Three Prerequisites
Before you start, confirm three things. First, a one-person LLC has exactly one shareholder, and one natural person may register only one such company nationwide. Second, you must keep company finances strictly separate — commingled funds expose you to joint liability for company debts. Third, make sure you actually need a corporate entity: invoicing, signing contracts, joining platforms, and applying for subsidies all require one.
The Five Steps
- Step 1 — Name approval: prepare 3-5 candidate names; results are instant online;
- Step 2 — Submit materials: ID, registered-address proof, business scope, and articles of association via the online portal;
- Step 3 — Get the license: the e-license is issued immediately after approval; paper copies can be mailed;
- Step 4 — Seals and bank account: order official seals online; many banks support video-verified corporate accounts;
- Step 5 — Tax registration: register on the e-tax bureau, claim a tax UKey, and you can issue invoices.
The full process takes 3-7 days, mostly with zero in-person visits.
Address and Registered Capital
The address trips up most first-timers: without a physical office you can use park-affiliated registered addresses or business-secretary hosting at 1500-4000 CNY per year — and OPC communities in Hangzhou and Shenzhen provide compliant addresses directly. Registered capital is subscribed, not paid-in; 100k-500k CNY is a sensible range since the figure influences how clients judge your credibility.
Costs and Timeline
| Item | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Name approval and registration | 0 CNY | 1-2 days |
| Address hosting | 1500-4000 CNY/year | Same day |
| Company seals | 0-300 CNY (free in many cities) | 1 day |
| Bank account | 0-500 CNY/year | 1-3 days |
| Bookkeeping agency | 200-300 CNY/month | Ongoing |
Bottom line: registration itself is nearly free. The real fixed costs are address hosting and bookkeeping — 4000-8000 CNY per year combined. Never skip the bookkeeping agency; it is the baseline of compliance.