At a glance
- Professional fee — standard WFOE
- RMB 16,800
- Official charges, passed through at cost
- RMB 2,500–7,000
- Timeline, name approval to bank account
- 4–6 weeks
- Recurring compliance from
- RMB 200 / month
Most quotes for a Chinese company registration are not comparable, because they describe different scopes. One excludes the bank account, another excludes the seals, a third bills the tax registration separately. The figures below are the ones we publish on our company registration page, and they are broken down by scope so you can compare like with like.
Professional fees by scope#
| Scope | What is included | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Registration only | Name pre-approval, business licence, seals, tax registration — for a company that already has a structure and a registered address | from RMB 2,500 |
| WFOE end to end | Structure and scope review, name approval, foreign investment information filing, licence, seals, bank account, tax and customs registration | RMB 16,800 |
| Turnkey market entry | WFOE end to end plus the first-year compliance set-up: chart of accounts, invoicing system, payroll registration and a bilingual finance handbook | from RMB 32,800 |
The middle row is what most foreign investors actually buy. The first row only makes sense if you already have a Chinese entity, a registered address and someone to handle the bank and tax steps. The third row exists because a licence without a working finance function generates penalties in the first quarter — the set-up cost is smaller than the first late filing.
Official charges you cannot avoid#
Government and third-party charges are separate from professional fees. In Beijing they typically total RMB 2,500–7,000 depending on the bank and the address, and they are passed through at cost with receipts rather than marked up:
- Seal carving — company seal, legal representative seal, finance seal and contract seal, engraved at a licensed shop
- Bank account opening and the first year of account management, which varies by bank and by whether the account is a basic or general account
- Notarisation and apostille or consular legalisation of the shareholder’s incorporation documents and power of attorney
- Registered address, if you do not lease your own office — a virtual address is legal in most districts but is reviewed more closely during bank KYC
The one line that hides the real cost
Registered capital is not a fee, but it is a commitment: under the Company Law effective July 2024, subscribed capital must be paid in within five years. Choose the number as a funding plan, not as a number that makes the licence look impressive.
The recurring cost, which is usually left out#
A Chinese company cannot be dormant in the tax sense. From the month of establishment it owes bookkeeping, VAT and corporate income tax filing, individual income tax withholding on any payroll, an annual statutory audit and an annual market-regulator report. Our published monthly retainers are:
| Retainer | Covers | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Small-scale taxpayer | Monthly bookkeeping, quarterly VAT and CIT prepayment, IIT withholding, bilingual statements, annual licence report | RMB 200 / month |
| General taxpayer | The above plus monthly VAT returns, input credit control, fapiao reconciliation, bank reconciliation and a quarterly tax-risk note | RMB 400 / month |
| Full finance function | The above plus payroll and social insurance for up to 10 staff, a monthly management pack, cash forecasting and a quarterly CFO review | RMB 1,200 / month |
The statutory annual audit is quoted separately because the fee depends on turnover, headcount and how many group reporting requirements apply. It starts at RMB 6,000 for a straightforward trading entity and is performed and signed by a partner CPA firm engaged for the assignment — Chengli holds a bookkeeping licence, not a CPA firm practice certificate.
What moves the price up#
- A restricted business scope that requires a pre-approval before the licence can be issued
- More than one shareholder layer, or an offshore holding company that needs to be documented for the foreign investment filing
- A registered address in a district whose bank KYC team requires a physical inspection
- Backlog bookkeeping, where a previously dormant entity has months of unfiled returns to reconstruct
- Urgency — a compressed timetable needs parallel filings, which means more people on the same week
How to compare two quotes#
- Ask whether the bank account is included. It is the most common exclusion, and it is the step that most often stalls.
- Ask whether the quoted fee is fixed or an estimate. A range that widens after the name check is not a quote.
- Ask who signs the audit report. If the answer is the same firm that quoted the registration, check whether it actually holds a CPA firm practice certificate.
- Ask what the first twelve months of compliance cost, not just the setup. The setup is a one-off; the retainer is the real number.
Frequently asked
There is no universal statutory minimum in most sectors. The amount is set in the articles and must be subscribed and paid in within five years under the Company Law effective July 2024. Some licensed sectors impose their own minimums, and the bank will assess whether the capital is proportionate to the business plan.
Yes. Registration can be completed with a notarised and apostilled power of attorney plus legalised shareholder documents. Most Beijing banks now require a video verification of the legal representative instead of a physical visit, though a few still ask for one visit within the first year.
One to three weeks in Beijing, and it is usually the longest single step. The licence itself is typically issued within three to five working days of a complete filing. Bank KYC reviews the shareholder chain, the business scope and the expected transaction flows, so an incomplete explanation is the usual cause of delay.
No. Professional fees are quoted exclusive of VAT, which is 6% for consulting services. Government charges are passed through at cost with receipts and are not subject to our margin.
Late filing carries a fine of up to RMB 10,000 per breach plus a 0.05% daily surcharge on unpaid tax. Repeat breaches move the entity onto a lower tax credit rating, which slows invoice approvals and refunds for months afterwards, and can block the legal representative from leaving the country in serious cases.
How to cite this guide
TrustBridge (Beijing Chengli Accounting (Group) Co., Ltd.). “How much does it cost to register a WFOE in China?.” en.bcac.com.cn, reviewed 15 November 2026. https://en.bcac.com.cn/guides/wfoe-registration-cost-china/
