ICP stands for Internet Content Provider and is a standard license that must be obtained by those who want to open a website in China. In the following lines, we invite you to find out information about ICP in China and the formalities for obtaining it. We mention that, for company formation in China, you can talk to one of our local specialists.
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Information about ICP license in China
ICP license in China is necessary for those who want to open a website in this territory. It can be said, in other words, that a China-based website requires an ICP license in China in order to function. So, if you want to open an online store or a presentation site for your business, the first thing you have to consider is obtaining this license. Here are other interesting facts about ICP in China:
- You can opt for commercial and non-commercial ICP licenses in China.
- If you already have a website and want it to be accessible from China, you must have the license mentioned above.
- With ICP commercial license in China, you can develop a website of products for sale and any other activity that requires payment on the respective platform.
- Sites that do not have an ICP license in China may be blocked, and therefore not accessible in this territory.
We invite you to contact our company formation agents in China if you wish to apply for such a license. Also, if you want to open a company in China, our specialists can prepare the necessary documents and take care of all the formalities.
What are the main steps in obtaining ICP in China?
The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is the institution that accepts documents for obtaining ICP in China. The procedures with this agency start the moment you buy hosting. Here are other important steps:
- Complete the ICP application, with IP and domain name, and submit it to the local agency in the selected city for business.
- You will need an account on the ICP management system to be able to fill in information about the site you want to open (province, district, domain name, type of ICP, etc.)
- A copy of the valid passport is also needed.
- Once accepted, the ministry can communicate with your hosting company to unlock the domain.
We mention that certain regions and provinces in China do not accept ICP applications from non-residents. On the other hand, obtaining ICP in China can take around 3-6 weeks.
Pre-approval process for specific websites
There are certain sites for which pre-approval is needed before the desired license is issued. Among them, there are news sites, drug distribution sites, online games, and cultural websites. In such cases, it is necessary to contact the ministry to see at what stage your application is and if additional information is needed.
We recommend the support of our specialists for WFOE in China, but also for ICP license in China, if the respective business will also have an online presence.
Here are some statistical data about Chinese websites:
- Data for 2022 indicated a total of approximately 3.87 million sites registered in China.
- The information for 2021 showed that there were around 4.18 million websites in China.
- There are more than 8,000 blocked websites in China, among which, are Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Tinder.
Do you want information about ICP in China? We advise you to contact us and find out more information. You can also benefit from the services of our accountants in China.