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Chapter: 32  COMPANIES ORDINANCE

Section Num: 158  Version Date 13/02/2004

Register of directors and secretaries

(1) Every company shall keep in the English or Chinese language a register of its directors and secretaries.  (Amended 83 of 1995 s. 15)

(2) Where the company is an unlisted company, the register shall contain the following particulars with respect to each director-

(a) in the case of an individual, his present forename and surname and any former forename or surname, any alias, his usual residential address and the number of his identity card (if any) or, in the absence of such number, the number and issuing country of any passport held by him; and  (Amended 83 of 1995 s. 15; 30 of 1999 s. 11)

(b) in the case of a body corporate, its corporate name and registered or principal office.  (Replaced 75 of 1993 s. 11)

(2A) Where the company is a listed company, the register shall contain the following particulars with respect to each director-

(a) his present forename and surname and any former forename or surname;  (Amended 83 of 1995 s. 15)

(b) any alias;

(c) his usual residential address; and

(d) (Repealed 30 of 1999 s. 11)

(e) the number of his identity card (if any) or, in the absence of such number, the number and issuing country of any passport held by him.

(Amended 30 of 1999 s. 11)

(f) (Repealed 30 of 1999 s. 11)

(2B) Where the company is a private company having only one member and that member is the sole director of the company, the register shall contain the following particulars with respect to the reserve director of the company (if any)-

(a) his present forename and surname and any former forename or surname;

(b) any alias;

(c) his usual residential address; and

(d) the number of his identity card (if any) or, in the absence of such number, the number and issuing country of any passport held by him.

(Added 28 of 2003 s. 65)

(3) The said register shall contain the following particulars with respect to the secretary or, where there are joint secretaries, with respect to each of them-

(a) in the case of an individual, his present forename and surname and any former forename or surname, any alias, his usual residential address and the number of his identity card (if any) or, in the absence of such number, the number and issuing country of any passport held by him; and  (Replaced 75 of 1993 s. 11. Amended 83 of 1995 s. 15; 30 of 1999 s. 11)

(b) in the case of a body corporate, its corporate name and registered or principal office:

Provided that, where all the partners in a firm are joint secretaries, the name and principal office of the firm may be stated instead of the said particulars.

(4) The company shall-

(a) within 14 days from the appointment of the first directors of the company otherwise than by virtue of section 153(2) or 153A(2), send to the Registrar a return in the specified form containing the particulars specified in the register; and

(b) within 14 days from the occurrence of any change in the company's directors, reserve director (if any), secretary or joint secretaries (if any) or in any of the particulars contained in the register, send to the Registrar a notification in the specified form of the change and of the date on which it occurred.  (Replaced 28 of 2003 s. 65)

(4A) The company shall, within 14 days from the appointment of a person as a director, secretary or joint secretary of the company or the nomination of a person as a reserve director of the company, send to the Registrar a notification in the specified form containing all such particulars with respect to that person as are required to be contained in the register with respect to him.  (Added 28 of 2003 s. 65)

(4B) Subsection (4A) does not apply to an appointment or nomination the relevant particulars of which have been stated in a return or notification sent to the Registrar under subsection (4).  (Added 28 of 2003 s. 65)

(5) On the first appointment of a person as director of a company, the company shall send with the said return or notification, as the case may be, a statement in the specified form, signed by such person, that he has accepted his appointment as such director and that he has attained the age of 18 years; and for the purposes of this subsection "director" does not include a person deemed to be a director under section 153(2) or 153A(2).  (Amended 32 of 1990 s. 13; 28 of 2003 s. 65)

(5A) Where a person is nominated as a reserve director of a private company, the company shall, within 14 days from the nomination, send to the Registrar a statement in the specified form, signed by such person, that he has accepted his nomination and that he has attained the age of 18 years.  (Added 28 of 2003 s. 65)

(6) (Repealed 28 of 2003 s. 65)

(7) The register to be kept under this section shall during business hours (subject to such reasonable restrictions as the company may by its articles or in general meeting impose, so that not less than 2 hours in each day be allowed for inspection) be open to the inspection of any member of the company without charge and of any other person on payment of $1, or such less sum as the company may prescribe, for each inspection.

(8) If any inspection required under this section is refused or if default is made in complying with subsection (1), (2), (2A), (2B), (3), (4), (4A), (5) or (5A), the company and every officer of the company who is in default shall be liable to a fine and, for continued default, to a daily default fine.  (Amended 7 of 1990 s. 2; 75 of 1993 s. 11; 30 of 1999 s. 11; 28 of 2003 s. 65)

(9) In the case of any such refusal, the court may by order compel an immediate inspection of the register.

(10) For the purposes of this section-

(a) a shadow director shall be deemed to be a director and officer of the company;  (Amended 28 of 2003 s. 65)

(b) the expression "forename" includes a Christian or given name;

(c) the expression "identity card" means an identity card issued under the Registration of Persons Ordinance (Cap 177);

(d) the expression "residential address" does not include an address at a hotel unless the person to whom it relates is stated, for the purposes of this section, to have no other permanent address, nor does it include a post office box number unless coupled with a residential address;

(e) in the case of a person usually known by a title different from his surname, the expression "surname" (©m¤ó) means that title;

(f) references to a former forename or surname do not include-

(i) in the case of a person usually known by a title different from his surname, the name by which he was known previous to the adoption of or succession to the title; or

(ii) in the case of any person, a  former forename or surname where that forename or surname was changed or disused before the person bearing the name attained the age of 18 years or has been changed or disused for a period of not less than 20 years; or

(iii) in the case of a married woman, the name or surname by which she was known previous to the marriage.

(Replaced 6 of 1984 s. 115)

[cf. 1948 c. 38 s. 200 U.K.]

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