Your company in China, in plain figures.
We set up, run, review and close companies in mainland China for English-speaking and Italian businesses, and work alongside the accountants who advise them. Every step shown. One adviser on your file, and a reply within 48 hours.
Where do you stand?
Two questions. You will see which of four situations you are in and exactly what happens next. No email needed.
You are setting up
Most people in this position know they need a legal entity in China but not which kind. Answer a few questions below and we will tell you whether a representative office, a WFOE or a joint venture fits, then show every step to open it, in order.
- We draft the scope so the licence covers what you will actually sell.
- Certificate of incorporation and passport copies, notarised and legalised for China.
- Filed with the market regulator; we answer their questions.
- The bank will want to meet the legal representative.
We reply within 48 hours, London working days.
You are changing accountant
Most companies we see in this position are compliant but blind: returns are filed, yet nobody in Europe can say what was filed or why. The change can happen between two monthly filings, with nothing missed.
- You give us read access to your tax bureau login and last 12 months of ledgers.
- We reconcile what was filed against the books and list any gaps.
- We agree a handover date with your current provider.
- We file the next monthly return and send you the file, in English or Italian.
We reply within 48 hours, London working days.
You are reviewing where you stand
For a company already running in China, we check what has actually been filed against the recurring deadlines, and tell you what is missing and what exposure it carries.
- We ask for your last two annual reports to the market regulator, your corporate income tax reconciliation filings and your capital contribution records, so we can check what has actually been filed.
- We compare your filing history against the recurring deadlines: the annual report to the market regulator (1 Jan – 30 Jun), the corporate income tax reconciliation (1 Jan – 31 May, usually after a statutory audit), the individual income tax reconciliation for employees (1 Mar – 30 Jun), the transfer pricing local file where thresholds are met (by 30 Jun), and the annual foreign investment equity registration with SAFE (by 30 Sep).
- We confirm how much of the registered capital has been paid in against the five-year deadline from incorporation, and that any change of legal representative, directors, business scope or address was registered within 30 days.
- We set out what is compliant, what is missing, and the exposure each gap carries, so you can decide whether to keep your current provider or hand the filings to us.
We reply within 48 hours, London working days.
You are closing a company
TODO(review): design/content.md does not describe the closing process itself. The general deregistration route typically takes 6–12 months for a WFOE; a simplified route exists for some companies but its eligibility is not yet confirmed.
- TODO(review): content.md does not describe the simplified and general deregistration routes named in design/blueprint.md, or which companies qualify for each.
- TODO(review): the tax deregistration requirements and sequence are not given in content.md.
- TODO(review): the deregistration process with the market regulator is not given in content.md.
- TODO(review): the bank account closure and chop cancellation process is not given in content.md.
We reply within 48 hours, London working days.
Which kind of company do you need?
It cannot invoice customers or sign sales contracts in China, and staff must be employed through a licensed agency.
A company you own outright, with limited liability. It can invoice, hire and hold a bank account in its own name.
Your sector is open to full foreign ownership. A joint venture only makes sense if a partner brings something you cannot buy.
Status "Required by law" appears in ochre when the sector is on China's foreign investment negative list.
The three vehicles side by side
| Representative officeRO · 代表处 | WFOEWFOE · 外商独资企业 | Joint ventureJV · 合资企业 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invoicing | Cannot invoice customers in China or sign sales contracts there. | Can invoice (issue fapiao), import and export within its business scope. | Yes. |
| Staff | Cannot employ staff directly; staff are hired through a licensed agency. | Can hire directly. | Yes. |
| Liability | No separate legal personality; the parent company is liable. | Limited liability company wholly owned by the foreign investor. | Limited to the company. |
| Registered capital | No registered capital. | Set by the investor. Under the 2024 Company Law, subscribed capital must be paid in within five years of incorporation. | Agreed with the partner; paid in within 5 years. |
| Corporate income tax | Taxed on its costs at a deemed profit margin, whether or not it earns anything. | Standard corporate income tax rate 25%. | Corporate income tax on profit, standard rate 25%. |
| Time to open | Work in our handsWaiting on an authoritySlow caseLegal limit 6–10 weeks, indicative | Work in our handsWaiting on an authoritySlow caseLegal limit 8–12 weeks | Work in our handsWaiting on an authoritySlow caseLegal limit 3–6 months including partner talks |
| Best for | Testing the market, sourcing, liaison | Selling, hiring, operating | Restricted sectors, or a partner with licences you need |
Every result above can be copied and forwarded under your own name, with the same 48-hour reply promise.
The deadline calendar is free for your whole client list, with reminders you can also send to your accountant contact. See the deadline calendar
Opening a WFOE, step by step
Typical case for a trading company in Shanghai. Each bar sits where the step falls, on the site's shared scale (the full width is one year).
Name check and business scope
We draft the scope so the licence covers what you will actually sell.Us1 weekThree name options, a description of the activityParent documents legalised
Certificate of incorporation and passport copies, notarised and legalised for China.You2–4 weeksOriginals to your notaryThe step most often underestimatedBusiness licence issued
Filed with the market regulator; we answer their questions.Authority1–2 weeksA lease that passes inspectionChops carved, bank and tax registration
The bank will want to meet the legal representative.Us2–3 weeksLegal representative available for a video or in-person bank meeting
You are changing accountant
Most companies we see in this position are compliant but blind: returns are filed, yet nobody in Europe can say what was filed or why. The change can happen between two monthly filings, with nothing missed.
Give us read access
You give us read access to your tax bureau login and last 12 months of ledgers.YouTODO(review): duration not given in the ScenarioFinder preview or content.md.Read access to your tax bureau login and the last 12 months of ledgersWe reconcile filings against your books
We reconcile what was filed against the books and list any gaps.UsTODO(review): duration not given in the ScenarioFinder preview or content.md.We agree a handover date
We agree a handover date with your current provider.UsTODO(review): duration not given in the ScenarioFinder preview or content.md.We file the next return
We file the next monthly return and send you the file, in English or Italian.UsTODO(review): duration not given in the ScenarioFinder preview or content.md.
Reviewing where you stand
For a company already running in China, we check what has actually been filed against the recurring deadlines, and tell you what is missing and what exposure it carries.
Send us your filing history
We ask for your last two annual reports to the market regulator, your corporate income tax reconciliation filings and your capital contribution records, so we can check what has actually been filed.YouTODO(review): content.md does not give a typical duration for a review engagement.Annual reports, corporate income tax reconciliation filings, capital contribution recordsWe check the recurring deadlines
We compare your filing history against the recurring deadlines: the annual report to the market regulator (1 Jan – 30 Jun), the corporate income tax reconciliation (1 Jan – 31 May, usually after a statutory audit), the individual income tax reconciliation for employees (1 Mar – 30 Jun), the transfer pricing local file where thresholds are met (by 30 Jun), and the annual foreign investment equity registration with SAFE (by 30 Sep).UsTODO(review): content.md does not give a typical duration for a review engagement.Missing the annual report puts the company on the abnormal operations list.We check registered capital and company changes
We confirm how much of the registered capital has been paid in against the five-year deadline from incorporation, and that any change of legal representative, directors, business scope or address was registered within 30 days.UsTODO(review): content.md does not give a typical duration for a review engagement.We give you a written position
We set out what is compliant, what is missing, and the exposure each gap carries, so you can decide whether to keep your current provider or hand the filings to us.UsTODO(review): content.md does not give a typical duration for a review engagement.
Closing a company
The general deregistration route typically takes 6–12 months for a WFOE (design/components/TimeScale/preview.html). TODO(review): content.md does not describe the closing process itself. design/blueprint.md refers to "simplified and general routes" for closing, but content.md and the design previews give no detail on either route's eligibility, sequence, or the simplified route's duration. The steps below are a placeholder outline only and must be confirmed with the Shanghai partner before publication.
Decide the route
TODO(review): content.md does not describe the simplified and general deregistration routes named in design/blueprint.md, or which companies qualify for each.UsTODO(review): not given in content.md.TODO(review): not given in content.md.Settle tax and deregister with the tax bureau
TODO(review): the tax deregistration requirements and sequence are not given in content.md.AuthorityTODO(review): not given in content.md.TODO(review): not given in content.md.Deregister with the market regulator
TODO(review): the deregistration process with the market regulator is not given in content.md.AuthorityTODO(review): not given in content.md.TODO(review): not given in content.md.Close bank accounts and cancel chops
TODO(review): the bank account closure and chop cancellation process is not given in content.md.UsTODO(review): not given in content.md.TODO(review): not given in content.md.