WOFE - your company in China

The documents of the person(s) establishing the company and those serving in its statutory bodies must be prepared. These documents must undergo an apostille process, meaning they need to be authenticated by the appropriate authority. Before submission, the documents must also be translated into Chinese by a sworn translator.

This includes preparing a description of the WOFE’s activities and finding an available company name. The selected name must include the place of registration (e.g., Shanghai), refer to the actual business activity, and be unique. A good practice is to secure trademark protection for a distinctive company name. However, it’s important to remember that the company name and trademark are two separate matters. The availability of the company name is verified in the legal entities registry , and trademarks are checked with the Chinese Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA).

Properly prepared and signed original founding documents are submitted to the company registration office. After the company is entered into the legal entities registry, a registration certificate is issued, and three primary company seals are produced: the company stamp, legal stamp, and finance stamp.

The legal representative of the company must personally visit a bank in China to open a corporate bank account. Note: some branches allow the legal representative to remotely participate in the account opening process. However, personal attendance is still recommended whenever possible.

The company must be reported to the tax office to designate its primary bank account in CNY, from which taxes will be automatically deducted.

The final step in registration is applying for the ability to issue local invoices (fapiao), which is a one-time process. These invoices are issued through the central invoice registry and managed by an accountant. Export invoices (for goods or services) can be issued using standard international formats.