China Company Formation
How does a Hong Kong person open a company on the mainland? We set up domestic Chinese companies and foreign-invested enterprises in Shenzhen, Qianhai and Guangzhou, from the company name and the registered address through to the business licence and the chops, all arranged in one go.
A Shenzhen limited company with a mainland shareholder starts at 6,000 RMB. If the shareholder is from Hong Kong or Taiwan it counts as foreign investment; we handle that too, and Qianhai also has a corporate income tax concession. We can provide the business and registered address in Shenzhen as well.
Trust or Company Service Provider licence TC007926 · Updated September 2021
Mainland shareholder
Domestic Chinese company
From 6,000 RMB
Shenzhen limited company
- Company name check
- Registered address (we can provide one)
- Business licence, original and duplicate
- Company chop, contract chop, finance chop, invoice chop and legal representative chop
- Articles of Association
Hong Kong, Taiwan or overseas shareholder
Foreign-invested enterprise (WFOE)
Quoted separately
Shenzhen, Qianhai, Guangzhou
- Qianhai: free use of a Qianhai business secretary address
- Business licence, original and duplicate
- Full set of chops and the Articles of Association
- Applications for the incentive schemes
What you need to register a Shenzhen company
- The company name (Shenzhen + trade name + industry + limited company).
- Registered capital (subscribed; no capital verification needed).
- The business scope (as approved by the Administration for Industry and Commerce).
- The registered address (we can provide one).
- A photograph of the front of the ID card of the legal representative, the shareholders and the supervisor; Hong Kong people also need both sides of the Home Return Permit. The legal representative and a shareholder can be the same person; the legal representative cannot be the supervisor.
- The legal representative, the shareholders and the supervisor go to a designated bank to collect and activate a U-Key (any one of Bank of China, ICBC, China Construction Bank, Ping An Bank, CITIC Bank, Agricultural Bank of China, Postal Savings Bank of China or a rural commercial bank).
- Foreign-invested companies: individual shareholders and the legal representative have to attend in person with the original ID card and Home Return Permit; if a company is the shareholder, the documents must be notarised by a China-Appointed Attesting Officer.
More detail
China company formation FAQ
If a Hong Kong or Taiwan person registers a Shenzhen company, is it a foreign-invested company?
Yes. A company registered on the mainland by a shareholder from outside the mainland counts as foreign investment.
Can the legal representative and the shareholder be the same person?
Yes. The legal representative and a shareholder can be the same person; the legal representative cannot be the supervisor, but a shareholder can be.
Does the registered capital have to be paid up?
At registration the capital is subscribed, so no capital verification is needed; it is paid up within the time set in the Articles of Association. The period allowed is governed by the Company Law and local rules, and has been amended — we check the period that applies to your industry and place of registration against the rules in force at the time.
Do I have to go to the mainland in person?
For a foreign-invested company, the individual shareholders and the legal representative have to attend in person with the original ID card and Home Return Permit; collecting the bank U-Key also has to be done in person. We prepare the rest of the documents for you.
If a Hong Kong company is the shareholder, what Hong Kong documents are needed?
The Hong Kong company's registration details have to be notarised by a China-Appointed Attesting Officer. The mainland registry usually asks for a certified extract from the register kept by the Companies Registry (HK$27) and a Certificate of Continuing Registration (HK$170) (source: Companies Registry fee table). We apply for both for you.
What incentives does Qianhai offer?
A company registered in Qianhai can use a Qianhai business secretary address free of charge and may operate elsewhere; a company with more than 70% of its main revenue from activities on the Catalogue of Preferential Corporate Income Tax Treatment is taxed at a reduced corporate income tax rate of 15%; and overseas high-end talent can be exempt from individual income tax.
Which industries are closed to foreign-invested companies?
In industries that affect the national economic lifeline, such as finance, property, education, transport and mining, the foreign shareholding is restricted and some are closed altogether. In a Sino-foreign joint venture the Chinese side must invest through a domestic company.
What are the requirements for the registered address?
You need a tenancy document or a property ownership certificate. If you do not have one, we can provide a registered address in Shenzhen.
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