BLOG: How to register a website in China?

11/5/2016

China now has the world’s largest digital marketplace. Therefore it is of the utmost importance to have a local website registered in China when doing business or when trying to sell in China.

In order to obtain this Chinese website a filing to the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information (MIIT) had to be made. This was only possible because we had a subsidiary in China. During this procedure a scan of the company’s business license needed to be submitted when completing the website registration and filing procedures with the MIIT.

Domain name
Registration of the domain name needs to be done through a domain name administrator that is acknowledged by the MIIT. For the registration of our .cn domain a fee of RMB29 was charged. After submitting the application our website was audited by the domain name administrator and the following documents had to be provided:

  • A completed .CN domain application form
  • A copy of our business License
  • A copy of the signatory’s national ID. Please note that the signatory must be a Chinese citizen and has a valid PRC personal ID.

ICP filing procedure
The Chinese government requires all websites hosted in China to be filed with the MIIT. During this filing all the documents mentioned above are required. After approval the MIIT will assign a unique Internet Content Provider (ICP) code to the website, indicating that the website has been approved. Starting from June this year, foreign companies are allowed to fully own e-commerce enterprises across the whole of China. Previously, a Chinese partner was necessary to obtain the ICP license. For more info about registering websites in China don’t hesitate to contact us.