What is a Chinese company’s registration status and its importance?
There are many registration statuses into which a Chinese company can fall, but the two main categories are “registered” and “not currently registered.”
Understanding a Chinese company’s registration status is a critical piece of information that you need to know to ensure the entity with which you are contemplating establishing a business relationship is a valid, legitimate Chinese business.
As we’ve discussed in other articles, it is very important to know a Chinese company’s registration status. It remains one of the key ways a small- or medium-sized business can discern if the Chinese company is a valid, legitimate enterprise.
The chart below outlines the two main categories of a Chinese company’s registration status (登记状态 in Chinese): registered and not currently registered.
Registered companies
| Term | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| Existing (In Operation, Open, Registered) | 存续（在营、开业、在册） | Cúnxù (zài yíng, kāiyè, zàicè) |
| In Operation (Open) Enterprise | 在营（开业）企业 | Zài yíng (kāiyè) qǐyè |
| Open | 开业 | Kāiyè |
| Existing | 存续 | Cúnxù |
| Normal | 正常 | Zhèngcháng |
| In Business | 在业 | Zài yè |
Not currently registered
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| Revoked, Already Cancelled | 吊销，已注销 | Diàoxiāo, yǐ zhùxiāo |
| Revoked, Awaiting Cancellation | 吊销，未注销 | Diàoxiāo, wèi zhùxiāo |
| Cancelled | 注销 | Zhùxiāo |
| Moved Out | 迁出 | Qiān chū |
| Rescinded | 撤销 | Chèxiāo |
| Revoked | 吊销 | Diàoxiāo |
| Suspended | 暂停 | Zàntíng |
Locating a Chinese company’s registration status
While there is no English-language search service for company registrations in Mainland China, there is a free nationwide Chinese-language search website for searching company registration details known as the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System. In addition, you can investigate a company’s status by researching the State Administration for Industry and Commerce’s (SAIC’s) various local websites.
Additional Resources
Still have questions? We’re here to help.
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