China Commercial Register Extracts and Company Reports

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Schmidt & Schmidt obtains company registration
reports and helps arrange corporate documents
from mainland China.
We identify the correct legal entity,
obtain available public information
and coordinate translation or document certification
where required.

A Chinese company report helps you check
whether a business is registered,
review its registration status,
identify its legal representative
and compare its official details
with a contract or invoice.

For a standard public-information request,
the result is an electronic company report
in Chinese.
Translation, access to registration file documents
and preparation of an authenticated package,
including
apostille in China,
are separate services.
The exact deliverables are confirmed
before the order begins.

This page covers mainland China.
Hong Kong,
Macao
and
Taiwan
have separate company registration systems.
Please see the relevant pages
for company extracts from these jurisdictions.

What is a commercial register extract from China?

Public information about Chinese companies
is available through the
National Enterprise Credit Information
Publicity System —
国家企业信用信息公示系统
(Guójiā qǐyè xìnyòng xìnxī gōngshì xìtǒng).

The system brings together registration details,
annual report information
and certain government records,
including administrative licences,
penalties and entries on designated lists.
^[1]

A report from this system is called
企业信用信息公示报告
(qǐyè xìnyòng xìnxī gōngshì bàogào):
an enterprise credit information
disclosure report.
It presents registration
and publicly disclosed company information.

International clients often refer to this
as a “Chinese commercial register extract”.
However, the expression is a practical description,
not a guarantee that the document
has the same form or evidential status
as an extract issued by a European register.

The word “credit” in the Chinese title
does not turn the report into
a bank credit history,
credit rating or solvency assessment.
Those are different products.

Sample Chinese company report

What should you expect from the document?

The standard result is an electronic
Chinese-language report.
It should not be assumed
to include a wet-ink registry seal,
notarisation, translation or apostille.
Any required certification
must be agreed separately.

The sample itself states that its contents
are for reference
and that the information displayed
in the government system prevails.
This is another reason
to distinguish a public-information report
from a separately certified document.

Not every report contains
every item listed above.
If you need a particular record,
ownership detail or historical date,
specify it before ordering.

Reports, business licences and registration files: what is the difference?

These documents serve different purposes.
Choosing the right one
is especially important
when a bank, court or notary
has requested a particular form of evidence.

Who can access a company's registration file?

Public company checks generally
do not require company consent.
Access to registration file documents
follows separate rules.

The rules provide access routes for,
among others, authorised company representatives
and lawyers acting on a client's instructions.
The applicant's status,
purpose and the requested documents
affect the scope of access.
^[2]

If you need articles of association,
a particular resolution
or an archived filing,
specify the document and purpose.
We will check whether the request
can be handled before confirming the order.

How to identify the correct Chinese company

The most useful identifiers are
the official Chinese company name
and the Unified Social Credit Code —
统一社会信用代码
(tǒngyī shèhuì xìnyòng dàimǎ).

In business correspondence,
the code may also be described
as a registration
or tax identification number.
Send it exactly as shown
in the source document.
The government system uses it
as an enterprise identifier.
^[1]

If you only have an English name

Send it with any supporting materials.
An English name may be a trading name,
brand or translation
used by the sales department.
It may not identify the legal entity
on its own.

Useful supporting materials include:

• A copy of the business licence.
• A contract showing company details and its seal.
• An invoice or payment instructions.
• The Chinese name appearing on a company seal.
• A website, address and contact details.

Establish which entity is involved
in the transaction.
The manufacturer, seller,
Hong Kong trading company
and payment recipient
may be different legal entities.
Each relevant entity may need
its own check.

How to read the company report

Start by comparing the report
with the documents
supplied by the counterparty.
Pay attention to the date
and source of each record,
not just the value shown.

Registration status is not a clean-record certificate

A company may remain registered
while having administrative penalties
or other adverse records.
Registration status,
the abnormal operations list
and other designated records
are separate categories
in the government disclosure system.
^[1]

Likewise, an older adverse entry
needs context:
check its grounds
and any subsequent updates
before drawing a conclusion.

Check the date behind the information

A newly generated report
can contain information
relating to an earlier reporting period.
Its generation date does not mean
that every figure or statement
describes the company's position
on that same day.

Practical example: comparing a report with a contract

Suppose a supplier sends you
an English-language contract
and asks for an advance payment.
The contract uses a trading name,
while the seal contains a Chinese name.
The invoice names a separate payment recipient.

This does not automatically prove fraud,
but the parties need to be identified
before the documents can be assessed.

1. Identify the contracting company.
   Obtain its Chinese name
   and Unified Social Credit Code.
   Compare them with the report.
2. Compare the names across the documents.
   Check the contract, invoice,
   supplied licence and seal.
   A name match does not by itself
   authenticate a seal or document.
3. Review registration status and changes.
   Establish whether the supplied particulars
   match the records obtained.
4. Check the signatory's authority separately.
   If the signer is not the registered
   legal representative,
   request appropriate evidence of authority.
5. Clarify the payment recipient.
   If it is another entity,
   request an explanation
   and supporting documents.
   The company report does not establish
   ownership of the bank account.

This example illustrates
how registration information
supports a transaction check.
It does not replace
document authentication,
bank account verification
or legal advice on the contract.

When is a Chinese company extract useful?

What does the report not prove?

A registration report does not guarantee
that a counterparty is reliable.
On its own, it does not establish:

• The existence of an operating factory.
• Production capacity or product quality.
• Successful fulfilment of previous orders.
• Bank balances or ownership of a bank account.
• Solvency or financial stability.
• The complete ultimate beneficial ownership structure.
• The absence of all litigation and debts.
• The authority of every employee handling correspondence.

If one of these questions
matters to your decision,
tell us at the start.
We can clarify whether
an additional check is available
and what it would cover.
The absence of a record
in one source does not establish
the absence of risk.

Translation, apostille and use abroad

An electronic report may be enough
for an internal company check.
A court, bank, notary
or public authority may require
a separately certified document package.
Confirm the format before ordering.

We can obtain public information
without the company's involvement.
We can arrange an apostilled package
through our service only with
the Chinese company's cooperation.

The document must first be prepared
and certified in a suitable form.
The process is not simply
attaching an apostille
to a downloaded report or screenshot.
The exact route depends
on the document and its intended use.

What must the Chinese company provide?

The company must supply its details,
supporting documents
and a power of attorney
for the necessary procedures.
The materials include:

• A copy of its business licence,
  provided by the company itself.
• A company power of attorney,
  signed and sealed as required.
• Identification details and documents
  of the relevant company representative.
• Additional corporate documents
  or confirmations requested
  by the notary or certification body.

We confirm the exact checklist
after reviewing the requested document
and the recipient's requirements.

Translation

The standard public-information report
is in Chinese.

Translation into another language

is agreed separately.
If certification is needed,
the translation must be coordinated
with the selected procedure.

A translation alone does not make
the report a notarial certificate.
The overseas recipient
may also require a local sworn
or otherwise approved translator.

Further information:

apostille and consular legalization in China
.

Common difficulties when checking a Chinese company

Finding a company online is only part of the task.
You also need to identify the correct legal entity,
interpret its records and obtain a document
that suits your purpose.
The following practical difficulties
can affect the process.

• 1

  Website access and verification problems
  

  Government websites and public information systems
  may load slowly or intermittently
  from overseas networks.
  Verification challenges or download functions
  may also fail.
  An inaccessible page or unsuccessful search
  does not establish that a company
  is unregistered.

  What helps:
  check the Chinese name and registration code,
  distinguish a technical error
  from an actual search result
  and repeat the search where necessary.

• 2

  Account and identity requirements
  

  Some services or document retrieval functions
  require an account, telephone verification,
  identity checks or evidence of authority.
  Requirements vary by platform and procedure.
  A Chinese identity card is not
  a universal requirement
  for every public company search.

  What helps:
  establish whether you need public information
  or access to registration file documents.
  These follow different procedures.

• 3

  Misinterpreting Chinese records
  

  Automated translation may blur
  the distinction between registered
  and paid-in capital,
  registration status and adverse records,
  or shareholders and the legal representative.
  Correct source information
  can still lead to an incorrect conclusion.

  What helps:
  retain the original Chinese terms
  alongside their translation
  and check the date and context
  of the relevant entry.

• 4

  Checking the wrong entity
  

  A brand, manufacturer, seller
  and payment recipient may be
  separate legal entities.
  A report about one company
  does not establish the position
  of another company in the transaction.

  What helps:
  match the Chinese name
  and Unified Social Credit Code
  against the contract
  and supporting documents.
  Identify any separate payment recipient.

• 5

  Ordering the wrong document format
  

  An electronic report may be sufficient
  for an internal check,
  while a bank, court or notary
  may require a particular document
  and form of certification.
  Discovering this after delivery
  can mean additional work and delay.

  What helps:
  obtain the recipient's requirements
  before ordering.
  For an apostilled package arranged through us,
  confirm that the Chinese company
  will provide its documents
  and power of attorney.

How to order a Chinese company extract

Start by sending the company details
and explaining what you need to establish.
You do not need to select
a document type on your own:
we will clarify the available options
for your request.

1. Send the company details.
   Provide its Chinese name,
   Unified Social Credit Code
   or documents showing its particulars.
   If you only have an English name,
   include a website, contract,
   invoice or other supporting material.
2. Explain the purpose.
   State which information you need
   and whether the result is for
   an internal check or submission
   to an institution.
   Attach the recipient's requirements
   and mention any deadline.
3. Confirm the scope and quote.
   We agree the document type,
   requested information, language,
   certification, delivery format,
   price and estimated timeframe.
4. We carry out the agreed work.
   We identify the company
   and obtain the available information
   or coordinate the selected
   document procedure.
5. Receive the result.
   The standard report is delivered electronically.
   Translation, certified documents
   and courier delivery are provided
   where included in the agreed order.

Prices and timeframes

The price and estimated timeframe
depend on the requested document,
source availability,
company identification work
and any translation or certification.
A public-information report
and the retrieval of registration file documents
involve different procedures.

If you need shareholders on a particular date,
a specific historical filing
or documents for court proceedings,
mention this before ordering.
Availability is checked
for the requested information.

For an apostilled package,
the estimate also depends on
the Chinese company providing
the required documents and power of attorney.
We cannot complete that service
without its cooperation.

Our office in China

Schmidt & Schmidt has its own company
in Shanghai —
上海史密德商务咨询有限公司
(Shànghǎi Shǐmìdé Shāngwù Zīxún
Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī).

We work with Chinese-language names
and registration records,
help identify the correct entity
and coordinate document requests.
This is particularly useful
when a client only has
an English trading name,
contract or invoice.

Where required, we also arrange
translation, document certification
and international courier delivery.
Each service is included
according to the agreed scope.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. State Administration for Market Regulation.
   Notice on further improving
   the National Enterprise Credit Information
   Publicity System.
   
   Official publication in Chinese
   .
   Accessed 19 October 2026.
2. State Administration for Market Regulation
   and National Archives Administration.
   Measures for the Administration
   of Business Entity Registration Archives.
   Order No. 96 of 10 February 2025,
   effective from 20 March 2025.
   
   Official text in Chinese
   .
   Accessed 19 October 2026.
3. National Enterprise Credit Information
   Publicity System —
   国家企业信用信息公示系统
   (Guójiā qǐyè xìnyòng xìnxī gōngshì xìtǒng).

Information availability and document formats
depend on the company,
source and grounds for access.
The description of deliverables
and company cooperation requirements
explains our service arrangements.
The historical sample illustrates structure
and is not a current check
of the company shown.