Registration requirements

The materials submitted by the applicant shall be complete and consistent with legal forms. The application shall not be approved in case of one of the following circumstances: The registration shall not be made if the items to be registered don’t comply with laws and administrative regulations.

Registration procedures

Online registration procedure

1. Application

The applicant shall make an application on the official website of Shenzhen Municipal Market and Quality Supervision Commission and generate a procedure number.

2. Acceptance

The working staff shall verify the application materials online. If the applicant is eligible for application with complete materials, standard formats and legal forms, the application shall be accepted and forwarded for review. If the applicant is not eligible for application or the materials submitted are incomplete or inconsistent with legal forms, the working staff shall reject the application, issue a notification of rejection for registration and notify the applicant of all the contents to be supplemented or corrected. The process shall be completed within three working days upon acceptance of the application.

3. Examination

Upon acceptance of the application, the working staff shall review the forms and essential elements of the application materials. The application with complete materials and legal forms shall pass the review and be forwarded for approval. The application without standard material forms and complete essential elements shall be rejected. The application shall be completed within one working day upon acceptance and should not exceed three working days upon acceptance of the application.

4. Decision

Upon approval after review, the working staff shall make an approval decision and prepare a notification of alteration of registration (the registration certificate of resident representative office of foreign enterprise in case of alteration in the information in the certificate). It shall be completed within one working day upon approval and three working days upon acceptance of the application.

(1) The authorized person shall collect the notification of alteration of registration (the registration certificate of resident representative office of foreign enterprise in case of alteration in the information in the certificate) at the window with the acceptance receipt. The working staff shall check the letter of authorization issued by the enterprise, the identity certificate of the authorized person and the procedure number and issue the notification of alteration of registration (the registration certificate of resident representative office of foreign enterprise in case of alteration in the information in the certificate).

(2) Where mail delivery is chosen in the application, the working staff shall mail the notification of alteration of registration (the registration certificate of resident representative office of foreign enterprise in case of alteration in the information in the certificate) to the address given by the applicant.

Window registration procedure

1. Application

The applicant shall make an application on the official website of Shenzhen Municipal Market and Quality Supervision Commission, generate a procedure number, make an online appointment, and obtain a service number at the window and submit the application materials according to the appointment time.

2. Acceptance

The working staff shall immediately issue a written materials receipt in case of complete materials and legal forms upon acceptance of the application and forward the application for approval. If the applicant is not eligible for application or the materials submitted are incomplete or inconsistent with legal forms, the application shall be rejected and a notification of rejection for registration shall be issued. If supplementary materials are required for the application, the applicant shall be notified of all the contents to be supplemented on the site. A new application shall be made after the supplementary materials are submitted. The application shall be accepted immediately if the application materials are complete and consistent with legal forms.

3. Examination

Upon acceptance of the application, the working staff shall review the forms and essential elements of the application materials. The application with complete materials and legal forms shall pass the review and be forwarded for approval. The application without standard material forms and complete essential elements shall be rejected. The application shall be completed within one working day upon acceptance of the application.

4. Decision

Upon approval after review, the reviewer will fill in the approval opinions and affix the signature on the written application materials. It shall be completed within one working day upon approval.

(1) The authorized person shall collect the notification of alteration of registration (the registration certificate of resident representative office of foreign enterprise in case of alteration in the information in the certificate) at the window with the acceptance receipt. The working staff shall check the letter of authorization issued by the enterprise, the identity certificate of the authorized person and the procedure number, and issue the notification of alteration of registration (the registration certificate of resident representative office of foreign enterprise in case of alteration in the information in the certificate).

(2) Where mail delivery is chosen in the application, the working staff shall mail the notification of alteration of registration (the registration certificate of resident representative office of foreign enterprise in case of alteration in the information in the certificate) to the address given by the applicant.

Service and supervision

Service information

Hotline: (86-0755) 12315

Addresses of service windows: Administrative service halls in different districts

WeChat ID: SZMQS_CN

Correspondence add: Industrial, Commercial and Price Building, 7010 Shennan Boulevard, Shenzhen

Supervision information

Complaint hotline: (86-0755) 12345

Addresses of complaint windows: Administrative service halls in different districts

Correspondence add: Industrial, Commercial and Price Building, 7010 Shennan Boulevard, Shenzhen

Service windows

Windows 16-28 of Civic Center Administrative Service Hall

Add: 1/F, Administrative Service Hall, Zone B, Civic Center, Fuzhong Road 3, Futian District, Shenzhen

Tel: (86-0755) 12345

Office hours: 9 a.m.-12 p.m.; 2-5:45 p.m., Monday to Friday (except national statutory holidays)

Buses: 38, 41, 60, 64, 107, 123, 232, 234, 235, 236, 374, 398, N9, E18, B686, K578, M390, Peak-time Bus 19, Civic Center Stop; 34, 38, 60, 64, 71, 76 interval, 235, 371, 373, 374, M347, M390, Peak-time Bus 4, Peak-time Bus 19, Civic Center East Stop

Metro: Line 2, Civic Center Station, Exit E; Line 3, Children’s Palace Station, Exit A1, A2, D; Line 4, Civic Center Station, Exit B or Children’s Palace Station, Exit A1, A2, D

License fee

No fee to be charged.

Q&A

Q: If the resident representative office of a foreign enterprise changes its English name into a Chinese name after renewing its registration certificate, what if the new name is identical with another enterprise? How to handle business at other departments (such as taxation) after the name is changed? Will a certificate of alteration be issued?

A: If the resident representative office of a foreign enterprise changes its English name into a Chinese name after renewing its certificate, the service window shall check the name to avoid repetition. A new registration certificate and notification of alteration shall be issued after the change of name.

Q: When the resident representative office of a foreign enterprise makes an application for extending the term of residence, it is required to submit an annual report of business activities signed by the chief representative. If the former chief representative has left office, shall the report be signed by the new chief representative or the former chief representative who has resigned?

A: If an application is made for the extension of the term of residence and the change of chief representative, the application can be signed by the new chief representative. If an application is made solely for the extension of the term of residence, it shall be signed by the former chief representative. (Note: The extension of the term of residence of the representative office doesn’t require the submission of an annual report of business activities after March 2011.)

Q: If the resident representative office of a foreign enterprise needs to change the term of residence, what documents shall be notarized by the foreign enterprise?

A: The documents that need to be notarized are: legal business certificate and credit certificate of the foreign enterprise.

Q: (1) If the address of the resident representative office of a foreign enterprise registered in Hong Kong is in English on its Hong Kong business registration certificate, is it necessary to translate the address into Chinese when filing an application for alteration of resident representative office of foreign enterprise? (2) How to specify the form of liability of a foreign enterprise, limited liability or unlimited liability, in its application for alteration? (3) How to specify the capital (assets) of a foreign enterprise in its application for alteration? (4) It is stipulated that the resident representative office of a foreign enterprise registered in Hong Kong should submit documents notarized by a China-appointed attesting officer when renewing its certificate. What is a China-appointed attesting officer?

A: (1) The address on the business registration certificate doesn’t need to be translated into Chinese; (2) Hong Kong companies are divided into a limited liability company and unlimited liability company. It shall be filled in as a limited liability company or unlimited liability company or more detailed type of company such as private enterprise or partnership enterprise; (3) The company’s assets or amount of capital rather than the registered capital shall be filled in; (4) China-appointed attesting officers are Hong Long lawyers who have obtained the qualification of public notary according to Measures for the Administration of China-appointed Attesting Officers. They provide proof of legal acts and facts and documents of legal significance in the documents submitted by Hong Kong residents and enterprises to conduct civil and commercial activities on the mainland.

Q: What documents shall be notarized for the extension of the term of residence of the resident representative office of Hong Kong enterprise?

A: The legal business certificate (including registration certificate, business registration certificate and annual return) of the enterprise and the latest credit certificate issued by the bank shall be notarized.

Q: If the resident representative office of a Macao enterprise established in Shenzhen needs to change the chief representative and the identity certificate of the new chief representative needs to be notarized, but the Macao notarial authority refuses to issue a notarial certificate if the chief representative is a Taiwanese and has the Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents provided by the public security organ, what could be done?

A: The appointment certificate of the chief representative shall be notarized. The chief representative’s identity certificate may be notarized in Taiwan or his passport that has customs exit-entry record may be used (no need for notarization but the original passport needs verification).

Q: How to extend the registration certificate of the resident representative office of foreign enterprise?

A: The foreign enterprise shall go through procedures at the window of Shenzhen Municipal Market and Quality Supervision Commission in the eastern hall of Civic Center Administrative Service Hall with required materials one month prior to the expiry of the registration certificate.

(Note: The text above is a translation of the Chinese version for reference only. In case of any discrepancy between the two versions, the original published Chinese version shall prevail.)