How to Register a Company in Guangzhou as a Foreigner

A question I get almost as often as sourcing questions is this: can you help me set up my own company here? Buyers who spend enough time in Guangzhou eventually want a China entity of their own, a local bank account, and a visa that lets them stay and work instead of running on tourist trips. Some are traders scaling up, some are Amazon sellers who want a proper China company, and some just want to be on the ground where their suppliers are.

The process is not complicated once someone maps it for you, but it is opaque from the outside, and the order of the steps matters. So here is the plain version, whether you are already in China or applying from abroad, with our real costs and the timeline you should actually plan around. A foreigner-owned company in China is usually set up as a WFOE, a wholly foreign-owned enterprise, and that is what this guide walks through.

The three steps, at a glance

Everything happens in this order, and each step unlocks the next. You cannot apply for the work permit before the company exists, and you cannot get the work visa before the permit letter is issued.

Step 1: Company setup

The company comes first, because your work permit and visa are tied to it. The good news is that anyone can submit the company setup, and you do not have to be in China for it. Once the paperwork is in, it takes about a week to come back with the business licence and the set of company stamps, or chops, that a Chinese company uses to sign and act. If you are already in Guangzhou this is the simplest stage. If you are abroad, there is one document step first, which I cover further down.

Step 2: The work permit notification letter

With the company registered, the next step is the Foreigner's Work Permit Notification Letter. This is the document that officially authorises you to apply for a China work visa. It is the longest single step at around a month, so it is worth starting as soon as the licence is in hand. Nothing about the visa can move until this letter exists, which is why people who try to shortcut the order end up waiting longer, not less.

Step 3: The work visa

With the notification letter, you apply for the work visa, usually called the Z visa. It is issued about seven business days after submission. This is the stage where you actually travel to China. After you arrive, the Z visa is converted into a work-type residence permit, which is the document that lets you live and work here for the length of your contract. If China is new to you, my first-time visitor's guide to China covers the practical side of landing and getting set up.

If you are outside China: the document path

You do not need to be in China to start. What you do need is to prove your identity in a way Chinese authorities accept, and that means getting a copy of your passport notarised and then legalised. Which legalisation route you take depends on one thing: whether your country is a member of the Apostille Convention. China joined it in November 2023, which made this much simpler for most countries.

So the sequence from abroad is simple. Get a copy of your passport notarised. If your country is an Apostille member, add an apostille. If it is not, take it to the Chinese embassy for legalisation instead. Send that to me along with the signed application forms I provide, and I file the company setup for you. From the day the documents reach me, the licence and stamps take about a week. Which countries are members changes over time, so if you are not sure, send me your nationality and I will tell you which route applies to you.

What it costs

Here is our pricing, in plain numbers. One package covers the setup and the first year, then a small annual fee keeps the company compliant.

A note on what sits outside that number. Government and third-party charges such as your notarisation abroad, the apostille or embassy fee, and the medical check in China are separate, because they vary by country and by your own situation. I always quote those honestly up front rather than bury them, the same way I handle transparent sourcing fees.

How long the whole thing takes

Because the steps are sequential, the total is the sum of the parts, not the longest one. Plan for roughly six to eight weeks from the day your documents are ready to the visa in your passport, and add notarisation time on the front if you are applying from abroad.

One honest caveat before you plan around this. Nationality, your business scope, and the latest local rules all shift the details, and government processing times move with demand. Treat these numbers as the realistic roadmap I give clients, then let me confirm the specifics for your exact case before you book flights.

Frequently asked questions