NAR1, NNC1 or a Company Particulars Report?

Three documents, three starting points

A Company Particulars Report helps you review particulars such as the registered office, share capital, current directors and company secretary. For a local Hong Kong private company limited by shares, shareholder details are drawn from relevant incorporation, annual return and allotment filings. Obtain the relevant filing when you need its original text.

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Companies Registry: NNC1 incorporation form ↗Companies Registry: NAR1, specification 2/2025 ↗Companies Registry: electronic search FAQ ↗

When you need a historical filing

If the task is to retain an annual return filed for a particular year, the document’s identity and date are part of the requirement. Specify the NAR1 rather than accepting a similarly named summary.

Give colleagues or providers the company, type, date and whether you need the original PDF or extracted results. Explaining the use helps avoid obtaining the right company but the wrong period.

When the goal is structured data

List the information you need, such as names, addresses, directors or members, and check that the selected document includes the relevant pages. A filename does not prove completeness, and an omitted page does not prove the absence of a record.

The PDF preserves the source; JSON / XML supports subsequent processing. Automated extraction does not create information absent from the source.

Do not confuse NNC1 with a certificate

NNC1 is officially the Incorporation Form (Company Limited by Shares). When a recipient requests a Certificate of Incorporation, a certified copy or another document, use the exact document name. NNC1 and the certificate serve different purposes.

Companies Registry: NNC1 incorporation form ↗

The same request can mean different documents

A procurement colleague may want a readable company summary, while a data team needs a particular year’s NAR1 and extracted fields. Ask whether the goal is to read a summary, retain a specified filing or work with its fields.

ClariRecord’s RMB 39 Source plan covers one standard NAR1 / NNC1. A Company Particulars Report, certification or other document is not an automatically included substitute.

ClariRecord: scope and terms ↗

What does “please send the company details” actually mean?

When someone asks for “company details”, it helps to ask three questions before buying anything: what do they need to know, for which date, and do they want the PDF or a summary? NNC1 records information supplied on incorporation; NAR1 is the starting point for a particular annual return. If they want a summary of registered particulars, ask whether they mean a Company Particulars Report. A newer annual return may still be the wrong document.

Write a one-line brief: “For [purpose], we need [particulars] reported by [company] at [date or event], delivered as [full document name and format].” That way, the people finding and reading the document do not have to guess what was wanted. If the explanation is merely “the bank asked for it”, request the bank’s actual checklist. The service provider should not decide which documents another organisation will accept.

Companies Registry: NNC1 incorporation form ↗Companies Registry: NAR1, specification 2/2025 ↗Companies Registry: electronic search FAQ ↗

Why might you need two documents for the same company?

Imagine a procurement team updating Supplier A’s file. The manager wants a quick summary of registered details; a colleague needs the annual return for a particular year. A spreadsheet leaves the colleague without a PDF to archive. A lengthy PDF leaves the manager searching through pages. List the summary and the specified filing separately, rather than calling both a “company report”. This is an illustrative example, but the same questions can help clarify your own team’s needs.

If the details also need to go into your system, explain which PDF to use, which fields you need and which format it accepts. You do not need to design a database first. “Please take the name and address from this PDF, keep the PDF and supply standard JSON” is enough to start a conversation. You can order these tasks together; keep them on your list so you can check that everything arrives.

Bought the wrong document? Work out what is missing first

Typical mismatches include receiving NNC1 when an annual filing was wanted, ordering NAR1 when the recipient requested another document, or receiving a summary when the original filed text was required. Return to the purpose and full document name, then list what you have and what is missing. Asking for “a newer one” may repeat the same selection error. Keep useful background material, but record which requirement remains unmet.

Missing pages call for checking the excerpt’s scope. Illegible text calls for requesting the source PDF rather than repeatedly saving screenshots. A rejected ordinary copy calls for clarifying the recipient’s required form of delivery. These are different problems: completeness, readability and acceptance requirements. Establish the gap before commissioning another search, and distinguish additional work from a correction to the original order.

Help the next reader understand what you found

Use a concise handover: “We obtained [full document name] for [company and printed identifier], relating to [date], for [purpose]. The PDF is stored at [location], and the prepared output is [format]. It does not include [items].” Record multiple sources separately. This prevents an unexplained attachment becoming the only surviving record of what was requested and delivered.

Before passing the file on for extraction, ask the person who will use it to confirm the company, document and date, and to flag anything missing. This can save you from processing the wrong filing. If it will go to a bank or another organisation, check that they accept this document too; a clear summary does not establish that it meets their requirements.