How to obtain a Hong Kong company’s historical NAR1

Which year do you need?

You may mean an annual return with a date in a particular year, or all documents filed during a calendar year. These are different requests. Write the requirement explicitly, for example: “the original NAR1 PDF for the specified return year”.

If the request only says “2024”, establish whether it refers to the content date, filing year or an internal naming convention before selecting documents.

A self-service retrieval sequence

1. Open the Registry’s e-Services Portal and identify the company.
2. Use the Document Index to review document names, filing dates and processing status.
3. Select the required NAR1. Documents marked pending appear in the index, but their image records are not yet available for search.
4. After payment, unregistered users should save the order number and download code shown on the digital receipt for downloading documents or checking the order.
5. After retrieval, check the company, dates and pages inside the PDF rather than relying on its downloaded filename.

Open the Companies Registry e-Services Portal ↗Companies Registry: electronic search FAQ ↗

A request you can hand to a colleague

Template: “Please obtain the original NAR1 PDF for [full company name], known identifier [original label and value], with return date [date / to confirm]. Purpose: [archive / extraction]. If several entries match, list the differences before substituting a year.”

When several index entries could match, compare their names, filing dates and status. If the required filing is not yet available, keep the request unchanged until its image can be obtained.

Three checks after downloading

Scroll sideways to see all columns; focus the table and use arrow keys on a keyboard.

What a historical filing can and cannot answer

It provides the source for reading that filing. One document does not cover every subsequent change. A request for current information or all changes over a period needs a separately defined scope.

Once you have the PDF, use the sample page to compare source and output and note any additional fields you need.

Which date matters when you ask for a year’s filing?

“Complete the 2024 file” can mean obtaining a return made up to a date in 2024, finding documents filed during 2024, or replacing an attachment labelled 2024 in an internal register. Do not assume these are identical. Ask whether the requester knows the document type and return date; record uncertainties if only a year is known. This is a search brief, not an assessment of filing deadlines or compliance.

If you need every change to a company during a period, explain that separately: one NAR1 per year may not answer the question. For a missing annual return, start with three checks when it arrives: is it the right company, does the date inside match your request, and which pages have you received? Keep any unanswered question on your list rather than filling the gap with an assumption.

Which filing should you choose from the results?

Prepare the full company name and any known identifier, preserving its original label. If an old contract gives only an abbreviation, obtain a formal name or source document rather than equating similar names. For relevant index entries, keep a working shortlist of document names, displayed dates, status and why each might match. It is your selection record, not an official report or a requirement to catalogue everything.

If two filings both look plausible, file size or search ranking will not tell you which one is needed. Compare their dates and details. If you are still unsure, ask your colleague: “A and B have these dates—which return do you want to keep?” A short question now can save the time spent extracting a filing for the wrong year.

Illustrative case: restoring files for five companies

Consider five fictional companies whose files need updating. A has a confirmed name and date, so the search can begin. B has only a brand name; ask for the registered name. C already has a PDF, despite being marked “missing”; check its version. D says only “2023”; clarify which date that means. For E, a conversation reveals that a different document is needed. Marking all five “awaiting download” hides the work. A short note about what each one needs is more useful.

Once A is found and C is checked, pass those two files on without waiting for every question to be resolved. Report “two obtained or confirmed, three awaiting information”. If extraction is needed, send only the confirmed files, with their original list references. The next person can then match each PDF to the right company without mistaking the three outstanding items for completed work.

What to check when you cannot obtain the document image

Distinguish an entry not located, an entry pending registration, an unfinished download after payment and an unreadable downloaded file. None should automatically be labelled “the company did not file”. Where identity or date criteria are uncertain, a missing search result only establishes that the search is incomplete. Record the criteria and messages so another person can continue the work.

The Registry FAQ gives a support route for defective images or discrepancies in search results. Keep the affected file, relevant receipt and a clear description rather than only noting “download failed”. If a provider obtained the document, send the issue and order reference to that provider. Avoid repeated purchases before establishing what happened to the original order.

Companies Registry: electronic search FAQ ↗

Keep a historical file that can be found again

Retain the downloaded source file, then apply a recognisable working name such as request-reference_document-type_document-date. Mark an unknown date for confirmation rather than inserting the download date to complete the filename. Keep a register of company name, document date, acquisition date and storage location. This is an optional internal convention, not an official naming requirement.

Before closing the task, open the file and check readability, company, document type and date. Mark excerpts and outstanding items explicitly. Keep source PDFs and prepared outputs distinguishable so that a later reader does not mistake one for the other. A useful archive lets the next person recover the source, understand its time context and see what remains missing.

Try it: could a filing submitted in 2025 be the 2024 return you need?

The company, dates and statuses below are fictional, not an official interface. You need Example Company A’s NAR1 made up to 2 August 2024. The company has been confirmed. Which candidate would you exclude, inspect or put on hold? Filing dates are not return dates; no return date is supplied in the table.

Scroll sideways to see all columns; focus the table and use arrow keys on a keyboard.

1. Answer 1: exclude A. Its filing date matches the requested date, but NNC1 is the wrong document type for this request.
2. Answer 2: inspect B. Filing in 2025 does not exclude it. Obtain the image and read the date to which the return is made up.
3. Answer 3: put C on hold. A pending image is not yet available for search. Do not treat it as obtained or infer its return date from its filing year.
4. Separate image-check result: suppose B’s opened PDF confirms Example Company A and a return date of 2 August 2024. B now meets those two criteria; page scope still needs checking. This date comes from the opened PDF, not the index table above.

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