Business law: build on clear ownership, authority and obligations.
Start with who owns the business, what it will actually do and who can act for it. Registration, permission to operate and continuing compliance are separate checks.
You want to establish a company with foreign investment
Confirm the investor identity, legal form, actual activities and location before committing to premises or a structure. Foreign-investment access restrictions and any required approvals must be checked alongside ordinary company registration.
Use Shenzhen's official registration hub for the current guide and materials for the chosen entity and investor.
Check the applicable foreign-investment and market-access rules, sector permits and any special-zone conditions.
Prepare the articles, lawful address arrangements, shareholder details and contribution plan; check ongoing investment-reporting duties.
Your business licence lists an activity you want to start
A registered business scope is not approval of every operating condition. Shenzhen's October 2026 guidance distinguishes ordinary activities from matters requiring prior approval, later permits or filing with the responsible sector authority.
Describe the real activity, premises, products and sales channel when checking requirements.
Confirm the competent authority and obtain required permissions before the regulated activity begins.
Keep the registration, approvals, permits, filings and any official written response together.
You need to understand a capital-contribution deadline
The revised Company Law took effect on 1 July 2024. New LLCs generally have a five-year contribution framework, subject to special rules. Existing companies and capital increases need their own analysis; registered capital is a commitment, not just a figure on a licence.
Check the incorporation date, company type, articles, subscribed and paid amounts, and each shareholder's due date.
For a pre-July 2024 LLC, review whether the statutory transition requires an adjustment by 30 June 2027; this is not a universal full-payment deadline.
Check any change, disclosure or earlier-payment obligation before amending the schedule or transferring shares.
You are about to sign, pay or dispute a commercial contract
Identify the exact contracting entity and the signer's authority. Record the scope, price, payment account, delivery and acceptance terms, intellectual-property use and dispute clause. A seal alone does not settle every question about authority or enforceability.
Match the Chinese legal name, registration details and party signing or receiving payment; clarify any discrepancy before paying.
Keep the complete signed agreement, authority documents, changes, invoices, payments and delivery records.
For a dispute, prepare a dated chronology and written request, then check the agreed arbitration route or competent court and any applicable time limit.
Tax, accounting and staff remain ongoing responsibilities
Plan the accounting, invoicing, tax-return and payroll processes for the actual activity and workforce. Foreign-invested businesses also follow the applicable mainland tax, accounting, labour and social-insurance rules. Confirm the current treatment before relying on an exemption or incentive.
The VAT Law and its implementation regulation took effect on 1 January 2026. Older online summaries may omit the implementing rules. This guide does not determine your tax status, rates, deductions, employment classification or permission to work.
Protect the brand, technology and information you share
Use CNIPA's official public-service platform to check patent and trademark information and the relevant application routes. Put ownership, permitted use, confidentiality and handover of designs, software or other work into clear written terms; a company registration is not an IP clearance.
Before sending customer, employee or other business data outside mainland China, assess the data, recipient and applicable transfer route. CAC rules contain conditions and exceptions, while later guidance addresses certification and specific sectors. An exception to one procedure does not remove every data-protection duty.
Choose a dispute route and preserve the full record
A private payment or delivery dispute, a shareholder issue and a challenge to an administrative decision are different matters. Preserve original records and check the correct parties, contract clause and forum. Negotiation or voluntary mediation may help, but neither guarantees recovery or replaces required court or arbitration steps.
For overseas parties or documents, consult Shenzhen courts' foreign-related civil-commercial filing guide and ask about identification, authority, service, translations and any authentication requirements. Do not assume proceedings or official filing support will be available in English or Spanish.
Does every existing company have to pay all capital in 2027?
No. The transition distinguishes LLCs from joint-stock companies. For an LLC established before 1 July 2024, certain long remaining terms must be adjusted by 30 June 2027. Payment follows the lawful applicable schedule; earlier obligations and special rules still matter.
Must every foreign investor have a Chinese partner?
There is no universal answer for all activities. Check the actual sector, investor, location and applicable access list. Some activities are restricted or prohibited; being outside a restriction does not remove ordinary licensing or other legal requirements.
Does a stamped contract automatically resolve signing authority?
Do not treat the seal as the whole legal analysis. The entity, signer's role or authority, contract formalities and circumstances matter. Company Law also protects good-faith counterparties in specified legal-representative situations. Preserve the full signing and performance record.
Use the official Chinese text to check legal wording. Translations and this guide are reading aids; check the version, effective date and local procedure before acting.