An enterprise1 applying for funding support under EMF must fulfil the following requirements:
- It must be a non-listed enterprise registered in Hong Kong under the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310)2.
- It must have substantive business operations in Hong Kong at the time of making the application. An enterprise holding a shell business registration or having its main business operation outside Hong Kong will not be regarded as having substantive business operations3 in Hong Kong.
- If it has previously received funding support under EMF, the cumulative amount of funding received must not exceed the prevailing cumulative funding ceiling. Applicant enterprises which have similar business registration details (e.g. nature of business, address, contact numbers, shareholder/directorship) will be treated as connected enterprises. For the purpose of calculating the cumulative funding ceiling, connected enterprises are treated as if they are one enterprise, i.e. the cumulative amount of funding received by the connected enterprises concerned are aggregated and must not exceed the cumulative funding ceiling.
- It must not be the organiser/co-organiser/service provider or a related company of the organiser/co-organiser/service provider of the promotion activity and the related services covered by the application.
Notes:
1. For the purpose of EMF, “enterprise” refers to a legal entity which is engaged in any form of business for the purpose of gain. Non-profit-making or non-profit-distributing organisations are not eligible.
2. Effective from 30 April 2021 until 30 June 2026, the funding scope of EMF is expanded to cover large-scale exhibitions staged by organisers with good track record targeting the local market, as well as online exhibitions organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and reputable exhibition organisers with good track record; and the eligibility criteria is relaxed to cover non-SMEs.
3. Trade and Industry Department (TID) may request the applicant enterprise to provide relevant documents to prove that it has substantive business operations in Hong Kong when making the application. When considering whether the applicant enterprise has substantive business operations in Hong Kong, TID will make reference to various factors, such as:
- nature of the business operation in Hong Kong
- size/extent/percentage of the business operation in Hong Kong
- amount of investment in Hong Kong
- number of employees in Hong Kong
- information of customers/clients
- years of establishment
- whether profits are assessable in Hong Kong
- information/assessment issued by relevant financial and professional organisations
To ascertain whether an enterprise has substantive business operations in Hong Kong, the enterprise may be required to submit the following supporting documents:
|
Data of the Applicant Enterprise |
Examples of Document |
|---|---|
|
Business operations |
Commercial contracts, invoices, receipts, freight forwarding documents, quotations, bank records, records of purchase/sales of goods, office tenancy agreements, water/electricity bills |
|
Financial information |
Audited accounts, financial reports, monthly bank statements, Profits Tax Returns and taxation assessment issued by the Inland Revenue Department of the HKSAR Government |
|
Information of Employees |
MPF records or approved retirement plan records, employees’ employment contracts, salary payment records, staff identity documents |