The Hong Kong Standard Industrial Classification, explained

What HSIC V2.0 is

The Census and Statistics Department published HSIC Version 2.0 in October 2008, aligning Hong Kong's industry statistics with the international ISIC Revision 4 standard while keeping categories that matter locally, such as detailed import and export trading subclasses. The classification arranges every economic activity into five levels: 21 lettered sections (A to U), then divisions, groups, classes and 6-digit subclasses. The 6-digit subclass is the working level: it is what statistical surveys record and what this site documents code by code.

Who assigns your code in practice

Here is the part most guides get wrong: no Hong Kong authority stamps an HSIC code on your company at incorporation. The Companies Registry does not classify companies by industry, and the Business Registration Certificate carries a free-text business nature, not a code. That differs from Singapore, where ACRA assigns every company an SSIC code at registration, and from Indonesia, where the KBLI code drives licensing directly.

The classification still matters in three places. The Census and Statistics Department codes your establishment for surveys and the statistical register. The Inland Revenue Department reads your declared business nature when assessing profits tax positions, including offshore claims. And sector regulators define licensing perimeters that map cleanly onto HSIC activities, which is why each subclass page here lists the licences that activity triggers.

Why the business nature wording deserves attention

The business nature on your Business Registration Certificate is limited to 60 English characters, printed across two 30-character lines, and 30 Chinese characters. Wording that is too broad invites questions during tax reviews; wording that is too narrow can force amendments when the business grows. Every subclass page on this site suggests certificate-ready wording, and the business nature checker previews exactly how your text prints.

How to use this site

Start from the 21 industry sections or search any activity from the homepage. Each 6-digit subclass page carries the official bilingual definition and index terms from the Census and Statistics Department, the licences the activity triggers with capital thresholds and processing windows, suggested Business Registration wording, and the compliance calendar every Hong Kong company follows. Every regulatory fact links to its primary government source with a verification date.