ISO 22301 certification in Hong Kong

ISO 22301 certification in Hong Kong at a glance

Operational resilience is a supervisory theme for Hong Kong banks: the HKMA's OR-2 module asks authorized institutions to identify critical operations and test whether they can keep delivering them under severe but plausible scenarios. The Code of Practice under the critical infrastructure ordinance adds business continuity management and disaster recovery planning for designated operators. Neither names ISO 22301, but the standard gives both a recognised management-system structure, from business impact analysis to exercising, and many banks expect the same discipline from their outsourcing providers. One practical point: HKCAS does not list ISO 22301 among its accreditation schemes, so certificates come from certification bodies accredited elsewhere within the international recognition arrangements; check the body's scope before signing. Sterling's expert and experienced consultants run the impact analysis, continuity strategies, plans and exercises, including typhoon and black rainstorm scenarios, and prepare the evidence the auditor will sample. The local questions are answered below.

Who needs ISO 22301 in Hong Kong, and what happens without it

In Hong Kong the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• Banks and authorized institutionsHKMA OR-2 requires identifying critical operations and testing their delivery under severe but plausible scenarios.
• Designated critical infrastructure operatorsThe Cap. 653 Code of Practice covers business continuity management and disaster recovery planning.
• Outsourcing and technology providers to banksBanks extend continuity expectations to providers under SA-2.
• Logistics and trading companiesCustomers ask for proof of continuity planning given typhoon and rainstorm disruption.

ISO 22301 requirements in Hong Kong

Strip away the vocabulary and ISO 22301 requires a company to prove six things about how it keeps operating when something goes wrong.

In Hong Kong these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: ISO 22301 explained →

• ISO 22301 requirements, clause by clause in plain language
• The documents ISO 22301 expects

How to get ISO 22301 certified in Hong Kong

One team from the Hong Kong office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Across Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories, on-site and remote, by Sterling's expert and experienced consultants.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against ISO 22301 and the Hong Kong requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
5. Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

• The ISO 22301 certification process, step by step
• ISO 22301 internal audit

How long does ISO 22301 certification take in Hong Kong?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Hong Kong these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Number of critical activities and sites in scope
• Completion of business impact analysis and risk assessment
• Exercise and test evidence before stage 2
• Certification body scheduling around general holidays and Tropical Cyclone Signal No. 8 or Black Rainstorm disruptions

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does ISO 22301 certification cost in Hong Kong?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In Hong Kong these factors move both.

• Number of sites and critical activities
• Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting
• Alignment with HKMA OR-2 or the Code of Practice
• Exercise and recovery testing effort

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

• What makes up the cost of ISO 22301

ISO 22301 consultants and certification bodies in Hong Kong

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers ISO 22301 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Hong Kong are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

ISO 22301 in Hong Kong: questions clients ask

More on ISO 22301 for Hong Kong organisations

• ISO 22301: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement ISO 22301
• ISO 22301 certification in Hong Kong and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Hong Kong businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in Hong Kong often combine ISO 22301 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 20 standards Sterling delivers in Hong Kong →