Préparez → choisissez votre véhicule → constituez → assumez. Répondez une fois à quelques questions, et chaque étape se reconfigure : uniquement les documents nécessaires, uniquement le véhicule adapté, uniquement les étapes applicables.
Lire est un bon point de départ. Si vous préférez en parler avec quelqu'un dont c'est le métier — ce qui s'applique à vous, dans quel ordre, quoi faire en premier — nous sommes ravis d'avoir cette conversation. Sans frais, sans engagement.
Répondez une fois — cela pilote la liste, la recommandation et le processus.
Why: The application has to prove the investor exists, and foreign documents need authentication before a Chinese registry will accept them.
How: Individual shareholder: passport copy, usually authenticated；Corporate shareholder: certificate of incorporation, articles, register of directors — usually authenticated
Note: Most guides list both routes side by side without saying when each applies. Here you only see the one that matches your investor country.
Why: The scope is printed on the licence and the articles. Trading outside it is a penalty; writing it too narrowly means an amendment later.
How: Write the core business together with what you may add later；Licensed activities (food, medical, education) need prior approval
Note: A broad scope covers future lines, but some entries trigger prior licensing and stretch your timeline. Get it right at setup — amending it afterwards is slow and expensive.
Why: Name approval is the first gate at the registry.
How: Draft it as city + trade name + industry + legal form；Prepare 10+ alternatives and submit them in your order of preference
Note: Names cannot duplicate an existing one in the same industry, and restricted words get rejected. Approval protects the registered name only — it is not a trademark for your brand, which is filed separately (see step 4).
Why: The articles are the company's internal charter — the registry and the bank both read them.
How: Cover business scope, registered capital, capital contributions, board rules, legal representative and supervisor
Note: Shareholders draft them, but they must sit inside the Chinese legal framework — foreign templates usually stall here.
Why: The address is recorded on the licence and drives which tax and regulatory authority you report to.
How: Provide the lease contract and proof of ownership；Confirm the address can be used for registration before signing
Note: Virtual addresses are common but districts differ on acceptability — this one has no single answer, so confirm it locally.
Why: The legal representative signs for the company and carries its responsibility.
How: Decide who it is and provide ID；Define the term and the limits of authority
Note: The legal representative answers for the company seal and its conduct, and can be personally liable in specific cases — the item most often underestimated.
Why: Governance positions are mandatory fields at registration and there are hard rules on who can also hold what.
How: Decide the director, supervisor and general manager；Issue appointment documents with ID
Note: Legal representative, director and GM may be the same person; the supervisor may not be a director or senior manager — the most commonly mis-filled line.
Why: Subscribed capital goes into the articles and the licence, and sets both your contribution duty and your outward credit.
How: Size it to what the business actually needs；Plan the contribution schedule inside the 5-year rule
Note: The five-year rule turns the subscribed amount into a real obligation. Set it to what the business actually needs — a large figure is not a harmless placeholder.
Your sector allows full foreign ownership and you do not need a Chinese partner.
Timeline8–16 weeks (2–4 months)
What you needAuthenticated investor documents · Articles of association · Name alternatives · Registered address documents · Appointment documents
Trade-offFast decisions, you keep the profit — but you carry every step yourself: address, licences, hiring.
Best forThe default for most foreign SMEs
Your sector is restricted (Chinese majority required), or you need a local partner's channels or qualifications.
TimelineUsually longer than going alone (partner selection and negotiation stack on top)
What you needArticles of association (the filing document) · Shareholders' / JV agreement (equity split, board, profit, exit) · Partner's business licence and contribution evidence · Authenticated foreign investor documents
An extra layer an WFOE does not have: your partner's own documents, and an agreement that has to settle the exit before you start. Since 2020 the agreement is signed between the shareholders — the articles are what you file.
Trade-offYou can enter restricted sectors and borrow local strength — but decisions are negotiated, and the exit terms must be written down before you sign.
Best forRestricted sectors, or when you need local channels or qualifications
Market research and liaison only — you are not signing contracts or issuing invoices yet.
TimelineUsually shorter than incorporating an entity
What you needHead office registration documents (authenticated) · Chief representative appointment and ID · Proof of premises
Trade-offThe cheapest to set up and maintain — but it may not conduct business: no sales contracts, no invoicing, and local staff must be hired through a service agency.
Best forTesting the market / liaison and research only
Funds and professional service firms with a specific structure.
TimelineDepends on the structure
What you needPartnership agreement · Partner identification (foreign partners need authentication)
Trade-offGeneral partners carry unlimited liability — not suitable for most foreign investors.
Best forFunds / professional service firms
WFOE: about 8–16 weeks end to end. Ranges, not promises — actual timing depends on city, industry and documents.
What you file: Authenticated investor documents, articles, name alternatives, address documents
Blocker: Authenticating foreign documents is the step that slips most often.
Can run in parallel: Authentication can run alongside name approval
What you file: 10+ alternative names
Blocker: No duplicate names within the same industry.
What you file: Application form, articles, appointment documents, proof of address
Blocker: Sectors with prior licensing must obtain it first.
What you file: Company/finance/legal-rep seals, basic and capital accounts
Blocker: Bank due diligence depends on the bank and your shareholder background.
What you file: Tax category approval, social insurance and housing fund accounts, invoice application
Blocker: The tax category decides your filing frequency — align it with your bookkeeper early.
The seals are what bind the company to contracts and let the bank act on your instructions.
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The basic account carries salaries, taxes and daily operations; the capital account is for shareholder injections.
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The approved tax category decides how often you file and which invoices you are allowed to issue.
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Both accounts must exist before you can legally hire locally — and contributions start from the employee's first month.
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Work and residence are two separate permits — the second depends on the first.
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The precondition for trading in your own name and receiving foreign currency.
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Food, medical, ICP and similar activities are licensed by sector, not by the registration authority.
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Obtenir la licence n'est pas la ligne d'arrivée — voici les obligations qui déterminent si l'entité reste en règle.
Monthly or quarterly filings, the annual report, and the annual corporate income tax reconciliation. Exact deadlines and how they shift around holidays are on the compliance calendar, which checks official sources every week.
You must keep books under Chinese accounting standards and file on time; qualifying companies also need an audit report.
Corporate income tax, VAT, individual income tax (withheld), stamp duty and surcharges. Rates change with policy — we set out the taxes and how they are administered, and we do not give tax planning advice.
Paid monthly once you employ locally; rates follow the city and are adjusted each year.
A work permit first, then a work-type residence permit; roles usually carry requirements on degree and years of experience.
Food, medical, ICP, import/export and others, handled by sector — fees and timelines depend on both sector and city.
Registering the company name gives you no rights over the brand. A trademark is filed separately with the trademark office and is granted class by class; China works on a first-to-file basis, so file before you print packaging or open a store — and renew it every ten years.
High-tech enterprise status, R&D super-deduction, some park-level rebates — eligibility and application windows follow the issuing authority's document number.
With 1–2 people testing the market, price it first: the fixed cost of keeping an entity alive (bookkeeping, annual report, social insurance, address) usually exceeds hiring through an EOR. Compare the break-even before you set one up — we do not push everyone to incorporate.
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