The 18-digit code is the company — invoices, banks and SAMR search all key off it, not off the English trade name.
Since the licence reform, each legal entity has an 18-digit Unified Social Credit Code (统一社会信用代码) on the business licence. It is used for tax, social insurance, customs, banks and the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System. It is not a credit score. Branches have their own codes. Losing the licence does not change the code until a replacement issues. Counterparties who only have your English brand will fail KYC. This page is the identifier. The licence document 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.
Read the 18 digits off the licence
Not off a WeChat card.
ReadSearch the publicity system
Does it match name and LR?
SearchAny old org-code still in contracts?
Update.
LegacyBranch vs parent code?
Do not invoice on the wrong one.
BranchWorking 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.
Does a WFOE get a different format?
Same 18-digit system as domestic companies.
What if we rebrand?
Name change is a SAMR filing; the code usually stays.
Primary authorities
Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.