- Entry
- Sign-in required [3]
Search and document delivery at a glance
- Search online
- The national portal searches by Chinese registered name or registration identifier. Access to the full published information requires personal identity verification. [12] [3]
- Search language
- CNINFO provides an English company list for securities research. The national register uses the Chinese registered name as a search key. [10] [12] [9]
- Digital documents
- Digital registry copies carry official marks and a query watermark. The local Shanghai service offers a stamped print preview. CNINFO permits downloading publications under its terms. [1] [10] [5]
- Document language
- Not specified
- Paper and collection
- Not specified
- International delivery
- Not specified
- Fees at a glance
- Public portal searches free; formal archive enquiries follow local procedures
- Access
- Full published portal information requires identity verification; underlying files have separate eligibility rules
Choose the right register
The National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System is called 国家企业信用信息公示系统 in Chinese. Under SAMR, the national market regulator, it brings together published company information from mainland provinces. This guide covers mainland China. Hong Kong and Macao have their own registration routes. [2] [4]
Begin with the registered Chinese company name or its unified identifier. Then record the responsible registration authority, which holds the original registration files. A company-submitted disclosure, stamped registered particulars and a copy of the articles are different documents. [1] [2] [12]
Published registration details, company returns and government information for mainland businesses.
Local service for public registered particulars and authorised access to electronic company files.
Free official service for businesses registered with the responsible local authority. Its fee does not apply automatically to other cities.
Disclosures organised by securities market, including Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing Stock Exchange.
Search by company name or securities code for issuers covered by the platform.
Periodic-report area for companies listed on Shanghai Stock Exchange.
Names and abbreviations explained
- SAMRState Administration for Market Regulation (国家市场监督管理总局)
- The central market regulator. The responsible local registration authorities keep the underlying registration files. [1]
- 统一社会信用代码Unified Social Credit Code
- An organisation’s unified 18-character identifier. Use it to distinguish companies with similar names. [15]
- 营业执照Business Licence
- The official certificate issued on registration. It includes the company name, office and legal representative. An electronic licence has the same legal effect as a paper licence. [7]
- 法定代表人Legal representative
- A director or manager appointed under the articles to act for the company. [7]
- 有限责任公司 / 有限公司Limited liability company under Chinese law
- Shareholders’ liability to the company is limited to their subscribed capital contributions. [7]
- 股份有限公司 / 股份公司Company limited by shares under Chinese law
- Shareholders’ liability to the company is limited to the shares they subscribe for. [7]
- 认缴 / 实缴Subscribed / paid-in capital contribution
- Registered capital of a limited liability company generally represents subscribed contributions. Compare it with separately disclosed amounts actually paid in. [2] [7]
Search step by step
Identify a company in the national portal
Obtain its original name or identifier
Use the registered Chinese company name, its Unified Social Credit Code or its registration number. [12]
Start in the public search portal
Open the national portal and search with one of these identifiers. Access to the full published information uses personal registration and identity verification. Account functions include SMS and email verification. [3] [12]
Identify the legal entity and registration authority
Compare the name, office and legal representative. For a limited liability company, inspect the shareholder particulars. For a company limited by shares, the statutory registration disclosure names the promoters; this is not a complete list of current shareholders. [7]
Separate company returns from government information
Check the reporting year and the disclosed contributions and changes. Government penalties and company-filed information have different authors. The company is responsible for the accuracy of its own disclosures. [2]
Obtain official evidence beyond the screen result
Select the local registration authority
Apply to the authority that registers the entity. Ask for 登记事项信息, the registered particulars. Any organisation or individual may request them. If needed, expressly request the registration enquiry stamp, 档案查询专用章. [1]
Specify the underlying records needed
Articles, incorporation applications and amendment documents fall under the separate file-access rules. Eligible applicants include the entity itself, specified registered participants and instructed lawyers acting in connection with their mandate. The public right to registered particulars does not open the entire file. [1]
Prove identity and eligibility
The applicant presents valid identification. A company representative also needs an authorisation or introduction letter plus a company-stamped Business Licence copy or the electronic licence. A lawyer needs a practising certificate, a law-firm letter identifying the relevant mandate and the prescribed undertaking. [1]
Keep the officially marked file
Digitised registration copies carry authority marks or electronic archive stamps and an enquiry-user watermark. Once those official marks are present, you may print the file yourself without obtaining another physical stamp on the printout. [1]
Shanghai example: print public particulars with a stamp
Open the local service
Open the linked Shanghai service. Alternatively, use 便民服务, public services, on the authority’s website and select 企业登记档案查询, registration file enquiries. Read the service notice and complete personal identity verification. [5] [11]
Choose public registered particulars
Select 机读档案, machine-readable public basic information. Search by the company name, complete the security check and open the matching result. The instructions say to use only one search key at a time. [5]
Open the stamped print preview
At the end of the result, open print preview. The red enquiry stamp appears there. Print that view with the browser’s print function. The separate 电子档案 section contains restricted electronic underlying records. [5]
Find reports for a listed company
Identify the securities issuer
Use CNINFO’s English company list if you begin with an English name or securities code. CNINFO is Shenzhen Stock Exchange’s official disclosure website. Its disclosure navigation distinguishes markets including Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing. [9] [10]
Search the disclosure area
Open the securities disclosure area and select the relevant market. For a Shanghai-listed company, the direct exchange link also leads to 定期报告, periodic reports. Match the legal company name and reporting year to your registration research. [8] [9]
Check permitted use of the files
CNINFO’s English legal statement allows free viewing and downloading for personal, non-commercial use. It requires written permission for commercial reuse. It does not give blanket permission to republish the document collection on another website. [10]
Documents and fees
| Document / information | Contents and purpose | Fee | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Published registered particulars in the national portal [2] [3] [4] [14] | Company particulars and the government and company disclosures made publicly available. | Free | Personal registration and identity verification for the full published information. |
| Public annual company disclosure [2] [4] [14] | Reporting year, operating status and public investment/contribution information; financial figures only to the extent disclosed publicly. | Free portal enquiry | Within the company record; access to financial information withheld from the public requires the company’s consent. |
| Local registration enquiry: Beihu, Chenzhou example [1] [13] | Registered particulars, stamped on request; wider file documents subject to eligibility checks. | CNY 0 for the specifically identified Beihu service | Apply to the responsible local authority with identification and role-specific evidence for wider files. |
| CNINFO securities disclosures [9] [10] | Issuer-filed reports and other securities disclosures. | Personal, non-commercial use free under the English legal statement | Public website; commercial reuse requires written permission under the statement. |
| Shanghai: public registration details with an enquiry stamp [5] | Public basic details in the 机读档案 section. Restricted original records are held separately under 电子档案. | The local guide does not list a fee for this enquiry. | After personal identity verification, enter one search identifier, open the company entry and select print preview. |
What the registration information establishes
Statutory public company particulars include name, office, registered capital, business scope and legal representative. They also include the shareholders of a limited liability company or the promoters of a company limited by shares. The national portal additionally brings together government disclosures and company-filed information. [2] [7]
Compare subscribed amounts with separately reported paid-in contributions. Also distinguish a branch from a separate subsidiary: under the Company Law, the parent company bears the civil liability of its branch. [2] [7]
Annual returns and financial statements
Companies generally submit the previous year’s information between 1 January and 30 June. Mandatory public items cover matters such as operating status, investments and contributions. The company chooses whether to publish its employee count, assets, liabilities, revenue, profit and specified other financial figures. [2]
The Company Law deals with financial statements separately. A limited liability company supplies them to its shareholders. A company with publicly issued shares must publish its financial statements. For listed issuers, use stock-exchange disclosures and CNINFO alongside the registration portal. [7] [8] [9]
Shareholders and beneficial owners
Publicly registered shareholders or promoters are distinct from beneficial-owner filings. Beneficial owners are the natural persons who ultimately own, control or benefit from the entity. [6] [7]
The People’s Bank of China maintains a separate beneficial-owner information system. Access is available to competent authorities and to financial institutions and specified other obliged entities for their anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing duties. This is not a public person-search service for ordinary company research. [6]
Research from abroad
Plan for personal registration and identity verification to obtain the full published portal information. This account is different from the target entity’s electronic Business Licence. In Shanghai, for example, that licence authenticates access to the company’s own underlying records. [3] [5] [11]
If you cannot use the online route, apply directly to the responsible registration authority for public registered particulars. Provide the Chinese company name and unified identifier. Ask which identity evidence and submission method it accepts for that application. A representative seeking non-public files must still establish the eligibility attached to their role. [1] [12]
Costs of the different routes
Public searches in the national company disclosure portal are free. Personal identity verification is separate from purchasing a document. [3] [4] [14]
As a specific local example, Beihu District in Chenzhou lists no fee for its registration archive enquiry service and a processing commitment of one working day. It serves entities registered with the responsible local authority. This is that service’s fee, not a nationwide Chinese tariff. [13]
Avoid common mistakes
- Do not confuse public searching with an entity’s own filing account or own-records access. An electronic Business Licence is not a general credential for other companies’ files. [3] [5]
- Registered capital and paid-in capital are different figures. Retain the currency and reporting year with each amount. [2] [7]
- A missing public financial figure is neither zero nor proof that no financial statements exist. [2] [7]
- A company limited by shares’ public promoter list is not a complete list of current shareholders. [7]
Frequently asked questions
Can I search for a Chinese company without paying?
Yes. Public national-portal searches are free. The service uses personal registration and identity verification for the full published information. [3] [4] [14]
Which identifier should I use?
The 18-character Unified Social Credit Code is the clearest identifier. The portal also supports the company name and the registration number. [12] [15]
How do I obtain an officially stamped record?
Request registered particulars from the responsible local registration authority and ask for the enquiry stamp. Shanghai’s public data service provides a print preview with a red stamp. [1] [5]
Can anyone order the articles?
The public entitlement to registered particulars does not automatically include the whole underlying file. Wider file access requires an eligible role, such as the company itself, an eligible registered participant or a lawyer acting under a relevant mandate. [1]
Does the portal show every company’s revenue and profit?
No. Companies may restrict public financial information in their annual return. For a listed company, also search its published financial reports through securities disclosure services. [2] [7] [9]
Is there a public beneficial-owner register?
The central bank’s filed information is available to authorities and specified obliged entities for statutory duties. It is not a public search service for ordinary company research. [6]
Is the Shanghai print preview a complete registry file?
No. The 机读档案 section provides public basic details with a stamped print preview. Access to 电子档案, the electronic original records, requires separate authorisation. The company file includes documents such as articles of association and shareholder resolutions. [5]
Original sources
Sources reviewed: 16 September 2026. The guidance is based on the linked information published by registers and public authorities.
- 经营主体登记档案管理办法 (2025): registration archives SAMR and National Archives Administration
- 企业信息公示暂行条例: company information disclosure regulation, 2024 revision State Council; published by SAMR
- 国家企业信用信息公示系统实名认证查询正式上线 SAMR
- 国家企业信用信息公示系统：信息权威 查询免费 SAMR
- 如何网上查询企业档案？: Shanghai public and internal file routes Shanghai Changning District Government
- 受益所有人信息管理办法: beneficial-owner information regulation People’s Bank of China and SAMR
- 中华人民共和国公司法: Company Law effective 1 July 2024 National People’s Congress; published by SAMR
- 定期报告: Shanghai Stock Exchange periodic reports Shanghai Stock Exchange
- CNINFO disclosure search Shenzhen Securities Information Co., Ltd., wholly owned by Shenzhen Stock Exchange
- CNINFO English company list and Legal Statement Shenzhen Securities Information Co., Ltd.
- Shanghai government service guide: enterprise registration file inspection Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation
- 企业信用相关问题: national portal search keys Beijing Investment Promotion Service Centre
- Beihu District, Chenzhou: enterprise registration archive enquiry Hunan Government Services / Beihu District Administration for Market Regulation
- 2026涉企信息归集与共享工作实施方案 State Taxation Administration, Horqin Left Middle Banner office
- Unified Social Credit Code: official explanation National Development and Reform Commission