WFOE Registration
in China.
Set up a Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise with coordinated support across entity structuring, AMR filing, bank account opening, tax registration and first-year compliance.
Start your WFOE setup.
Tell us your business type, target city, visa needs and timeline. Our team will respond within one business day.
What is WFOE registration in China?
WFOE registration in China is the process of establishing a Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise — a limited liability company fully owned by foreign investors. The process usually includes company name pre-approval, business scope drafting, registered capital planning, shareholder document authentication, AMR filing, business licence issuance, company chops, bank account opening, tax registration, and post-registration compliance setup. End-to-end, a clean standard WFOE registration usually takes 15 to 20 working days.
For foreign investors seeking full control and scalability in China.
Unlike representative offices (limited to market research) or joint ventures (requiring profit-sharing with a Chinese partner), a Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise gives you complete operational freedom — and a defensible long-term presence in the Chinese market.
100% foreign ownership
Full ownership of profits, intellectual property, and operational decisions. No mandatory Chinese partner. No profit-sharing arrangements.
Direct fapiao invoicing
Hire your own team, sign your own contracts, set your own strategy. Issue official VAT invoices (fapiao) in RMB. Repatriate profits as dividends.
Long-term China presence
Built for manufacturing, trading, and service operations. The default vehicle for serious foreign-invested businesses with multi-year China plans.
Pick the WFOE structure that matches your business model.
According to the main business activities your company will pursue, your WFOE will be classified into one of three categories. Each carries different licensing requirements, timelines, and registered-capital expectations.
Consulting WFOE
Ideal for service providers — management consulting, market research, IT services, marketing, professional services. The lightest setup. No special permits or environmental review.
Trading WFOE
For companies engaged in purchase, sale, distribution, import or export of goods. Requires a customs registration on top of the business license to clear goods through PRC customs.
Manufacturing WFOE
Approved to manufacture, process, and sell products. Requires industrial-zoned lease, environmental impact assessment, and industry permits. Fully open to 100% foreign ownership under 2024 Negative List.
Market-entry execution, not just filing.
A WFOE registration rarely stops at the business licence. Our team coordinates company naming, business scope, shareholder authentication, AMR submission, chops, bank account opening, tax activation and work-visa planning as one connected project.
What you need to prepare before filing.
The seven categories below cover every document, decision, and registration touchpoint required for a complete WFOE application — from the AMR submission to post-registration tax and social-insurance setup.
| Requirement | What to prepare |
|---|---|
| Shareholder documents | Certificate of incorporation (corporate) or passport (individual). Notarised and apostilled (or consular-legalised for non-Convention countries). Authentication chain consistent across every document. |
| Chinese company name | Four-part structure: City of registration + Trade name + Industry / activity + Company form. Submit three to five candidates in priority order to the local AMR for pre-approval. |
| Business scope | Standardised AMR wording aligned with the activities your WFOE will actually conduct. Overly broad scopes cause downstream issues with the tax bureau. |
| Registered capital | Subscribed amount plus a five-year contribution schedule. Under the 2024 PRC Company Law, the full amount must be paid in within five years of establishment. |
| Registered address | Commercial address with a real lease agreement filed with the local property bureau. Virtual addresses fail AMR's on-site verification. Lease term ≥ 12 months from filing. |
| Company roles | Legal representative (one person), executive director or board, supervisor (cannot be the legal representative or an employee), general manager, and finance contact. |
| Post-registration setup | Five company chops carved (company, finance, legal rep, contract, invoice), RMB basic and foreign-currency capital accounts, tax registration, social insurance account, and a first-year compliance calendar. |
A five-step framework that turns complexity into a relaxing experience.
Asomerit has established a five-step framework that takes you from idea to operational WFOE in roughly four weeks. Once your documents are ready, your job is essentially done.
Plan & prepare
Material gathering and document review. We guide you on registered capital sizing, business scope, and Chinese name selection.
AMR application
Submit documents to the Administration for Market Regulation. Business licence issued. Company seals engraved.
Bank account opening
Open RMB basic and foreign-currency capital accounts via our pre-built relationships with major Chinese banks.
Tax registration
Complete tax registration with the local tax bureau within 30 days of incorporation. VAT taxpayer status set.
Operate & grow
Your WFOE is ready to issue invoices, hire staff, and conduct business. Asomerit transitions to ongoing compliance support.
Want to understand the full process before getting started?
Read the complete WFOE registration guide →Three factors that shape your WFOE for the next five years.
Decisions made before submission cost far more to undo than to get right at the start. These three deserve careful thought — and our advice — before the AMR application goes in.
Registered capital
China has abolished the nationwide minimum, but the 2024 PRC Company Law mandates full capital contribution within five years of incorporation. Declaring a number you cannot actually inject within five years now creates real director liability.
Model your WFOE capital plan →Registered address
Your legal address must be a physical commercial space with government-filed lease documentation. Virtual addresses fail SAMR's on-site verification. Use our affiliated address solution for a budget-conscious start.
Ask about our address solution →Special licences
Some industries require licences in addition to the business licence: import/export, food operation, HR services. Asomerit handles licence applications alongside WFOE formation.
See WFOE cost breakdown →30+ cities. Local incentives, district subsidies, and the regulations that actually apply.
Setup specifics differ by city — Lingang's tax incentives, Hainan's 15% cap, Shenzhen's seamless customs clearance. Explore our specialised regional guides to navigate the localised tax incentives, industrial clusters, and compliance mandates across China's primary investment hubs.
Transparent pricing. Zero hidden fees.
Three packages calibrated to where you are in your China entry: just getting set up, building first-year compliance, or bringing your team in with full visa support.
Starter Registration
Register your WFOE and start your business in China with all the fundamentals.
- Free consultation
- Registered address (1 year)
- Business licence application
- Company seal engraving
- Corporate account opening
- Tax registration
First-year Compliance
Ensure your WFOE is administratively and financially compliant after registration.
- Everything in Starter Registration
- Daily bookkeeping (12 months)
- Invoice (fapiao) issuing
- Monthly tax report
- Annual administrative report
- Social insurance account
Compliance + Visa
Apply for Chinese working visa for a legal stay in China while ensuring compliance.
- Everything in First-year Compliance
- Managing account registration
- Document preparation guidance
- China working visa application
- China residence permit application
- Bring your family if needed
Build a complete first-year cost estimate
Packages above cover the essentials. Customise your specific city, employees, visa, and compliance to get the full first-year range — calibrated to 12 Chinese cities and current 2026 rates.
Download the China WFOE Setup Checklist
A bilingual reference covering shareholder documents, China-side setup information, the 8-step registration process, and typical working-day timelines. Updated for the 2024 Company Law and 2023 Apostille Convention.
- Basic setup information
- Document requirements
- Registration process
- Working-day timeline
- Apostille & legalisation
WFOE registration in China at a glance
Free, expert-built tools and downloads for your China entry.
Whether you're scoping costs, scoring eligibility, or planning the year's compliance calendar — we built these so you can make better decisions before you commit.
WFOE Cost Calculator
3-year setup and operating costs by city.
Estimate your WFOE setup cost →Work Permit Eligibility Self-Check
Score against the A/B/C work-permit points framework.
Score your work permit →WFOE Setup Checklist
Bilingual 42-item registration checklist.
Download the checklist →China Compliance Calendar 2026
Statutory holidays + filing deadlines.
Download the calendar →Frequently asked questions about WFOE registration.
You have questions, and Asomerit has answers. If we don't cover all your confusions, just let us know.
WFOE registration in China typically takes 15 to 20 working days from name pre-approval to a usable business licence with tax registration completed. Bank account opening adds 1–3 weeks. Tax taxpayer-status confirmation, social insurance setup, and any special licences (food operation, import/export, ICP) can extend the overall timeline by 2 to 6 weeks depending on the city and the bank chosen.
WFOE registration costs in China fall into seven cost categories:
- Government filing fees at AMR — generally minimal (under USD 100)
- Shareholder document authentication and apostille in the country of issuance (USD 30–100 per document)
- Certified translations of foreign documents into Chinese (RMB 200–500 per document)
- Registered office address (varies by city, RMB 5,000–30,000 per year for serviced solutions)
- Basic bank account opening and capital account setup (typically included by service firms)
- Tax registration and VAT setup (typically included)
- First-year bookkeeping and licence add-ons if needed
Asomerit packages start from USD 2,500 for registration only and USD 3,500 for registration plus first-year compliance. Estimate your WFOE setup cost for a tailored range.
A WFOE application requires the following documents:
- Shareholder identity documents — certificate of incorporation for corporate shareholders or passport for individuals, notarised and apostilled in the country of issuance
- Articles of association reflecting the five-year capital contribution rule
- Legal representative passport and photograph
- Registered address lease accepted by the local AMR
- Business scope drafted to AMR standards
- Registered capital amount and a five-year contribution schedule
- Supervisor and finance contact appointments
As long as your business type is not listed on the national Foreign Investment Negative List, you can establish a Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise (WFOE) or a joint venture to operate. The 2024 Negative List fully opened manufacturing to 100% foreign ownership and reduced the restricted-sector count further. To check the comprehensive market access requirements, you can review the Foreign Investment Negative List issued by the National Development and Reform Commission of the PRC.
Yes. According to the 2024 PRC Company Law (effective 1 July 2024), all companies established in China — whether domestic or foreign-invested — are required to fully pay up their registered capital within five years of establishment. WFOEs incorporated before this date have a transitional grace period until 30 June 2027 to comply. Failure to meet the deadline can trigger director liability, AMR enforcement, or a forced capital reduction.
You need to open a dedicated Foreign Exchange Capital Account at a bank after the successful establishment of the WFOE to receive the registered capital. Remit the registered capital from your overseas personal account into this Foreign Exchange Capital Account and complete the conversion to RMB. The funds can then be transferred into the WFOE's basic deposit account for normal business expenditures.
Yes. Once the WFOE has its business licence and tax registration, it can hire Chinese and foreign employees directly. Hiring requires the WFOE to set up social insurance and housing fund accounts, register for individual income tax (IIT) withholding, and execute compliant PRC employment contracts. For foreign hires, the WFOE also acts as the sponsoring employer under the foreign work permit system for Work Permit Notice and Z Visa applications.
Yes. From the date the business licence is issued, the WFOE must complete:
- Monthly: VAT, surtax and individual income tax (IIT) filings; bookkeeping under PRC GAAP
- Quarterly: Corporate Income Tax (CIT) provisional filings
- Annually: Annual audit preparation, with 31 March often used as an internal target before annual CIT reconciliation; annual CIT reconciliation by 31 May; joint annual report at AMR, Commission of Commerce, tax bureau, and SAFE by 30 June
Bookkeeping must follow PRC GAAP and be completed in RMB. Set up bookkeeping and tax filing with our accounting team.
Because the Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the tax bureau may conduct on-site verification of your actual office address, you cannot use a virtual address as your registered business address. You can use:
- A self-leased commercial office; or
- Asomerit's compliant shared office solution if a physical lease is not yet practical.
Yes. After your company is established, you can apply for a Z Visa and work permit as the legal representative or senior manager of the WFOE. The WFOE must first complete tax registration, social insurance setup, and foreign work permit system registration, often still referred to as the legacy SAFEA portal before issuing the Work Permit Notice. Read our complete guide to sponsoring a China work visa through a WFOE →
Client feedback from China market entry projects.
My company was successfully incorporated in Shenzhen in just 5 days and my China work visa was also approved much faster than expected. Asomerit's efficiency was impressive, and their professional attitude gave me complete peace of mind.
We needed to secure a Food Operation Licence in Beijing and get a Work Visa for our head chef from Mexico City. Asomerit handled everything to open my Mexican restaurant. They helped review all my documents and navigated the chef's visa application flawlessly. We opened on time with our full team.
Setting up in Yiwu was the right move for our supply chain, but selling to Ireland meant dealing with complex cross-border tax rules. Asomerit didn't just register the company; they guided us through the entire financial process. Thanks to their advice on export tax rebates, we successfully claimed our VAT refunds — adding 13% to our bottom line.
Let business merit be awesome.
Don't let administrative complexity slow you down. Leverage Asomerit Consulting's expertise for a fully-guided, compliant, and hassle-free expansion into China.
No. 17, North Third Ring Road East
Chaoyang District, Beijing