Business Registers in China: SAMR, GSXT & Credit China

Overview

China operates a centralised business registration system managed at the national level by the State Administration for Market Regulation (国家市场监督管理总局, SAMR), with registration handled in practice by local Market Regulation bureaus across the country's provinces, municipalities, and districts. Every legally registered entity receives an 18-character Unified Social Credit Code (统一社会信用代码, USCC), which serves as a universal business identifier across government systems. It functions as registration number, tax ID, and organisation code in one.

The system covers a broad range of entities, from limited liability companies and partnerships to sole proprietorships (个体工商户) and branches of foreign companies. Public company information infrastructure has expanded in recent years with the launch of the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (GSXT) and the Credit China platform. Financial statements of private companies are not publicly accessible, though listed companies are subject to full disclosure. A UBO filing regime took effect on 1 November 2024, China's first formal beneficial ownership reporting requirement.

For KYB and AML compliance, official government platforms provide reasonably rich entity verification data. The main challenges are the Chinese-language interface, CAPTCHA-protected access, and the limited public availability of financial statements and beneficial ownership information.

Official Registers

National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (国家企业信用信息公示系统, GSXT)

The GSXT is China's official company registry and the primary platform for verifying business entities. Operated by SAMR, it is the equivalent of a national trade register and covers all entities registered with Market Regulation authorities nationwide: companies, partnerships, sole proprietorships (个体工商户), foreign-invested enterprises, and branches of foreign companies.

The register provides: the entity's legal name (in Chinese), USCC, legal form, registered address, legal representative, registered capital, date of establishment, business status (e.g. active, revoked, cancelled), approved business scope, and shareholder information. GSXT also publishes annual report filing status and selected administrative penalty records.

Access to GSXT is free and open to the public. Users can search by company name (in Chinese) or USCC. The interface is primarily in Chinese, and the portal is protected by CAPTCHA verification. Data is updated on an ongoing basis as local Market Regulation bureaus process registrations and changes.

GSXT is the authoritative source when a "trade register extract" is requested for a Chinese company. In practice, the GSXT page, compared against a company's business licence (营业执照), serves the verification function that a certified register extract would elsewhere.

Credit China (信用中国)

Credit China is the national credit information platform, jointly operated by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the People's Bank of China (PBOC). It aggregates data from multiple government agencies into a unified credit profile for enterprises and individuals.

Credit China provides downloadable Credit Information Reports (信用信息报告) in PDF format, which consolidate registration data, administrative licences, penalties, and court-related information. The platform covers all entity types registered in China and can be searched by company name or USCC.

The portal is publicly accessible but protected by image CAPTCHAs. Credit Information Reports combine trade register data with credit and compliance information in a single document, and serve in practice as an alternative to a formal register extract for due diligence.

Beneficial Ownership Filing System (受益所有人信息备案)

China's UBO filing regime was established by the Administrative Measures on Beneficial Ownership Information (受益所有人信息管理办法), jointly issued by the PBOC and SAMR on 30 April 2024 and effective from 1 November 2024. The filing system is integrated into the existing business registration infrastructure operated by SAMR.

All corporations, partnerships, and branches of overseas companies established in China must file UBO information. A beneficial owner is defined as a natural person who ultimately owns or controls the entity, or who enjoys its ultimate benefits. The identification thresholds include: direct or indirect ownership of more than 25% of equity or partnership interests; enjoyment of more than 25% of voting rights or income rights; or actual control exercised individually or jointly.

Filing entities established on or after 1 November 2024 must complete a UBO filing at the time of establishment. Existing entities must complete their filing by 1 November 2025. Any subsequent change must be reported within 30 days.

Entities with registered capital not exceeding RMB 10 million and whose shareholders or partners are all natural persons may be exempt from detailed UBO filing through a simplified commitment-based declaration, provided no other natural person exercises control or derives benefit beyond the registered shareholders or partners.

The UBO information collected is not publicly accessible. It is maintained by SAMR and shared with the PBOC and other competent authorities for anti-money laundering and regulatory purposes.

Non-compliance with the UBO filing obligation, including late filing or inaccurate filing, can result in administrative fines of up to RMB 50,000 under the PBOC's enforcement provisions, alongside other corrective measures.

Registration and Publication Requirements

Companies (公司)

All companies, including limited liability companies (有限责任公司) and companies limited by shares (股份有限公司), must register with the local Market Regulation bureau and obtain a business licence (营业执照) before commencing operations. This includes foreign-invested enterprises such as wholly foreign-owned companies (外商独资), Sino-foreign joint ventures (中外合资), and foreign joint venture LLCs.

All registered companies must file annual reports (年度报告) through the GSXT portal, typically by 30 June of each year for the preceding calendar year. Companies must also prepare annual financial statements in accordance with Chinese Accounting Standards (based on IFRS with local variations) and file these with tax authorities. However, financial statements of private companies are not publicly available. Only publicly listed companies are required to disclose financial statements through the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and the relevant stock exchange.

Companies are subject to UBO filing requirements under the 2024 Measures, with the exception of listed companies whose shareholder information is already publicly disclosed.

Sole Proprietorships (个体工商户) and Sole Proprietorship Enterprises (个人独资企业)

Individual industrial and commercial households (个体工商户) represent the simplest form of business registration in China and are primarily used by small traders and individual business operators. They must register with the local Market Regulation bureau and appear in the GSXT system.

Sole proprietorship enterprises (个人独资企业), governed by the Sole Proprietorship Enterprise Law, involve unlimited liability for the individual investor and are also registered with Market Regulation authorities.

Both categories are currently exempt from UBO filing requirements, as the owner is by definition a natural person. They are not required to file public financial statements.

Partnerships (合伙企业)

General partnerships (普通合伙企业), limited partnerships (有限合伙企业), and special general partnerships (特殊普通合伙企业) must register with the local Market Regulation bureau. They appear in the GSXT system and are subject to annual report filing.

Partnerships are required to file UBO information under the 2024 Measures. Domestic branch offices of partnerships are currently exempt.

Nonprofit Organisations

Social associations (社会团体), social service organisations (民办非企业单位), and foundations (基金会) register with Civil Affairs authorities rather than Market Regulation bureaus. They are governed by separate regulations and do not appear in the GSXT commercial register in the same manner as commercial entities. Some unregistered NPOs may operate by attaching themselves to another legal entity.

Summary Table

With Topograph

Topograph provides access to Chinese company data through the Credit China (信用中国) platform. Company profile data is AI-extracted from the Credit Information Report (信用信息报告) PDF, which is the sole data source for all structured company attributes.

Due to the CAPTCHA-protected nature of the creditchina.gov.cn portal, data retrieval is asynchronous and may take several minutes to complete.

Available Data

• Legal name (Chinese)
• Unified Social Credit Code (USCC)
• Legal form (AI-parsed from document, with ISO 20275 enrichment)
• Registered address
• Registration status
• Registered capital
• Business scope / activity description
• Activity codes (NACE/ISIC, AI-inferred from business scope text)
• Legal representative (name and role, AI-extracted)

Shareholders are planned but not yet available. UBO data is not publicly accessible in China and therefore not available through Topograph.

Available Documents

Articles of association, financial statements, and UBO extracts are not available as standalone documents. Articles of association are filed during company registration but are not publicly downloadable from government portals. Financial statements of private companies are not publicly disclosed. UBO filings are restricted to government authorities and are not accessible to the public.

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