“Five-in-One” Registration System in Beijing

On 26 September 2016, the Beijing Administration of Industry and Commerce (BAIC) began implementation of the “five-in-one” registration system. Newly incorporated companies and companies which need to change their registration details will only be required to submit one set of documents to a single registration authority. The purpose of the “five-in-one” licence is to further simplify application procedures for businesses.   

The implementation of the new system integrates the following five documents into one and replaces them with a new version of the Business Licence with “Unified Credit Code”. The five licences include:

(i) Business licence 
(ii) Institution Code Certificate 
(iii) Tax Registration Certificate 
(iv) Statistics Registration Certificate 
(v) Social Insurance Registration Certificate  

For new Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprises (WFOEs) in Beijing, companies will apply for the new version of business licence with the local Administration of Industry and Commerce (AIC), but will still need to record its business with the local commerce of commission.  

Considering the fact that all companies will need to adapt to the new system, the BAIC has set the transition period till 31 December 2017. Different schedules may exist in different cities, so decisions made by local AICs should be followed as the ultimate guidelines for the scheduled transition deadline. 

For more information on the new registration system or any other matters related to business setup in Beijing, please consult Vistra Beijing office.