Service follows the licence address and the legal representative — a sales WeChat is not a summons.
Domestic service on a Chinese company is generally to the registered domicile or to the legal representative / authorised receiver. The court, not the plaintiff, serves. If the address on the licence is dead, announcement service may become available after attempts. Electronic service exists when the party has agreed or the court so orders. Foreign plaintiffs still need a PRC-usable address for the defendant. This page is serving a PRC company. Serving a foreign company in a PRC case is the related pages.
4 questions before you choose the route.
This page identifies the right question and evidence. It does not determine the legal outcome on a reader’s facts.
What address is on the licence?
Publicity system.
AddressWho is the legal representative?
Personal service options.
LRHas the court already tried?
Door for announcement.
AttemptsAny agreed electronic service?
Contract clause.
E-serviceWorking rule: Map the regulated role before marketing or launch in China.
The signal ledger.
These facts move the question beyond a label and into a product, money-flow and control analysis.
Bring a compact evidence docket—not a pitch deck.
Give a compliance team or counsel the operating facts that reveal the perimeter.
Questions people ask before they build.
Short answers for orientation. The right result can change with the service model and current rules.
Can I serve the branch instead of the parent?
A branch is not the company. Serve the legal person unless the branch is the named defendant.
What if they refuse to take the papers?
The court records refusal. That can still complete service under the rules.
Primary authorities
Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.