted by kyojee

Hi all,

I will be moving to hong kong with a dependent pass (husband is on an employment pass). I have a few questions, and wonder if there is someone who might have a similar experience out there.

Does anyone work from home, and do we need to register with any authority in HK that we are using the rented premises as a home office? The nature of the business is design and as a trade office.

I currently have a company in my country, and am still trying to sort out the pros and cons of setting up a representative office in Hong Kong, or a new company as a subsidiary of my existing, or if I should create a new entity. I don't think this decision would have any impact on whether I can use my home as an office, but if any one have had difficulties of some sort, I would be happy to hear from you.

Thank you in advance...

[PDLM]

There are 3 areas to consider:

Immigration
As a Dependant Visa holder you can be employed or carry on any business without further paperwork. (Although note that your husband may only work for the company sponsoring his Employment Visa - he may not do any additional work for your your business.)

Business Registration & Tax (Inland Revenue)
If you're carrying on a business then you need to register it as a business: Businesses Registration

The Property / Lease
Whether you can carry on a business in your home will depend on the terms of the lease. Generally these specify that the property may be used only as a residential dwelling, so strictly you can't. However, if your business is largely computer / paper based and doesn't involve making anything on site or moving large amounts of stock in and out then I really don't see that this would be a problem.

[kyojee]

Thank you so much for your kind input. I'll definitely check out the business registration procedures and with the tax officers. I don't suppose working from home should be a major issue, since I'm working on just a few computers, phone, fax and printers.

Now the difficult part, looking for somewhere conducive to live and work in!