# Hong Kong Companies Registry, free, GET /cr/api/api/v1/api_builder/json/foreign/search: Business verification API

> We have developed an API builder for your convenience to easily extract data and API strings and export to different formats.

Hong Kong Companies Registry's business verification API on its Free plan. It costs $0.00 per 1,000 companies. Hong Kong Companies Registry's docs list 2 of the 11 fields on our checklist: Entity number, Entity type.
Hong Kong Companies Registry limits how many calls you get but gives no number.
In [our business verification API benchmark](https://datacircle.dev/best-business-verification-api.txt), the best plan from Hong Kong Companies Registry scores 90.0 out of 100.
Half of the 935 plans we rank by price cost $7.895 per 1,000 companies or less. This plan and 72 others tie for the lowest price per 1,000 companies of the 935 plans. [See how many business verification API plans are free.](https://datacircle.dev/best-business-verification-api.txt)
[Scoris's €19 pack](https://datacircle.dev/business-verification-apis/scoris/19-pack/llms.txt) covers any number of companies in 8 countries only. Scoris's €19 pack costs more up front than CharityAPI's $15 monthly plan.
[GovFiles](https://datacircle.dev/business-verification-apis/govfiles/top-up/llms.txt), [Didit](https://datacircle.dev/business-verification-apis/didit/top-up-from-50/llms.txt) and [CompanyData.com](https://datacircle.dev/business-verification-apis/companydata-com/249-monthly/llms.txt) are the best business verification API providers in the Datacircle benchmark for companies in any country.

- This page: https://datacircle.dev/business-verification-apis/hong-kong-companies-registry/free-get-cr-api-api-v1-api-builder-json-foreign-search
- [Business verification API: the 12 best providers compared](https://datacircle.dev/best-business-verification-api.txt)
- Get it: https://data.gov.hk/en/terms-and-conditions?utm_source=datacircle.dev&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=business-verification-api-pricing
- Request: `GET https://data.cr.gov.hk/cr/api/api/v1/api_builder/json/foreign/search`
- API key: not needed
- Its API docs: https://data.gov.hk/en-data/dataset/hk-cr-crdata-list-addr/resource/8ee7f555-0f8c-440a-b816-ea58e7a8dc1f?utm_source=datacircle.dev&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=business-verification-api-pricing
- Sold by: Hong Kong Companies Registry (https://data.cr.gov.hk?utm_source=datacircle.dev&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=business-verification-api-pricing)
- Checked: 2026-11-07

## In the answer

- Completeness: 18%
- Entity number: ✓
- Entity type: ✓

## Price

- $ per 1,000 companies: $0.00
- Per: call
- Billing: free

## Aggregators

- Aggregators: none

## Charges

- Also pays for: nothing else

## Not found

- $ per 1,000: $0.00

## In their words

- Their pitch: We have developed an API builder for your convenience to easily extract data and API strings and export to different formats.

## Data

- Freshness: 1 day
- Countries: Hong Kong
- Keep data: no limit
- Use data: You are allowed to browse, download, distribute, reproduce, hyperlink to, and print the Data for both commercial and non-commercial purposes on a free-of-charge basis on condition that:- you shall comply with the Terms of Use, you shall identify clearly the source of the Data and acknowledge the Government and the Relevant Organisations’ ownership of the intellectual property rights in the Data and in all copies thereof including but not limited to paper copies, digital copies and copies placed on other websites, you shall indemnify the Government and the Relevant Organisations against any allegations or claims of infringement of the rights of any person and all costs, losses, damages and liabilities incurred by the Government and the Relevant Organisations, which in any case arise directly or indirectly in [...] relation to your use, reproduction and/or distribution of the Data, you shall also give proper attribution to the Government, the Relevant Organisations and DATA.GOV.HK.

## Plan

- Pay: $0

## Rate limit

- Batch: 1

## Speed

- Answer: in the call

## The call

- You send: query[0][key1] "Comp_name", query[0][key2] "begins_with" or "equal", query[0][key3]
- Method: GET
- Path: /cr/api/api/v1/api_builder/json/foreign/search

## About the plan

- Plan: Free
- Who can get it: anyone

## The 9 fields the plan's answer can hold

business registration number, corporate name, approved name for carrying on business in Hong Kong (corporate), other corporate names, approved name for carrying on business in Hong Kong (other corporate), principal place of business, place of incorporation, company type, date of registration

## Hong Kong Companies Registry's plans (1)

- [Hong Kong Companies Registry, free, GET /cr/api/api/v1/api_builder/json/foreign/search](https://datacircle.dev/business-verification-apis/hong-kong-companies-registry/free-get-cr-api-api-v1-api-builder-json-foreign-search/llms.txt): $0.00 per 1,000, 18% complete, 1 day

## Hong Kong Companies Registry's calls (2)

- `GET /cr/api/api/v1/api_builder/json/foreign/search`: [Hong Kong Companies Registry, free, GET /cr/api/api/v1/api_builder/json/foreign/search](https://datacircle.dev/business-verification-apis/hong-kong-companies-registry/free-get-cr-api-api-v1-api-builder-json-foreign-search/llms.txt)
- `GET /cr/api/api/v1/api_builder/json/local/search`: [Hong Kong Companies Registry, free, GET /cr/api/api/v1/api_builder/json/local/search](https://datacircle.dev/business-verification-apis/hong-kong-companies-registry/free-get-cr-api-api-v1-api-builder-json-local-search/llms.txt)

## Hong Kong Companies Registry's APIs (1)

- [Hong Kong Companies Registry: business verification API pricing, 1 plan, foreign](https://datacircle.dev/business-verification-apis/hong-kong-companies-registry/free-get-cr-api-api-v1-api-builder-json-foreign-search/llms.txt)

## Hong Kong Companies Registry: business verification API alternatives

- [INSEE, free](https://datacircle.dev/business-verification-apis/insee/free/llms.txt): $0.00 per 1,000, 45% complete, 24 hours
- [CompanyVerify, free pilot, GET /v1/uk/company/search](https://datacircle.dev/business-verification-apis/companyverify/free-pilot-get-v1-uk-company-search/llms.txt): $0.00 per 1,000, 55% complete, 24 hours
- [Brreg, free](https://datacircle.dev/business-verification-apis/brreg/free/llms.txt): $0.00 per 1,000, 64% complete, live
- [Foretak, free](https://datacircle.dev/business-verification-apis/foretak/free/llms.txt): $0.00 per 1,000, 45% complete, 24 hours

## Sources

From each provider's own pricing page and docs, and from what providers tell us. We read this row from these pages on 2026-11-07.

- https://data.gov.hk/en-data/dataset/hk-cr-crdata-list-addr?utm_source=datacircle.dev&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=business-verification-api-pricing
- https://data.gov.hk/en-data/dataset/hk-cr-crdata-list-addr/resource/1214e348-7069-440e-8144-6483fc944090?utm_source=datacircle.dev&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=business-verification-api-pricing
- https://data.gov.hk/en-data/dataset/hk-cr-crdata-list-addr/resource/8ee7f555-0f8c-440a-b816-ea58e7a8dc1f?utm_source=datacircle.dev&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=business-verification-api-pricing
- https://data.gov.hk/en/terms-and-conditions?utm_source=datacircle.dev&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=business-verification-api-pricing
- https://www.cr.gov.hk/datagovhk/dict/data_dictionary_RO_PPB_en.docx?utm_source=datacircle.dev&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=business-verification-api-pricing