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HK bank stamp requirements at account opening

Important: this page is general guidance only. The exact account-opening process, chop specimen requirements, accepted shapes and sizes vary by bank, branch, business type and customer risk rating, and change frequently. Always confirm current requirements with the bank itself before ordering a physical chop. Bank links below go to each bank's own official onboarding page so you can check authoritative information.

Why HK banks still ask for a company chop

Section 124(1) of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) made the Common Seal optional when the new Ordinance commenced on 3 March 2014, but virtually every Hong Kong retail and virtual bank still requires one or more chop specimens at SME account opening. The reason is operational rather than legal: banks need a repeatable visual reference to verify subsequent contracts, payment instructions and withdrawal slips. A handwritten signature varies stroke by stroke, but a chop impression is reproducible and easy to compare either by eye or by image-matching software.

Practical implication: even though the law no longer requires it, if you're opening an SME account in Hong Kong, ordering at least one round company chop is essentially a prerequisite. See ourlegal status guidefor the full picture of how legal optionality and commercial reality diverge.

What banks typically check at account opening

The chop-related checks below are common across most local SME account openings (specifics vary by bank / product):

  • English company name matches the Certificate of Incorporation exactly;
  • Chinese company name (if any) matches the Companies Registry / Business Registration record;
  • Business Registration number matches the Business Registration Certificate;
  • Chop specimen impression is sharp and scannable — no smudging, ink blots or chipping;
  • Authorised signatory specimens (submitted on the same form as the chop specimen);
  • Director / shareholder identification (copy or original).

Common chop-related rejection reasons

All of these are avoidable design or operational issues:

  • Blurred impression — too much ink in the pad or paper too glossy. Test three times on plain A4 first and pick the cleanest.
  • Mis-spelled or stale name — chop never re-ordered after a name change; old BR number on the chop after a renewal.
  • "Limited" variants — chop reads "Ltd." or "Limted" rather than the registered "Limited".
  • Photograph instead of scan — phone photos of a chop introduce blur and distortion. Always scan an actual impression.
  • Ink colour mismatch — some banks prefer black or blue specimens because red impressions can scan poorly on grayscale equipment.
  • Wrong physical size — too-small chops are illegible on the specimen card; too-large chops can overflow the form's designated box.

Major HK SME banks (verify current requirements with each)

The list below covers major Hong Kong retail and virtual banks that currently accept SME account applications. We deliberately do not publish each bank's specific chop shape / colour / size requirements — those change frequently and the only authoritative source is the bank's own page or your relationship manager.

Tips for a clean specimen

  • Use plain 80 gsm white A4 (not synthetic, coated or recycled stock).
  • Use the chop's built-in ink pad — don't add extra ink.
  • Press for 1-2 seconds before lifting so the ink fully transfers.
  • Stamp three times in a row, pick the sharpest, scan to PDF (don't photograph).
  • Scan at 300 DPI or higher; greyscale is fine.
  • Most specimen forms place the chop and signature side by side — fill them on the same physical sheet so there's no scan inconsistency.

Related guides

For when in the company-setup flow you should actually order chops, seeStamps in the HK incorporation flowandLegal status of company stamps. To design the chops themselves, use theround sealandsign chopgenerators.

Reminder: the information above is general guidance. Confirm current requirements with your bank's relationship manager before ordering a physical chop or submitting account-opening paperwork.

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