Almost every Chinese supplier will send you a photo of its business license when you ask. Many buyers look at it, see a red stamp and a QR code, and feel reassured. But a license photo proves very little on its own. It can be old, edited, or belong to a different company from the one on your invoice. What protects you is reading it properly and checking it against the official record.
This guide explains what each part of a Chinese business license means, how to check it in the official registry, and which details should make you stop and ask more questions.
What is on a Chinese business license
The license (营业执照) is issued by the local market regulation authority. The current format shows:
Unified social credit code (统一社会信用代码). An 18-character code that identifies the company. This is the most important item. Names can be similar, the code cannot.
Company name (名称). The legal name in Chinese. The English name on a website or invoice is not registered and can be anything.
Type (类型). Limited liability company, joint stock company, individual business (个体工商户), branch, sole proprietorship and others.
Legal representative (法定代表人). The person legally responsible for the company.
Registered capital (注册资本). The capital the shareholders committed. For many companies this is subscribed capital, not money actually paid in, so a large number does not prove the company has that money.
Date of establishment (成立日期) and business term (营业期限).
Business scope (经营范围). What the company is registered to do. This tells you whether it is registered to manufacture (生产, 制造) or only to sell (销售, 批发).
Address (住所). The registered address, which may be different from the factory.
Registration authority and date.
How to check it in the official registry
Chinese company registration data is public. The official source is the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (国家企业信用信息公示系统). You can search by the company name or the unified social credit code and see the registered details, annual reports, changes, and administrative penalties. Commercial databases present the same data in an easier format, often with insured headcount, shareholders, trademarks and court cases added.
The registry is mostly in Chinese and some sites limit access from abroad, which is one reason buyers ask someone in China to run the check. When you check, compare these items with the photo and with the company on your contract:
The code and the name match exactly, character for character.
The status is active (存续 or 在业), not cancelled (注销) or revoked (吊销).
The legal representative and address on the photo are the current ones. If they changed recently, ask why.
The business scope covers making your product, if the supplier says it is a factory.
What the annual report adds
Companies file an annual report each year. It often shows the number of employees covered by social insurance (社保人数). This is one of the most useful numbers you can get. A company that claims 300 workers and declares 6 insured employees is either very small, uses unregistered labor, or is not the factory. It is not proof by itself, but it is a strong signal.
Court and enforcement records
Court judgments and enforcement records are also public. Search the company name for:
Contract disputes with buyers or suppliers, especially about quality or delivery.
Enforcement cases, where a court has ordered the company to pay and it has not.
Dishonest judgment debtor listings (失信被执行人), which mean the company ignored a court order. This is a serious red flag for any prepayment.
Labor disputes and unpaid wages, which often come before a company collapses.
Red flags on a license
The company on the license is different from the company on your proforma invoice or bank details.
The scope says sales only, but the supplier calls itself a factory.
The company was set up a few months ago, but the website says 20 years of experience.
The type is an individual business, but the supplier presents itself as a large manufacturer.
The license photo looks edited, or the supplier will only send a cropped or watermarked version.
The registry shows a status other than active, or recent changes of owner, name and address all at once.
What a license cannot tell you
A clean registration proves that a company exists and what it is registered to do. It does not prove that the factory on the video is theirs, that the product is good, or that the bank account belongs to them. Those need a live video walk-through, product checks and a payment check. The full sequence is in how to verify a Chinese supplier: 12 checks before you pay, and how to tell a factory from a trader is covered in factory or trading company: how to tell.
Ask me to check a license
Send me the company name or the code, or just the photo the supplier sent you. I check the registry, the annual report, the insured headcount, shareholders and court records in Chinese, and tell you in plain English what they mean for your order.
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LocalAuditChina is an independent verification service, not a certification body. Reports are findings to support your purchasing decision.
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