China Company Registration: Step-by-Step Guide for Foreign Investors
All-Around Guidance and Tips of China Company Formation and Business Registration
This guidance mainly describes the process of company registration in mainland China and provides detailed requirements and documents for registering a Chinese enterprise.
Catalogue:
Main Types of Chinese Corporate Structure;
Steps and Timeline of Company Formation;
Core Elements and Appointments of Key Positions;
Required Documents of Business Registration;
Taxpayer Qualification and Taxation Rate;
Pricing of Chinese Business Registration.
Main Types of Corporate Structure:
| Corporate Type: | Shareholders Structure |
| WFOE or WOFE | Owned by non-residents or foreign entities |
| HK, Macao, Taiwan | Shareholders from HK, Macao, and Taiwan |
| Joint Venture | Jointly owned by Chinese and foreign shareholders |
Steps and Processes, Timeline:
| Step | Procedure | Timeline |
| 1 | Company Name Approval | 2 workdays |
| 2 | Prepare Documents | 1 workday |
| 3 | Business License Registration | 3 workdays |
| 4 | Company Seals Application | 2 workdays |
| 5 | Corporate Bank Account Opening | 5 workdays |
| 6 | Taxpayer Qualification | 3 workdays |
| 7 | Import and Export Permits | 10 workdays |
With the continuous optimization of the domestic business environment, company registration is expected to become faster and more convenient in the future.
Core Elements and Appointments:
| Element | Description |
| Company Name | Each application can provide 10 alternative names, and simplified Chinese characters must be used. |
| Business Scope | List business activities, and cross-industry operations are allowed. |
| Registered Capital | Specify the amount of the company's registered capital. |
| Shareholding Proportion | Specify the shareholding proportion among shareholders. |
| Registered Address | Choose a physical office address or a virtual registered address. |
Common Organizational Appointments Table
| Corporate Types | Structure of Shareholder | Positions Have to Be Appointed |
| WFOE | Foreign individuals or overseas existing corporations as shareholder(s) | Need to appoint one executive director (legal representative) and one supervisor |
| Invested by HK, TW, Macao Shareholders | Company shares held by investors from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan | Need to appoint one executive director (legal representative) and one supervisor |
| Joint Venture | The company has Chinese shareholder(s) and foreign owner(s) | Need to appoint one executive director (legal representative), one supervisor, and establish a board of directors (at least 3 members) |
Requirements of Foreign Owned Enterprise
| Company Structure | Documents Needed | Comments |
| Shareholder(s) | Foreign individual (natural person) shareholding: Prepare passport photos | Copy is sufficient |
| Overseas enterprise shareholding: Documents of business registration certificate | Initial stage requires copies; original documents may need to be reviewed later based on business circumstances | |
| Legal Representative (Executive Director) | Electronic passport document photos for foreign legal entities | Initial stage requires copies; original documents may need to be reviewed later based on business circumstances |
| Supervisor | Passport copy | Copy is sufficient |
Requirements of Shareholders from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan
| Company Structure | Documents Needed | Comments |
| Shareholder(s) | Individual shareholders: mainland return permit (Home Return Certificate, or Taiwan Compatriots Certificate) | Copy and Original |
| Overseas enterprise shareholding: Documents of business registration certificate | Initial stage requires copies; original documents may need to be reviewed later based on business circumstances | |
| Legal Representative (Executive Director) | Mainland return permit (Home Return Certificate, or Taiwan Compatriots Certificate), electronic photo | Copy and Original |
| Supervisor | Mainland return permit (Home Return Certificate, or Taiwan Compatriots Certificate) | Copy and Original |
Requirements of Joint Venture
| Company Structure | Documents Needed | Comments |
| Chinese Shareholder(s) | Individuals: need local ID | Copy and Original |
| Existed company: need business license | Copy and Original | |
| Foreign Shareholder(s) | Foreign individual (natural person) shareholding: Prepare passport photos | Initial stage requires copies; original documents may need to be reviewed later based on business circumstances |
| Overseas enterprise shareholding: Documents of business registration certificate | Initial stage requires copies; original documents may need to be reviewed later based on business circumstances | |
| Legal Representative (Executive Director) | Chinese: need ID + electronic photo | Copy and Original |
| Electronic passport document photos for foreign legal entities | Initial stage requires copies; original documents may need to be reviewed later based on business circumstances | |
| Supervisor | Chinese: local ID | Copy and Original |
| Foreign: passport copy | Copy | |
| Members of the Board of Directors (at least 3 people) | Chinese: local ID | Copy and Original |
| Foreign: passport copy | Copy |
What Are Notarized and Authenticated Documents?
Notarized and authenticated documents, also known as consular certification or foreign authentication, serve as proof of authenticity for verifying documents between countries. These legal documents are authenticated by local notary offices, the Supreme Court, Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, overseas embassies, or other authoritative public agencies and organizations.
Their primary function is to validate the legality of the documents and provide evidence that notarized and authenticated documents are recognized and acceptable between two countries.
Apostille Certification
The Apostille, established by the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, is an international certification process designed to simplify the authentication of public documents (e.g., birth certificates, marriage licenses, academic diplomas, or commercial contracts) for use across member countries.
Under the Convention, an Apostille stamp or certificate issued by a designated authority (usually the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or a judicial body) is sufficient to validate a document in all member states, eliminating the need for further consular or embassy legalization.
Common Use Cases
Personal documents: Birth/marriage certificates, police clearance certificates.
Commercial documents: Articles of incorporation, powers of attorney, patents.
Educational documents: Diplomas, transcripts.
Taxpayer Qualification and Taxation Rate
| Tax Type | Small Scale Enterprise | General Taxpayer (VAT Qualification) |
| VAT of Service Industries | 3% | 6% |
| VAT of Trade Industries | 3% | 13% |
| Corporate Income Tax (Yearly Net Profits) | Less than 1 million，5% | |
| 1 to 3 million，10% | ||
| More than 3 million，25% | ||
Service Fee Table
| Service Name | Service Content |
| Standard accounting service | Guidance for Chinese company registration. |
| Preparation of registration documents. | |
| Including one-year virtual address rental service. | |
| Complete assistance with Chinese company registration. | |
| Preparation and submission of registration documents. | |
| Completion of the registration process. | |
| Scanned copy of the business license. | |
| Creation of company seal, financial seal, and legal representative seal. | |
| Tax registration services. | |
| Collection of accounting vouchers, creation of ledgers, and preparation of financial statements. | |
| Annual business/tax inspection, monthly/quarterly reporting. | |
| Annual tax return filing (12 months). |
If the annual sales exceed RMB 5 million, the company is required to upgrade to a general taxpayer. We provide comprehensive basic accounting services, including Tax Registration collecting original vouchers, creating accounting entries, generating detailed ledgers, general ledgers, and financial statements, as well as handling annual inspections for business and tax purposes, monthly and quarterly reports, and invoicing.
Please note that VAT refunds are not mandatory in China and are therefore usually not included in our standard accounting services. However, if you require assistance with VAT refunds, we can also provide advanced financial management services.
Value-Added Service Quotation Table
| Item | Service Content |
| Secretary Service | Mail and correspondence forwarding |
| HR Support | Recruitment and retirement procedures |
| Payroll | Individual tax return filing |
| Trademark | Various categories |
| Z Visa | Work residence permit |
| Invoice | Application for official invoices |
| Banking | Opening of local bank account |
| Insurance | Social insurance and housing provident fund |
| Import-Export License | Import-export license |
| Legal Assistance | Compliance consultation and legal services |