Published · Tok Pisin

China Company Registration: Documents, Steps and Timeline

A practical guide for foreign founders on registering a company in mainland China: the entity types, the documents you need, the approval sequence, and realistic timelines — general information, not legal or tax advice.

Registering a company in mainland China is a process with a defined sequence of steps, a fixed set of documents, and a timeline that depends heavily on your city, your business scope, and how quickly you can produce notarised and legalised paperwork from abroad. This guide walks foreign founders through what is typically involved. It is general information only and is not legal, tax or investment advice; requirements vary by city and change over time, so confirm details with a qualified local professional before you commit.

First, choose the right entity

Most foreign founders choose between two structures.

• Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise (WFOE): a limited liability company owned entirely by foreign investors. It is the most common vehicle for foreign founders who want to control a business in China, hire staff, invoice customers and repatriate profits.
• Sino-foreign Joint Venture (JV): a limited liability company shared with one or more Chinese partners. Useful where local partners bring licences, land, distribution or relationships you cannot easily replicate.

Other structures exist — representative offices, branch offices of a foreign company, and partnership forms — but a WFOE is the default starting point for most operating businesses. Your choice affects the documents required, the capital rules and the registration path.

The pre-registration decisions

Before you touch a form, settle the following. Each one feeds directly into the registration documents.

Company name

You need a Chinese-language name in the standard format: city or district + trade name + industry descriptor + company type. Name approval is a separate check, and common words or names that resemble existing registered companies are rejected. Prepare two or three alternatives and check them early via the local market regulation authority's online system.

Registered address

You must supply a physical address in China that accepts service of official documents. Many cities require a lease contract and the landlord's property certificate. Some districts permit virtual or incubator addresses for certain business scopes; others do not. Confirm the district's policy before signing a lease.

Business scope

The business scope is written in standardised Chinese categories. Some activities are unrestricted, some require a filing, and some require a pre-approval licence before the company can be registered or before it can operate. Licensed activities — food, education, medical devices, logistics, certain internet services — add weeks or months. Keep the scope focused: broad scopes can trigger extra scrutiny.

Registered capital and shareholders

Since the 2024 revisions to the company law, subscribed capital generally must be paid in within five years of incorporation, and the amount is publicly visible. Choose a figure you can realistically fund. Confirm shareholder identity, percentage split, and who will serve as legal representative, supervisor and general manager.

Documents you will typically need

Requirements differ by city and by whether the shareholder is a company or an individual. The list below is a common baseline.

From foreign corporate shareholders

• Certificate of incorporation (or equivalent) of the parent company
• Articles of association of the parent
• Board resolution authorising the China investment
• Passport copies of the legal representative and directors of the parent
• Proof of the parent's registered address

From foreign individual shareholders

• Passport copy, valid for a sufficient period
• Proof of overseas residential address (utility bill, bank statement)

Notarisation and legalisation

Documents issued outside China generally must be notarised in the country of issue and then legalised for use in China. Where the Hague Apostille Convention applies to the issuing country, an apostille may replace consular legalisation; otherwise consular legalisation is required. Some cities also ask for Chinese translations prepared by a qualified translation agency. This authentication step is usually the single biggest driver of delay, so start it first.

China-side documents

• Lease contract and property certificate for the registered address
• Articles of association of the new company (often from a local template)
• Application form for establishment registration
• Appointment documents for legal representative, supervisor and manager
• Name pre-approval notice
• Foreign investment information reporting materials

The registration sequence, step by step

1. Name check and reservation. Submit proposed Chinese names to the market regulation authority. Approval reserves the name for a limited period.
2. Foreign investment information reporting. File the initial report through the national foreign investment information system, typically alongside or shortly after establishment.
3. Business licence application. Submit the establishment package to the market regulation authority (often via the local one-stop enterprise service portal). If approved, you receive the business licence with the unified social credit code.
4. Carve the company seals. Order the official seal set — company seal, legal representative seal, finance seal and, where required, contract seal and invoice seal. Seals are made at authorised carving points and registered.
5. Bank account opening. Open the basic deposit account (and, if useful, a foreign currency account). Banks apply their own due diligence, including on the beneficial owners, and this can take longer than founders expect.
6. Tax registration and invoicing setup. Register with the tax authority, confirm the taxpayer status, and arrange the equipment or platform needed to issue fapiao (official invoices).
7. Social insurance and housing fund registration. Required before you formally employ staff.
8. Foreign exchange and capital contribution. Register the foreign exchange details and remit subscribed capital as planned.
9. Licences for regulated activities. Apply for any sector-specific permits your business scope requires.

Realistic timeline

Timelines vary by city and by how prepared you are. As a rough planning guide:

• Document preparation and legalisation abroad: often two to six weeks, depending on the country and whether apostille or consular legalisation applies.
• Name approval: a few working days if the name is clean.
• Business licence: commonly one to three weeks once a complete package is submitted, longer if the scope or address raises questions.
• Seals: a few working days.
• Bank account: one to four weeks, sometimes longer for foreign-invested entities.
• Tax and invoicing setup: one to two weeks after the bank account is live.
• Regulated licences: weeks to months, depending on the sector.

A straightforward WFOE in a major city can realistically be operational — licence, seals, bank account and tax setup — in roughly six to ten weeks, assuming documents are ready. Add time for licensed activities, unusual addresses, or shareholders in countries with slow authentication processes.

Practical tips from the registration desk

• Start authentication first. Everything else waits on it.
• Use the local one-stop portal. Most cities now bundle name check, licence, seals, tax and social insurance into a single online workflow.
• Match the address to the scope. A lease that satisfies the property rules may still fail if the district does not permit your activity at that location.
• Keep capital realistic. The subscribed amount is public and must be funded within the statutory period.
• Budget for ongoing compliance. Bookkeeping, annual reporting, tax filings and foreign investment reporting continue after registration.
• Get local advice. City-level practice differs meaningfully. A local lawyer or corporate services firm can save weeks of rejected filings.

Registration is the starting line, not the finish. Plan the documents carefully, sequence the steps, and leave buffer in your timeline — the process rewards preparation.