China Inbound Legal Guides · Company Formation

Company Formation

China company setup is a lifecycle: choose a viable vehicle, clear access, stand up licence and chops, then keep or unwind the entity. This hub routes the stage. It does not pick your structure.

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Which formation job is live — vehicle, access, chops, or exit? Open the matching topic route or counsel — this hub does not decide the legal outcome on your facts.

Company formation route in China from access and vehicle choice through licence, chops and operating readiness.

LifecycleChoose → access → licence → operate → change

UpdatedAugust 2026

AudienceForeign investors, founders and in-house counsel

Signature · Entity & access chooser

Start, operate, change, or exit — pick the formation job.

start → operate → change → exit

Setup lifecycle

Which formation stage controls the next step?

Start with the situation

Which formation job is live — vehicle, access, chops, or exit?

Each topic owns one bounded decision, then connects to deeper guides, local context or counsel. This hub does not duplicate long-form analysis.

Vehicle

Entity choice

WFOE, joint venture, representative office and when a different vehicle is the real question.

First jobMatch the commercial objective to a viable China vehicle before filing.

Open topic route

Access

Access & negative list

Foreign-investment access, restricted sectors and when an FDI or security review sits in front of incorporation.

First jobTest access constraints before promising a structure or a filing date.

Open topic route

Licence

Licence & chops

Name, business licence, chops and the filings that make the company able to act.

First jobMap the licence and chop sequence before the intended start of operations.

Open topic route

Operate

Post-licence setup

Bank, tax, social insurance and operating registrations after the licence is issued.

First jobList the post-licence steps that still block hiring, invoicing or paying.

Open topic route

Change

Change, restructure & exit

Amendments, equity change, merger and orderly exit of a China vehicle.

First jobName the change event before treating it as a new incorporation.

Open topic route

Common entry points

Already know what is happening?

01We need a China companyStart with vehicle choice and access limits.02The sector may be restrictedStart with the negative list and FDI gates.03The licence is in hand or in processStart with chops, banks and post-licence filings.

Quick answers

Narrow questions this practice actually gets.

Not a second copy of this hub. Each card is one Wiki explainer.

Quick AnswerUBO & Beneficial Owner Disclosure in China � BasicsBeneficial owner (UBO) disclosure basics for China companies: who must file, why banks ask, and how ultimate controllers are identified.Quick AnswerChina 5-Year Capital Contribution Rule � BasicsBasics of the revised Company Law five-year capital contribution clock for limited liability companies and foreign-invested enterprises.Quick AnswerChina FX: Blocked Payment & Bank Rejection ClinicPick one primary failure branch (docs, purpose, tax, UBO, substance, account type, registration, anomaly, AML, ownership). Reconcile, then resubmit with an Quick AnswerChina FX Route: Capital Contribution & Shareholder FundingAlign investment registration and bank capital-account purpose with the true source of funds before promising HQ �day-one operations.�Quick AnswerChina FX Route: Exit Cash � Sale, Reduction & Liquidation ResidualChoose the corporate route first; complete tax clearance and corporate filings before expecting the bank to remit residual cash.Quick AnswerChina FX Route: Individual & Expat Remittance ScreenSeparate employment income from savings; align tax status and bank documentation; never assume corporate FIE rules apply to personal accounts.Quick AnswerChina FX Route: Related-Party Service Fee & HQ ChargesBuild substance and pricing support before the bank narrative; tax characterization is not optional �paperwork after payment.�Quick AnswerWFOE Liquidation & Deregistration in China � Exit BasicsHow foreign-invested enterprises exit China: liquidation, tax clearance, employee settlement, chops, and deregistration sequence for WFOEs.

Curated resources

Go deeper without losing the route.

Long-form analysis lives on canonical guides. This hub only points.

core guide

Forming a company in China

National framework for WFOE, JV and RO setup, chops and post-licence compliance.

checklist

Prepare a company-formation enquiry

Organise high-level setup facts before counsel or Ask a Lawyer.

insight

WFOE vs joint venture

Legal structures and strategic considerations when choosing a China vehicle.

deep guide

FDI and national security

Negative-list access and security-review triggers that can sit in front of incorporation.

city guide

Beijing company-formation lawyers

Local counsel layer when AMR, bank or social-insurance practice is material.

core guide

Corporate, M&A and exit hub

Use the transaction hub when the event is a deal, restructure or exit rather than a first incorporation.

Local context

Add the city when registration practice changes.

AMR queues, bank onboarding and social-insurance setup vary after the national vehicle is chosen.

Open city and province guides

Counsel hand-off

Need formation counsel?

This hub organises setup stages. It does not decide vehicle, access or licence outcome on your facts.

Find formation counsel

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