Published · Hungary

China company registration: documents, steps and timeline

A practical guide for Hungarian founders setting up a company in China: which documents you need, the registration steps, realistic timelines, and what to prepare before you start. General information only, not legal or tax advice.

Setting up a company in China is a well-trodden path for foreign founders, but it is not a quick online form. The process is administrative, document-heavy, and depends heavily on where in China you register and what your business will actually do. For a founder based in Hungary, the practical challenge is less about Chinese company law and more about preparation: getting apostilled or legalised documents from Hungary, choosing the right structure, and lining up a local address and bank before you file.

This article gives a general overview of the documents, steps and timeline involved in registering a foreign-invested company in China. It is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules vary by city and by industry, and they change. Before committing money or signing a lease, confirm the current requirements with a qualified local adviser or the local market supervision authority (AMR) in your target city.

First, decide what you are registering

Most Hungarian founders choose one of two vehicles:

• A wholly foreign-owned enterprise (WFOE) — a limited liability company owned 100% by the foreign investor. This is the default choice for founders who want to control their Chinese entity, invoice local customers, and hire staff directly.
• A joint venture (JV) — a company shared with a Chinese partner. Useful where local relationships, licences or distribution matter, but it adds governance and exit complexity.

There are also representative offices (ROs), but an RO cannot earn revenue directly, so it suits liaison work rather than a commercial business. For most founders building a real operation, a WFOE is the starting point.

You also need to settle the business scope — the formal list of activities your company may carry out. This matters more than it sounds: some activities require pre-approval or a specific licence (for example, certain food, education, logistics or financial activities), and the wording must match what you actually plan to do. If your activity is on a restricted or negative list, foreign ownership may be limited. Check this early, because it can change your whole structure.

Documents you will need

Document requirements are set locally, but a typical WFOE registration package includes the following. Expect the list to be trimmed or extended by your local authority.

From the foreign investor (Hungary)

• Certificate of incorporation of the Hungarian company (or equivalent), typically apostilled. Hungary is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so apostille is normally the route rather than consular legalisation. Confirm with the receiving Chinese authority whether a Chinese translation is required and who may certify it.
• Articles of association or equivalent constitutional documents, also apostilled.
• Certificate of good standing or similar recent extract, if requested.
• Passport copy of the legal representative and directors, plus proof of address where required.
• Board resolution or shareholder decision authorising the investment and appointing the legal representative, signed and, where required, apostilled.
• Bank reference letter or proof of funds in some cities.

For the Chinese entity

• Company name in Chinese (and an English version), submitted for pre-approval. Prepare two or three options; names are checked against existing registrations.
• Registered address — a real, verifiable office address in your target city, usually evidenced by a lease and the landlord's property certificate. Virtual or shared addresses are accepted in some districts and not others; verify before signing.
• Articles of association for the Chinese company.
• Appointment documents for the legal representative, supervisor and directors, with ID copies.
• Capital and contribution plan — the registered capital amount and the schedule for contributing it.

Practical tip for Hungarian founders: start the apostille and translation work before you need it. Getting documents certified and translated from Hungary, then couriered, is often the longest single item in the whole process — and it sits on the critical path.

The registration steps, in order

The sequence below is the common flow for a WFOE. Some steps run in parallel; some cities combine them.

1. Name pre-approval

You submit proposed Chinese names to the local AMR. This is usually quick once the application is properly prepared, but names that are too generic or too close to existing marks get rejected. Have backups.

2. Prepare and legalise documents

Assemble the investor package, apostille it in Hungary, translate it into Chinese where required, and have the translation certified as the local authority specifies. This step often overlaps with name approval.

3. File the establishment application

Submit the full package — application form, articles, investor documents, address evidence, appointment documents — to the AMR. If your business scope includes licensed activities, expect additional filings with the relevant regulator after (or sometimes before) the business licence.

4. Receive the business licence

Once approved, you get the business licence (营业执照), which is the company's legal birth certificate. It carries the unified social credit code used for almost everything afterwards.

5. Make the company seal set

Seals (chops) are still central to Chinese business practice: company seal, legal representative seal, finance seal, and often a contract seal and invoice seal. These are made at authorised providers, usually with police registration.

6. Bank account opening

Open the basic deposit account (基本户) at a bank. This is where the registered capital is paid in and where day-to-day banking happens. Bank onboarding for foreign-invested companies involves know-your-customer checks, so expect the bank to ask for the full corporate file and to want to meet the legal representative. Timelines vary widely by bank and branch.

7. Tax and social insurance registration

Register with the tax authority and complete the initial tax setup, including choosing your invoicing method. Register for social insurance and housing fund if you will employ staff. Your accountant normally handles this.

8. Foreign exchange and capital contribution

If you are bringing in registered capital from Hungary, the bank will handle the foreign exchange registration and the capital account. Keep the documentation clean: the remitter, the purpose and the amount should match your filed capital plan.

9. Post-establishment items

Depending on your business: import/export registration, industry licences, trademark filings, and setting up payroll. Many founders also need a work permit and residence permit for the foreign legal representative or expatriate staff — a separate process with its own timeline.

Realistic timeline

No one can promise a fixed number of days, because it depends on your city, your industry, the quality of your documents and bank processing. But a realistic planning frame looks like this:

• Document preparation in Hungary (apostille, translation, courier): often the longest lead item. Build in several weeks and start immediately.
• Name approval: relatively fast once submitted, but plan for retries.
• Business licence: commonly a matter of days to a few weeks after a complete, correct filing — longer if licensed activities are involved or the file gets returned for corrections.
• Seals: quick, typically days.
• Bank account: frequently the bottleneck. Allow weeks rather than days, and be ready for follow-up questions.
• Tax and social insurance setup: days to a couple of weeks once banking is done.

As a rough planning assumption, founders who are well prepared often target a few weeks to a few months from first filing to an operational company with a working bank account. Treat any specific promise with caution, including your own.

Common pitfalls for Hungarian founders

• Skipping the apostille or getting the translation wrong. Small formal defects cause rejections and restarts.
• Signing a lease before confirming the address qualifies. The registered address is a real requirement, not a formality.
• Underestimating the bank. Open the account early in your planning and expect KYC questions.
• Vague business scope. Too narrow blocks your activity; too broad invites scrutiny. Match it to reality.
• Ignoring the legal representative's exposure. The role carries responsibilities under Chinese law; understand them before you accept it.
• Assuming the licence is the finish line. Tax setup, banking, seals and any work permits are what make the company usable.

A sensible order of operations

Before you spend on anything else: confirm your business scope and whether foreign ownership is permitted for it; secure and verify a registered address; identify a reliable local accountant or adviser in your target city; and start the Hungarian document work. Then run name approval and the establishment filing, followed by seals, bank, and tax. Keep a single checklist and a single owner for the document file.

Finally, remember that China is not one regulatory environment but many. Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing and smaller cities differ in practice, processing speed and what the local authority will accept. What works in one district may not work in the next. Use this article as a planning map, not a substitute for advice: engage a qualified local professional to confirm the current requirements for your specific business before you file.