China Inbound Legal Guides · Internet & Telecom

ICP, VATS & Telecom Licensing

China internet regulation begins with the service function: filing, commercial ICP, a specific VATS catalogue item, cloud infrastructure, or app and domain administration. This hub routes the licence question without treating every online service as the same permit.

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What does the service actually do, and which entity operates it in China? Open the matching filing, licence, cloud or app route before choosing a structure or launch date.

China internet and telecom regulatory route connecting platforms, infrastructure, filings and licensing controls.

RouteClassify → file or license → structure → launch

UpdatedSeptember 2026

AudienceTechnology companies, platforms, cloud providers and in-house counsel

Launch route

Which internet-regulation file controls the next step?

Start with the situation

What does the service actually do, and which entity operates it in China?

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

ICP

ICP filing & commercial ICP

Website filing, commercial internet-information services and the boundary between filing and an operating licence.

First jobIdentify the China-hosted site, operator and revenue model before calling the requirement an ICP licence.

Open topic route

VATS

VATS catalogue licences

IDC, CDN, EDI, online data processing and other value-added telecom catalogue items.

First jobMap each supplied function to the current telecom business catalogue before testing ownership or licence scope.

Open topic route

Cloud

Cloud, IDC & CDN

Cloud architecture, IDC and CDN licensing, infrastructure roles and foreign-provider operating routes.

First jobDraw the service, infrastructure, entity and data flows before selecting a licence or partner model.

Open topic route

Launch

Apps, domains & launch filings

App filing, domain registration and launch dependencies that sit beside telecom and content licensing.

First jobInventory the app, domain, host, operator and content functions before opening separate filing workstreams.

Open topic route

Common entry points

Already know what is happening?

01We are launching a websiteSeparate ICP filing from commercial ICP and other VATS items.02We operate a platform or online serviceMap the service to the VATS catalogue before testing structure.03Cloud or infrastructure is involvedOpen the architecture, IDC, CDN and provider route.04An app or domain must launchCoordinate app, domain, hosting and operator filings.

Quick answers

Narrow questions this practice actually gets.

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

Quick AnswerICP Filing in ChinaICP filing is non-commercial website/app record-filing — not a VATS operating licence. The live filing guide stays linked. Reviewed 6 Sep 2026.Quick AnswerVATS Licence in ChinaVATS is China’s value-added telecom licensing catalogue — IDC, CDN, EDI and more live here, not under website Bei’an. Reviewed 6 Sep 2026.Quick AnswerSaaS in ChinaSaaS in China is a feature-to-catalogue mapping problem: filing, VATS items, cloud licences and data rules can stack. Reviewed 6 Sep 2026.Quick AnswerApp Filing in ChinaApps often need ICP filing (and sometimes more) when China-hosted or distributed — distinct from app-store developer accounts. Reviewed 6 Sep 2026.

Curated resources

Go deeper without losing the route.

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

core guide

China ICP, VATS & Telecom Licensing Guide

Service classification, ICP filing, VATS catalogue items, foreign-investment access and operating-route analysis.

deep guide

China ICP Filing Guide

Practical filing route for China-hosted websites, including operator, host and launch dependencies.

deep guide

Cloud Computing in China

IDC and internet-resource-collaboration licensing, foreign-provider routes, architecture, data and contracts.

official service

MIIT ICP/IP/domain filing system

Official MIIT filing and public-record service for internet information and domain-related administration.

primary regulation

Telecommunications Business Classification Catalogue

Official MIIT catalogue used to classify basic and value-added telecommunications service functions.

primary regulation

Foreign-invested telecommunications enterprise provisions

Official rules governing foreign-invested telecommunications operators, subject to current catalogue and pilot measures.

Local context

Add location only when the filing or pilot route changes.

National service classification comes first; infrastructure location, filing practice and approved pilots follow.

Open city and province guides

Counsel hand-off

Need technology and telecom counsel?

This hub organises filing, catalogue and operating-route questions. It does not determine licence scope or foreign-investment access on your facts.

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