Overview

According to the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance (Cap 376) -

1. "Club" means any corporation or association of persons formed for the purpose of affording its members facilities for social intercourse or recreation and which (i) provides services for its members (whether or not for the purpose of gain); and (ii) has a club-house of which only its members and their accompanied guests have a right of use, and
2. "Club-house" means any premises or part thereof exclusively set aside for use permanently or temporarily by a club and its members.

Any new establishments must apply for a Certificate of Compliance from the Office of the Licensing Authority before commencing operation. For details on application for a Certificate of Compliance, please refer to A Layman's Guide to Application of Certificate of Compliance under the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance, Chapter 376 (PDF) and A Guide to Compliance Requirements for the Certificate of Compliance for Club-houses (PDF). For applying Certificate of Compliance for Residents' Club, please refer to Supplementary Guidelines for Applying Certificate of Compliance for Residents' Club under the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance, Cap. 376 (PDF).

Certificates of Compliance are subject to an annual renewal. Holder of a Certificate of Compliance should apply for a renewal not less than 3 months prior to the expiry of the Certificate of Compliance.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that his premises do comply with the lease conditions, Deed of Mutual Covenant and other regulations or laws of Hong Kong

Application forms can be obtained from the Office of the Licensing Authority or downloaded from the Home Affairs Department's website of http://www.had.gov.hk/en/public_forms/forms.htm. Completed forms are to be returned to the address as stated on the application forms.