Registration of CPA firms

Under the Accounting and Financial Reporting Council Ordinance (Cap. 588) (the AFRCO), the AFRC is empowered to register firm names and firms under Division 2 of Part 2A of the AFRCO.

Only a CPA (practising), a CPA firm or a corporate practice registered with the AFRC can hold an appointment or render a service, whether paid or unpaid, as an auditor of a company under the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) or accounts for the purposes of any other Ordinance.

A CPA (practising) or a firm of CPAs (practising) practising accountancy in partnership intending to perform statutory audits in Hong Kong under a firm name is required to be registered with the AFRC as a CPA firm.

Application for the first time registration of a CPA firm is made by post while its annual renewal application must be made through the AFRC’s Online Application System, which can be accessed by signing in to “MyAccount”.

Please refer to the following documents for more details on the application process.

Documents	Details
Guide	The Guideline outlines the criteria and procedures for a new or renewal application, and related procedures for complying with the ongoing notification requirements.
Submission Deadline	The Submission Deadline details the submission deadlines of new applications, as well as expected processing time for each batch of applications.
Fee Schedule	The Fee Schedule sets out the fees for the registration of a CPA firm and annual renewal.
Forms	The Forms set out the information, confirmations and undertakings required from applicants.
Frequently Asked Questions	The Frequently Asked Questions provided answers to frequently asked questions.
Policy Statement	The Policy Statement provides an overview of the legal regime.
Outline of Process	The Outline of Process provides a brief outline of the application and notification process.

Quick Links

Online Application System (MyAccount)