Supplier identity · field guide
How to check a Chinese supplier’s business license
A business license can establish that a named Chinese entity exists in the public registration system. It does not, by itself, prove that the company owns a factory, controls the site shown in a video, can make your product, or will perform the order.
The practical objective
Connect one legal entity to the quotation, contract, payment beneficiary, operating site, and supplier claims before money moves.
- Editorial status
- Source-checked buyer guide
- Last reviewed
- Prepared by
- AllForSourcing Editorial Desk
Research basis: Current GSXT and State Administration for Market Regulation material, read alongside the current Company Law.
Boundary: This is an identity-screening workflow, not a legal opinion, credit report, factory audit, solvency check, or guarantee of performance.
Direct answer
Run two checks, not one
First, confirm the company record through China’s National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System, usually called GSXT. Search with the full Chinese legal name or the Unified Social Credit Code shown on the license. The official system says it supports searches by name or code and displays information supplied by market-regulation authorities, other government departments, and the business itself.
Second, perform a transaction match. The entity in GSXT should be reconciled with the seller on the quotation and contract, the beneficiary named in the payment instructions, the address presented as the factory, and the entity behind any certificates or test reports. A valid company record with an unresolved payment or operating-site mismatch is still an unresolved transaction.
What to collect before searching
Ask the supplier for the items below in one message. Do not start from an English trading name alone; English names are often informal and may not be unique.
- 01
Current license image
Request a clear, uncropped image showing the complete license, registration seal, QR code, and all printed fields.
- 02
Chinese legal name
Copy the characters exactly. Ask the salesperson to type the name in the message as well as sending the image.
- 03
Unified Social Credit Code
Modern company licenses normally display an 18-character code. Use the code to reduce ambiguity between similar company names.
- 04
Transaction entities
Collect the company name on the quotation, proforma invoice, proposed contract, bank account, platform storefront, and compliance documents.
The GSXT check, step by step
1. Open the official system yourself
Use gsxt.gov.cn or scan the QR code on the license and confirm that it resolves to the official government domain. Do not treat a supplier screenshot as the search result.
2. Search the code, then the name
Search the Unified Social Credit Code first. Repeat with the full Chinese name. Save the result URL where possible and take a dated screenshot of the record you actually reviewed.
3. Match the core registration fields
Compare the company name, status, legal representative, registered address, registration date, registered capital, and business scope with the license image. Record differences instead of guessing which version is correct.
4. Review disclosed risk signals
Check the record for abnormal-operation listings, serious-illegality or dishonesty listings, administrative penalties, and annual-report information where displayed. Read the date and current status: an entry and a later removal or correction are not the same thing.
5. Reconcile the seller and payee
Create a one-line entity map: registered company → contracting seller → invoice issuer → payment beneficiary → operating factory. If the names differ, ask for the commercial and legal relationship in writing before payment.
What each field proves—and what it does not
| Field | Useful for | Does not establish | Buyer follow-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company name + code | Identifying the registered entity | That the salesperson controls it | Match contract, invoice, email domain, and payee |
| Registration status | Whether the public record shows the entity as currently registered | Solvency, capability, or future performance | Record the exact status and review date |
| Business scope | Understanding registered activities and spotting obvious inconsistencies | Ownership of machines or actual production at a named site | Verify the operating site and capability separately |
| Registered capital | Describing a registration commitment under the applicable company record | Cash in the bank, paid-in amount, assets, or creditworthiness | Use financial or credit evidence if the exposure justifies it |
| Registered address | Locating the registered domicile | That production occurs there | Ask for the operating and production addresses |
| Legal representative | Matching the person named in the company record | That every salesperson can bind the company | Confirm signing authority for material contracts |
A mismatch is a question, not an automatic verdict
A mainland manufacturer may legitimately invoice through an affiliated export company or receive foreign currency through a Hong Kong entity. A registered address may differ from the production site. A company may have changed its name. None of those explanations should be accepted only because they sound plausible.
Ask for the relationship, authorization, and transaction flow in writing. Then verify the additional entity and decide whether the contract, dispute route, inspection rights, and payment protection still work for you.
Keep a one-page verification record
The result should be usable by the person approving the deposit—not buried in a chat history.
- Entity: Chinese name, English name used, Unified Social Credit Code
- Record: GSXT URL or search path, screenshot, check date, reviewer
- Transaction: seller, invoice issuer, contract party, payment beneficiary
- Operations: registered address, claimed office, claimed factory, audit status
- Signals: status, abnormal entries, penalties, changes, annual-report notes
- Decision: resolved items, open questions, evidence needed before payment
Public source citations
National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System
gsxt.gov.cn | official government database | checked 2026-07-15
CN-02GSXT system help and information statement
gsxt.gov.cn | official system guidance | checked 2026-07-15
CN-03SAMR notice on the current business licence format and QR link
samr.gov.cn | official regulator notice | checked 2026-07-15
CN-04Company Law of the People’s Republic of China
samr.gov.cn | official legal text | checked 2026-07-15