Setting up a foreign-invested company in Chengdu follows the same national legal framework as the rest of mainland China, but the practical experience — which office you visit, how long a name check takes, what the local market regulator wants to see on your lease — is shaped by Sichuan's own administrative habits. This guide walks through the documents you will need, the registration sequence, how to phrase your business scope, what counts as an acceptable registered address, and where foreign founders most often lose weeks. It is written for founders planning a wholly foreign-owned enterprise (WFOE), which is the most common vehicle for software, electronics, gaming, business services, logistics and consumer-facing operations in Chengdu.
First, decide what kind of entity you actually need
Most foreign founders in Chengdu register a limited liability company with 100% foreign ownership — a WFOE. This entity can hire staff, invoice customers, repatriate profits and hold a business licence in its own name. Alternatives include a branch of an existing foreign company (simpler to set up but the parent carries the liability and the branch cannot easily be sold) and a representative office (which cannot sign contracts or generate revenue, so it is rarely useful for a commercial business).
If you plan to sell software, run a game studio, trade electronics, or operate a logistics or consumer brand, the WFOE is almost always the right starting point. Confirm the choice with your adviser before you start collecting documents, because the entity type determines the wording of nearly every form that follows.
Documents you will need to prepare
Chinese authorities want clean, consistent paperwork. Inconsistencies between your passport name, your company name and your address are one of the most common causes of rejection. Prepare the following before you begin.
Corporate and personal documents
- Passport copies of every foreign shareholder and legal representative, with the signature page included.
- Proof of address for foreign individual shareholders — typically a utility bill or bank statement showing name and address.
- Certificate of incorporation and articles of association for any foreign corporate shareholder, notarised and legalised (or apostilled where applicable), then translated into Chinese by a recognised translation agency.
- Bank reference letter for corporate shareholders, sometimes requested by the local regulator or the bank at account opening.
- Resume and passport of the proposed legal representative, supervisor and executive director — these roles cannot all be held by the same person under Chinese company law.
Project-specific documents
- Company name choices — three to five options in Chinese, following the format City + Trade Name + Industry + Company Type. Names are checked against existing registrations, so have backups.
- Registered address proof — a lease contract plus the landlord's property certificate (房产证), or a red-headed address certificate issued by a licensed business incubator or park.
- Articles of association in the Chinese template used by the local market regulator, with your capital contribution schedule and governance structure filled in.
- Business scope wording (see below) mapped to the standard catalogue entries used by the Sichuan market regulator.
- Foreign investment information report — filed through the national foreign investment system after establishment.
All foreign-language documents need Chinese translations stamped by a translation company. Notarisation and legalisation can add one to three weeks depending on your home country, so start this early — it is the single most common source of delay before you ever reach Chengdu.
The registration sequence in Chengdu
The process is now largely digital through the Sichuan provincial government service portal (四川政务服务网), but several steps still require in-person attendance or notarised signatures. Expect the sequence below; treat any timeline as indicative rather than guaranteed.
Step 1: Company name pre-approval
Submit your Chinese name options through the online system. Approval is usually fast when the name is distinctive and follows the standard format. Generic or industry-heavy names are more likely to be rejected, so avoid names that duplicate well-known brands or use restricted words.
Step 2: Registered address verification
The address must be a real, verifiable commercial premises in Chengdu. The market regulator may require the landlord's property certificate and a lease registered with the local housing authority. Virtual or "cluster" addresses exist through licensed incubators in districts such as Wuhou, Gaoxin and Tianfu New Area, but the provider must be able to issue a compliant address certificate. Verify this before signing anything.
Step 3: Submission of the establishment application
File the company establishment application, articles of association, shareholder resolutions and identity documents through the online portal. The legal representative and shareholders sign electronically or in person, depending on the district. Review typically takes a few working days when the file is complete.
Step 4: Business licence and seals
Once approved, collect the business licence (营业执照) from the district market supervision bureau. Then have the official company seals carved — the company seal, legal representative seal, finance seal and contract seal. Seals are legally significant in China; keep control of them and record who holds each one.
Step 5: Bank account opening
Open the basic corporate RMB account and, if needed, a foreign currency capital account. Banks in Chengdu vary in how much they ask of foreign-invested companies; some require the legal representative to attend in person, and most want to see the lease, business licence, seals and shareholder documents. This step often takes longer than founders expect, so do not schedule it tightly against a first hire or first invoice.
Step 6: Tax, social insurance and foreign investment filings
Register with the tax authority, complete the foreign investment information report, and set up social insurance and housing fund accounts if you will employ staff. This is also the point to appoint a bookkeeper or accounting firm — Chinese tax filings are monthly and quarterly, and missing deadlines creates penalties quickly.
Getting the business scope right
The business scope (经营范围) defines what your company may legally do. It is written using standard catalogue phrases, not free text. For a Chengdu software or gaming company, typical entries include software development, technical consulting, and information technology services; gaming companies need to be careful, because online game publishing and operation require separate licences that a general business scope does not cover. Electronics trading, logistics services, supply chain management and consumer retail each map to their own catalogue entries, and some require pre-approval or post-registration permits.
Write the scope slightly broader than your immediate plan but stay within what you can genuinely operate. A scope that lists regulated activities you cannot licence will slow approval, and a scope that is too narrow forces an amendment later. Ask your adviser to confirm which entries in your draft trigger pre-approval requirements.
Registered address: the detail that trips up most founders
Chengdu districts differ in how strictly they check addresses. In practice, the safest route is a real office lease in a commercial building, with the landlord able to provide the property certificate and cooperate with inspections. If you are not ready for an office, use a licensed incubator address and confirm in writing that it can support company registration, mail receipt and, if relevant, tax registration. Address problems surface later — at bank account opening or during a tax inspection — and resolving them can mean changing your registered address, which is a separate filing.
Common delays and how to avoid them
- Notarisation and legalisation lag. Start corporate document legalisation before you book flights. This is usually the longest lead item.
- Name rejections. Bring five options, not one, and avoid names that echo well-known brands.
- Address documentation gaps. A lease without the landlord's property certificate is often not enough. Get both before filing.
- Bank account scheduling. Bank onboarding for foreign-invested companies can take longer than the licence itself. Plan cash flow around it.
- Business scope mismatches. Regulated activities in your scope without the corresponding licence will stall approval.
- Translation inconsistencies. Your passport name, shareholder name and legal representative name must match exactly across every document.
A realistic planning assumption is several weeks from a complete document set to an operating company with a bank account, with legalisation time on top. Treat that as a planning range, not a promise — district offices, banks and your own document readiness all affect the outcome.
Disclaimer: This article provides general information about company registration in Chengdu and is not legal, tax or investment advice. Requirements change and district practices vary. Engage a qualified local adviser and confirm current requirements with the relevant authorities before acting.