ForeignHub

Doing business in China: from a first visit to setting up

2026-11-10 Doing Business in China

Whether you are sourcing suppliers, surveying the market, attending a trade fair or planning to set up a company, it helps to separate "arriving and functioning day to day" from "business compliance".

1. Before departure

  • Confirm the right visa category for your purpose (the M visa is commonly used for commercial and trade activities) and the invitation documents, following the latest requirements of the Chinese embassy / consulate and the visa application service centre.
  • Prepare bilingual business cards and company materials, an itinerary and accommodation; arrange payment, connectivity and transport (see our payment and city-life guides).
  • Keep offline copies of your passport, visa, invitation letter, insurance and your embassy's number.

2. First, the practical basics

  • Complete accommodation registration within 24 hours (hotels do it; other stays can be filed online).
  • Get a SIM card, set up mobile payment or carry cash, and get familiar with transport and essential local apps.
  • Keep invoices and receipts for company reimbursement and compliance records.

3. Setting up or operating: use official and professional channels

Company formation, market-access rules, business scope, tax registration, foreign exchange and cross-border settlement, employment and social insurance, contracts and invoicing, IP and data compliance are specialised and change over time. Check the latest rules through the official channels of commerce, market-regulation and tax authorities and engage qualified professional advisers. ForeignHub offers no legal, tax or investment advice, no agency service, and recommends no intermediary.

4. Official starting points

  • Ministry of Commerce — mofcom.gov.cn (including the public Guide for Foreign Business People in China).
  • State Administration for Market Regulation — samr.gov.cn; State Taxation Administration — chinatax.gov.cn.
  • NIA service platform — s.nia.gov.cn and hotline 12367; local government enquiries — 12345.

5. Sensible cautions

Do not rely on verbal promises that "everything can be arranged". Verify the other party's legal entity and company seal before signing, keep the Chinese original plus a translation you understand, and follow the latest authority rules on tax and foreign exchange.

This page organizes official channels and general process only — not legal, tax or investment advice, and not an agency commitment.

Official Source
《外国商务人士在华工作生活指引（2025年版）》节选：一、办理通信卡：携带护照或外国人永久居留身份证，到电信企业的营业厅申请办理手机SIM卡。二、办理银行卡：携带护照或外国人永久居留身份证等有效证件至商业银行网点开立银行卡。三、开通移动支付：使用手机下载安装微信、支付宝或云闪付APP，根据APP指引注册。

https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/

Content Compliance Statement

All guides on this platform are based solely on official public information from the relevant Chinese authorities. We only organize and plainly restate it; we do not interpret, promise, or offer any agency service. Visa, residence and permanent-residence policies follow the latest official publications. Content about immigration / PR quotes official texts verbatim without exaggeration. We do not provide any unlawful or shortcut options. Report discrepancies via the footer "Contact / Report".

Verification Info

This guide was manually verified on 2026-11-10 (0 days ago). Based on official publications; always refer to the latest official source.

Official source: https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/

Common Questions for Foreigners in China

What is this platform for?

It is an information and life-services platform and community for foreigners living, working or studying in China. Listings can be browsed by category, by home country and by city, covering jobs, housing, second-hand goods, services and language exchange. Business-related content is split into three distinct channels: the Merchant Directory (/merchants) lists approved businesses operating in China; Verified Providers (/resources) is an editorially screened list of official bodies and legitimate service providers; Business posts (/listings?src=merchant) are commercial listings published by those merchants. There is no separate merchant-onboarding section — a business registers as a business member and its profile goes live after credential review.

How much does posting cost?

There are two separate posting systems with separate per-day rates. Individual members get a monthly free quota of 1 listings (valid 3 days after approval) and can also pay $2 (USD) per day, up to 30 days. Business members have NO free quota and pay $6 per day — by default 3x the individual rate (at least 2x), configurable by the admin with one multiplier or per category / per merchant — or use posting credits included in a purchased plan when the plan shop is open. The validity period is counted from publication: on expiry the system takes the listing down and withdraws it from every part of the site, and 30 days after takedown it is permanently purged.

How long is a listing valid, and what happens when it expires?

Every listing on this site is valid for up to 30 days. Past that period the system takes it down automatically, and it disappears from listings, search, category pages and recommendations alike; 30 days after takedown it is permanently deleted from the database rather than kept on. This keeps the information on the site current, useful and timely, and stops outdated content from misleading anyone.

Which payment methods are supported?

All prices are quoted in USD. You can pay in USD, EUR or GBP via PayPal / Payoneer, or in CNY via WeChat Pay / Alipay. Content becomes visible only after content review, confirmed payment and a mandatory final go-live review by an admin.

Why can I not pay right after submitting a listing or an ad?

By default we review content before taking payment. A moderator checks the submitted listing, request or ad creative first; once approved you receive an in-site notification and a "Pay now" button appears in your account. The platform can switch this pre-payment review off, in which case you can pay immediately. Either way, payment never publishes content automatically: a mandatory admin go-live review is still required before anything appears on the site. Requests and free-quota listings have no payment step, but still need admin approval to become public.

Who publishes the listings? Is the content reliable?

All listings are published by users (UGC). The platform does not take part in any transaction, so please verify the other party and the details before paying or meeting.