Skip to content
Change & exit

Corporate changes

Change directors, shareholders, the company name, share capital or the registered address, with resolutions, filings and registers handled in one order.

Price
from Quote
Billed
per change
Timing
2–10 days

Companies change: a partner joins, a director steps down, the brand is renamed. Each change has to be approved in the right way, filed with the registry within its deadline and recorded in the company's own registers.

We draft the resolutions, collect signatures in the portal, file with the registry and update your records. Each change starts at Quote.

Before any change that adds a new person, we complete KYC on them. The registry and your bank will expect it too.

Share this page

What’s included

  • Board and shareholder resolutions drafted for your constitution
  • Share transfer forms and stamp duty handling where required
  • Registry filings made within the statutory deadline
  • Updated registers of directors, members and controllers
  • New share certificates or certificate of change of name where issued

Who it is for

  • Founders adding or removing a director or shareholder
  • Companies transferring shares after an investment or a sale
  • Businesses renaming the company to match a new brand
  • Companies increasing share capital or changing share classes
  • Owners updating the registered address or company secretary

Ask about corporate changes

AI answers from OCC’s published prices & facts · no sign-up

How it works

  1. Step 1Check We confirm what your constitution and the registry require for the change, and any deadline.
  2. Step 2KYC Any new director, shareholder or controller completes identity checks in the portal.
  3. Step 3Sign Resolutions and forms are signed electronically where the registry accepts it.
  4. Step 4File and update We file with the registry, update the registers and upload the new documents.

Available for

All listed jurisdictions.

Filing deadlines are short

Most registries give only a couple of weeks to report a change. In Hong Kong, the appointment or cessation of a director or company secretary is reported on Form ND2A within 15 days. In the UK, changes to directors, secretaries and people with significant control must be reported to Companies House within 14 days, and new shares allotted within one month.

Late filing can bring fines on the company and its officers. It also leaves the public record out of step with reality, which causes problems when a bank or counterparty checks the register.

  • Hong Kong: director or secretary appointment or cessation within 15 days
  • UK: director, secretary or PSC changes within 14 days
  • UK: allotment of new shares within one month

What each common change involves

Appointing or removing a director usually needs a board or shareholder resolution, the new director's consent, a registry filing and an update to the register of directors. If the director is a controller, the beneficial ownership records change too.

Transferring shares needs a transfer instrument signed by both sides, board approval where the articles require it, updated registers and new share certificates. A transfer of shares in a Hong Kong company is chargeable to Hong Kong stamp duty: 0.1% of the consideration or value on each of the bought and sold notes, plus a fixed duty of HK$5 on the instrument of transfer (IRD, as of September 2026). The documents are stamped with the IRD Stamp Office before the transfer is registered.

Changing the company name generally needs a special resolution of shareholders, a name check at the registry and a filing. The registry then issues a certificate of change of name. Remember to update your bank, contracts, website and licences afterwards.

Beneficial ownership records change too

Most jurisdictions now keep a register of the people who ultimately own or control a company. Hong Kong calls it the significant controllers register, the UK the register of people with significant control, and offshore jurisdictions hold the information with the registered agent or a central authority.

When shares move or control changes, these records must be updated within the local deadline. We update them as part of the same order, so the change is complete and consistent everywhere.

Tell your bank

Banks treat a change of director or owner as a new KYC event. Many require notice before or shortly after the change and will ask for the updated registers and the new person's documents.

We give you a pack with the filed forms and updated registers so you can send it straight to the bank. Doing this promptly avoids account restrictions.

Issuing new shares or changing share classes

Bringing in an investor usually means issuing new shares rather than transferring existing ones. The directors need authority to allot, which may come from the articles or from a shareholder resolution, and existing shareholders may have pre-emption rights to be offered the shares first.

Creating a new class of shares, such as non-voting or preference shares, normally means amending the articles. That requires a special resolution in most jurisdictions and a filing of the amended constitution.

After the allotment we file the return of allotment, issue share certificates and update the register of members. If the new shareholder becomes a controller, the beneficial ownership records are updated at the same time.

  • Check authority to allot and any pre-emption rights
  • Amend the articles if a new share class is needed
  • File the allotment and update the register of members
  • Issue share certificates and update controller records

Corporate changes, FAQ

Once the new director has passed KYC and signed, we can usually file within a few business days. The registry's own processing time then applies, which varies by jurisdiction.
Yes for Hong Kong and UK companies, and often not for offshore companies. In Hong Kong it is 0.1% on each of the bought and sold notes plus HK$5 on the transfer instrument; in the UK, a paper transfer over £1,000 pays 0.5%. We confirm the position for your transfer before you sign.
The new name must be available and meet the registry's naming rules. Some words, such as bank or insurance, need approval or a licence. We run a name check first.
Yes. When a director and shareholder change at the same time, we prepare one set of resolutions and file the forms together. Each registry form is still priced as a separate change.
It depends on the jurisdiction. Directors are public in Hong Kong and the UK, for example, while many offshore registries do not publish shareholders. Beneficial owners are disclosed to authorities as required either way.
We file the missing forms in date order and advise on any late filing penalty. It is better to correct the record now than to have a bank find the gap later.

Related services

Next step

Get corporate changes set up

Tell us about your company and we send a fixed, itemised price within 1 business day. No company yet? Form one first, then order this service in your client portal.

Sources

  • Documents relating to directors and company secretary (FAQ), Companies Registry, Hong Kong (accessed Sep 2026)
  • Running a limited company: company changes you must report, GOV.UK (accessed Sep 2026)
  • Significant Controllers Register: overview, Companies Registry, Hong Kong (accessed Sep 2026)
  • Stamp Duty, Inland Revenue Department, Hong Kong (Stamp Office) (accessed Sep 2026)
  • Press release: reduction of Stamp Duty on Stock Transfers to 0.1 per cent, Inland Revenue Department, Hong Kong (accessed Sep 2026)
  • Stamp duty rates, GovHK (accessed Sep 2026)
  • Tax when you buy shares: Stamp Duty and SDRT, GOV.UK (accessed Sep 2026)

General information, not legal or tax advice. Your specialist confirms current rules and fees in your quote.

Ask OCC

AI assistant · answers from OCC’s published prices & facts

You are chatting with an AI assistant · Chats are stored
More

Ask OCC is an AI assistant, not a person. Answers are written by an AI model from Anthropic (Claude), using our published prices and facts, and it can make mistakes. Answers are general information, not legal or tax advice. Please do not share passport, bank or card details; we remove numbers that look like them. We store chats, with those numbers removed, for 30 days, or 24 months if you send us an enquiry. Our staff may read them to improve answers and follow up on your interest; you can object at any time.

Hi, I’m the OCC assistant. Ask me anything about setting up a company: prices, directors, banking, documents. No sign-up needed.

Not legal or tax advice · Double-check requirements with a specialist