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Most overseas buyers do not realise that Chinese company registration is public information. Every registered entity has a business licence recording its legal name, a unique 18-character code, its establishment date, registered capital and business scope — and that record can be checked against official and commercial databases before you wire a deposit. This guide explains how to read a Chinese business licence, which fields matter, where to verify them, and the entity mismatch that should stop a payment until it is explained.
RedVance is a registered Shenzhen manufacturer, so we hand our licence to buyers as a matter of routine. That is the useful thing to know at the outset: this request is completely normal in China, and a supplier treating it as an insult or an inconvenience is telling you something. This guide is method — apply it to us as readily as to anyone else.
What a business licence contains
The 营业执照 (business licence) is the foundational registration document for a Chinese company. The fields that matter to a buyer:
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Registered Chinese name | The legal name. English names are usually trading names and may not appear at all |
| Unified Social Credit Code | The 18-character unique identifier — the single most useful field for verification |
| Establishment date | The verifiable answer to “how long have you been in business” |
| Registered capital | Context on scale; note it is a declared figure, not proof of assets |
| Legal representative | The individual legally representing the entity |
| Registered address | Compare against the factory address you are given |
| Business scope | Registered activities — may indicate manufacturing versus trading |
The Unified Social Credit Code is the anchor
If you take one thing from this guide, take this: the 18-character Unified Social Credit Code identifies the exact legal entity, regardless of what English name appears on a website, a business card, or an Alibaba storefront.
This matters because English names are fluid. A company can market under one name, register under another, and invoice from a third. The code cuts through all of it — it is the field you use to check the official record, and the field you compare against the entity on your contract and payment instructions.
Where to verify
Chinese registration data is published rather than hidden, which is the fact most overseas buyers do not know:
- The national enterprise credit information publicity system is the official government platform where registered enterprise information is published. It is authoritative, though the interface is Chinese-language.
- Commercial company information platforms (widely used within China) aggregate registration data into more searchable interfaces, sometimes with English support, and often show additional context such as changes over time.
- Third-party verification services and inspection firms will run entity checks as part of a supplier audit, which is the practical route if you cannot navigate Chinese-language systems.
- Ask the supplier to walk you through it on a video call — screen-sharing the official record while you watch is fast, and a supplier with nothing to hide will simply do it.
That last option is underused. It costs nothing, takes minutes, and the willingness itself is data. It pairs naturally with the live walkthrough in our factory audit checklist.
The entity mismatch that should pause a payment
Here is the check that matters most, and it takes thirty seconds. Line up four things:
- The entity on the business licence
- The entity on the certificates and test reports
- The entity on the contract
- The entity on the payment instructions / invoice
They should be the same, or the differences should be explained before you pay. Group structures, separate trading arms and export agents are legitimate and common — but the explanation belongs in the conversation, not in a dispute afterwards.
What registration proves, and what it does not
| Registration confirms | Registration does not confirm |
|---|---|
| The legal entity exists and is registered | That the company manufactures anything |
| Its establishment date and registered scale | Its actual production capacity or capability |
| Its registered address and scope | Product quality, engineering depth or testing capability |
| Who legally represents it | Financial health or reliability as a partner |
Trading companies are registered entities too. A valid licence tells you who you are dealing with, not what they can build — so entity verification is step one of several, not the whole exercise. Whether a supplier actually manufactures is a separate investigation, covered in our how to verify a supplier is a factory guide and our factory vs white-label guide. Whether the product performs as claimed is a third question again — see our guide to reading an irradiance test report.
The verification checklist
- Request the business licence — a normal, expected request in China.
- Note the Unified Social Credit Code and the registered Chinese name.
- Check the record via the official publicity system, a commercial platform, or a third-party service.
- Confirm establishment date against any “years in business” claim in their marketing.
- Read the business scope — does it mention production, or only trading and wholesale?
- Compare the registered address to the factory address given to you.
- Match the entity across licence, certificates, contract and payment instructions.
- Ask about any mismatch in writing, before payment.
This sits alongside the wider sourcing diligence in our manufacturer and wholesale sourcing guide, with terms defined in our glossary.
What a manufacturer can do about it: provide the business licence without being asked twice, state the registered Chinese name and Unified Social Credit Code openly, keep the entity consistent across licence, certificates, contract and invoice — and explain any group structure up front rather than after a buyer notices. A registered manufacturer loses nothing by being easy to verify, which is precisely why the ones who resist are worth a second look.
Frequently asked questions
How do I verify a Chinese factory’s business registration?
Ask for a copy of the business licence, which shows the registered Chinese company name, the Unified Social Credit Code, registered capital, establishment date, legal representative and business scope. Chinese company registration information is publicly available through the national enterprise credit information publicity system and commercial platforms, so the details on the licence can be checked against the official record.
What is a Unified Social Credit Code?
It is the 18-character identifier assigned to a registered Chinese business entity, functioning as its unique registration number. It is the single most useful field on a business licence, because it identifies the exact legal entity regardless of what trading names or English names the company uses in its marketing.
Why does the English company name not appear on the business licence?
Chinese business licences record the registered Chinese name as the legal name. English names are typically trading or marketing names and may not appear on the licence at all. This is normal and not itself suspicious, but it means you should verify using the Chinese name and Unified Social Credit Code rather than the English brand name.
What does the business scope on a Chinese licence tell me?
It lists the activities the entity is registered to conduct, and it can indicate whether a company is registered for manufacturing or only for trading and wholesale. It is a useful signal rather than proof, since scopes are often written broadly, but a scope that mentions no production activity at all is worth asking about.
Should the company on the invoice match the company on the business licence?
Yes, and this is one of the most important checks a buyer can make. If the entity you would pay differs from the entity holding the licence, certificates or factory, you should ask why before transferring funds. There are legitimate reasons for group structures, but the explanation should come before payment, not after a problem.
Does a registered business licence mean the company is a real factory?
No. Registration confirms the legal entity exists, which is a necessary starting point but not evidence of manufacturing capability. Trading companies are registered entities too. Verifying that a supplier actually manufactures requires separate checks on production, engineering depth and testing capability.
Ask us for our licence, then check it
We will send our business licence with the registered name and Unified Social Credit Code, and walk you through the official record on a video call if that is useful. Run this checklist on us — that is what it is for.
Request our business licence →