China company-registration guide.

The current reference price for China company incorporation is US$4,000 per company. Before starting, we confirm the service scope, deliverables and final fee according to the registration location, company type and actual requirements.

Three working days or seven days must not be treated as a promise that the entire registration will be complete. Actual timing is confirmed by the registration area, document completeness, identity authentication, review, and industry approvals. Bank-account opening and specialised permits are confirmed separately.

You may first provide a passport for identity information, together with proof of address and a photograph holding the passport. Before formal submission, we check whether the applicant and proposed entity require certified or additional documents.

When you get in touch, tell us the cities and the businesses you plan to operate. We check the address arrangement, the entity type and the contribution plan before setting out the document list that suits your case. The registered address and registered capital cannot be determined by the quotation alone.

According to the business arrangement, continue to check the opening of bank accounts, taxation, bookkeeping and annual maintenance; business involving industry licenses needs to be confirmed separately. The scope of registered services and these follow-up matters will be listed separately.

The company can undertake contracts, operations and equity arrangements, but the registration area, entity type, business scope, control relationship and subsequent maintenance all have to be considered together. Explain where the customer is, whether you rent an office, whether you hire employees and how you receive and pay; the suitable company structure follows from there.

Their legal forms, liabilities, and governance arrangements differ, so they cannot be selected on incorporation cost alone.

• Limited liability company: Shareholders generally have liability limited to their subscribed capital contribution. This is the most common company form and suits most domestic and foreign-invested commercial projects.
• Company limited by shares: Share capital is divided into shares, so governance and capital arrangements are more formalised. Suitable for share-based ownership, more investors or capital planning.
• General/limited partnership: This is a partnership, not a corporate legal person, so liability and tax treatment differ. It is common in investment, professional services and joint operations.
• Individual industrial and commercial household (comparison route): This is a sole-proprietor route, not a corporate legal person; liability, registration requirements, scale, and governance differ materially from a company. It may be a comparison option for small individual businesses, but sole proprietorships require separate treatment.

Shareholders of ordinary limited liability companies shall pay the subscribed capital within five years from the date of establishment in accordance with the articles of association. The promoters of joint stock companies shall pay the subscribed capital of the subscribed shares before the establishment of the company; if there are other provisions for special industries, etc., they shall be handled in accordance with the relevant provisions. The registered capital shall be combined with the ability to contribute capital, business and term arrangement, and the registered service fee shall not be regarded as the registered capital.

Official reference: Measures for the Administration of Company Registration ↗

Yes, but it must comply with the negative list of foreign investment access, industry licenses and the certification requirements of foreign investor documents. Foreign investment enterprises should not continue to be simply referred to as independent WFOE categories; their organizational forms are usually governed by company law or partnership law and are subject to foreign investment access rules. The notarization, certification or alternative methods under foreign investor document treaties should be confirmed according to the requirements of the investor's location and registration authority.

Not necessarily. Where a business activity requires a permit, the corresponding approval or licence must still be obtained. Work out a compliant business scope from the actual activity before checking pre-approvals and post-formation permits separately. Financial, payment, and other regulated activities cannot be carried on solely under a business licence.

Official reference: Measures for the Administration of Company Registration ↗

The preceding three categories of material are used to prepare identity verification. Formal registration also requires the following documents, organised according to entity type, investor identity and registration location. Prepare personal address evidence and company-premises evidence separately.

• Company registration application: Use the forms required by the place of use and current standards.
• Shareholder entity-eligibility documents: Identification for natural persons or corporate registration documents; certify overseas documents as required.
• Proof of residence or business premises: Prepare title, lease, or use evidence under local registration rules.
• Company constitutional documents: State governance, registered capital, contribution methods and duration.
• Appointment documents and proof of identity: Including the legal representative, directors and senior management.
• Pre-approval licences or documents: Provide where the business scope involves matters requiring approval by law.

Official reference: 2026 registration-document and material standards ↗

The process includes the stages below, while submission methods and supplementary-document requirements are governed by the local registration system or authority. Do not treat three working days for an individual stage or a seven-day service reference as a promise that the entire registration will be completed; post-licensing matters are confirmed separately.

• Determine the registration jurisdiction and entity type: Compare an LLC, corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship.
• Confirm the name, scope and registered capital: Design the business scope, contribution amount and method, and the duration of the Articles.
• Prepare address and governance information: Confirm shareholders, legal representatives, directors, and other governance personnel.
• Online submission and real-name verification: File through the registration system or authority in the relevant location and handle additional materials.
• Collect the licence and complete follow-up steps: Handle seals, banking, tax, social insurance, beneficial-owner filing, and industry licences.

We provide needs assessment, materials preparation and partner-institution coordination. Before work begins, the written scope confirms the responsible parties, delivery documents, timing and fees; qualified professionals handle or review legal, tax and sector-licensing judgments.

• Registration route: Based on operating region, shareholders and business purpose, organise the entity and entry requirements.
• Document preparation: Organise name, scope, constitutional documents, capital-contribution and identity materials.
• People and control relationships: Verify shareholders, the legal representative and applicable beneficial-owner information.
• Address and local conditions: Check proof of address and registration requirements at the relevant location.
• Submission and supplementary documents: Coordinate the application and supplementary materials, and follow up processing progress.
• Delivery and maintenance checklist: Organise deliverable documents and list subsequent matters such as bank accounts, tax, and annual maintenance.

After registration is completed, accounting, annual enterprise reporting, capital contributions, and change registrations are managed separately. Enterprises generally submit the prior year’s annual report from 1 January to 30 June each year; enterprises formed in the current year start reporting in the following year. Tax filing periods are confirmed according to the taxpayer’s circumstances and the competent authority’s requirements.

• Keep organizing: Keep company records, books, income-and-expense vouchers and tax materials.
• Annual report: File the corporate annual return in the applicable year and by the required deadline.
• Capital-contribution milestones: Arrange capital contributions under the constitutional documents and applicable time limits, and check relevant public disclosures.
• Change of circumstances: When shareholders, legal representatives, address, business scope, or control relationships change, verify the update requirements.

Official reference: Interim Regulations on Enterprise Information Disclosure (2024 Revision) ↗

Check the actual control relationship and applicable filing requirements, and assess whether an undertaking-based exemption applies. Do not assume every company is exempt. Recheck whether updates are needed after shareholding or control changes.

Official reference: Guide to beneficial-owner information filing ↗

Identify which registered particular has changed, then check whether the constitutional documents, tax, bank, beneficial-owner information and industry permits need updating with it. The company's registered address, actual office location and personal address information must not be conflated.

Banks and payment institutions independently review the company, its people, actual business and related documents. Incorporation does not guarantee account approval or mean that tax, financial or other sector licences have been obtained. Confirm account scope, fees and timing separately.

The official portals below set out the company types, registration materials, capital, foreign investment access, annual report and beneficial-owner information that apply to China business registration. Formal submission still follows the registration area, the investor's identity and the competent authority's current requirements.

• Company Law of the People's Republic of China ↗National People's Congress of China · Company types, governance, and capital-contribution rules.
• Regulations on the Registration and Administration of Market Entities ↗Chinese Government Website · Registration procedures and processing timelines.
• 2026 edition of registration-document and material requirements ↗State Administration for Market Regulation · Current application forms and material requirements.
• Measures for the Administration of Company Registration. ↗State Administration for Market Regulation · implementation rules for company registration and capital contributions.
• Special Administrative Measures for Foreign Investment Access (2024 Edition) ↗National Development and Reform Commission · Foreign Investment Negative List
• Interim Regulations on Enterprise Information Disclosure (2024 Revision) ↗State Administration for Market Regulation · Annual-report disclosure obligation.
• Beneficial ownership information filing guide ↗People's Bank of China · filing and exemption assessment for newly established entities.