Notice required before changing a licensed business address

Moving an office can affect more than mail delivery. If a licensed corporation or registered institution changes the address at which it carries on a regulated activity, the SFC’s ongoing-obligations guidance lists an advance notification requirement. The notice period gives the regulator time to update its records before the location changes.

Count seven business days before the change

The SFC table states “at least 7 business days before the intended change in business address.” The relevant date is the planned change, not the date staff remember to submit a notice afterward. Business days exclude weekends and Hong Kong public holidays. Allow time for internal approvals, WINGS-LIC submission, and any additional documentation requested by the SFC.

Plan the notification with the relocation

1. Identify every licensed entity or registered institution affected by the move.
2. Confirm which location is the address where regulated activity is carried on and whether other registered addresses also change.
3. Set the intended move date and calculate the advance-notice deadline using business days.
4. Submit the notification through the SFC’s required channel and retain the submission record.
5. Update clients, counterparties, internal records, signage, and other regulatory registers as applicable.

Distinguish a change of address from cessation

Changing premises is not the same as ceasing a regulated activity. The SFC lists a separate requirement to notify an intended cessation as soon as reasonably practicable and no later than seven business days before the intended cessation. Firms should classify the event correctly: a relocation with continued business, a change in the address at which activity is conducted, and a cessation can trigger different notice items.

What the exam is testing

The key is timing and the regulated address. The notice is required before the intended change, not merely after the company updates its website or sends mail-forwarding instructions. Check the SFC’s current ongoing-obligations table and licensing system because notification procedures can change.

Key takeaway

Build the SFC notification into the move plan: at least seven business days before the intended address change, with the correct licensed entity and regulated-activity location identified.