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China's Enterprise Code: A Digital ID for Foreign Founders Operating in China

A practical guide for foreign founders on China's unified Enterprise Code (企业码), which links a company's license, permits, credit and regulatory data to a single QR code on the business license — what it covers, how it is spreading, and what it means for registering and running a company in China.

What China's Enterprise Code Means for Foreign Founders

Foreign founders setting up in China now encounter a small but consequential feature on the business license: a QR code known as the Enterprise Code (企业码). It is generated automatically through the national electronic business license system and is intended to serve as a company's digital identity for government services and market transactions. Understanding what it does — and does not do — helps founders plan registration and daily operations more realistically.

From Concept to National Rollout

The idea began in May 2020, when the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), drawing on the identity-verification logic of personal health codes, proposed an "enterprise information code" built on the national electronic business license system. The aim was to let companies handle government affairs by presenting a code rather than juggling multiple apps, accounts and QR codes.

The concept was refined in April 2021 as the "enterprise service code," with SAMR specifying that code generation and verification would run through its electronic business license platform. In practice the name shortened to "enterprise code," and a 2023 technical standard called it the "government service code (enterprise)." The underlying logic stayed the same: one national system generates and verifies the code.

In early 2023, SAMR sent a research team to Beijing, Shanghai and Zhejiang — regions with relatively mature electronic business license and enterprise code work — and recommended nationwide promotion. In June 2023, the State Council General Office called for unifying the QR codes on paper and electronic business licenses, establishing a unified code-generation and verification mechanism, and advancing "one license, one code per enterprise." SAMR also led the drafting of a national standard, Technical Requirements for Government Service Code (Enterprise) on the National Integrated Government Service Platform.

How the Code Is Structured

The enterprise code is generated automatically by the national electronic business license system — no separate application is required — and covers all types of business entities. The QR codes on the paper and electronic licenses are unified into the enterprise code, ensuring "one enterprise, one license, one code." It follows national standards and is valid across the country.

By the end of June 2026, according to SAMR, China had issued 32.02 million paper business licenses carrying the enterprise code. Government bodies had scanned the code more than 6.49 million times to verify business entity identities, and the public had scanned it over 46.6 million times to check company information. By 2026 the scheme had expanded to 18 provincial-level regions.

What the Code Links Together

The code is designed to pull together information that was previously scattered across regulators — registration details, administrative licenses, credit records, regulatory findings and judicial assistance information — and display it in one place. This matters for foreign founders because due-diligence checks by partners, banks and customers increasingly rely on these scans.

Regional implementations illustrate the scope:

• Beijing: since September 2022, licenses issued citywide carry the code, which links six categories and 16 sub-categories covering 45 types of enterprise information, including registration, business items, announcements, regulatory information and judicial assistance.
• Shanghai: since September 2022, all entity types carry the code; the city integrates 59 types of electronic licenses across eight market-regulation categories, spanning food and catering, special equipment, industrial production, inspection and testing, measurement, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, cosmetics, and medical devices.
• Zhejiang: aggregates 101 data items, including registration, electronic licenses, qualification certificates, honors, credit and regulatory information, and links 63 types of electronic licenses.
• Jiangsu: links 44 types of enterprise license information across 15 fields; Nantong has gathered 123 commonly used items in 20 categories and embedded the code in a talent website so job seekers can check registration, qualifications and credit standing.
• Tianjin: links 86 electronic licenses, including food business, drug business and road transport permits.
• Hebei: promotes the code to display registration, electronic permits, announcements, regulatory and judicial assistance information.
• Xinjiang: all newly issued and renewed paper licenses carry the code in a prominent position; except where law requires otherwise or the company applies, paper licenses are no longer proactively issued.
• Xiong'an New Area (Hebei): launched its system on 29 October 2025 with 1,000 pilot enterprises. Its "1+3+N" framework covers query, handling and service scenarios, with six dimensions of data on one screen; all 170,000 enterprise files in the area are coded.

Shandong has gone further: from 1 March 2025 it fully implemented a model where the electronic business license is primary and the paper license secondary, and it no longer proactively issues paper licenses.

Practical Implications for Foreign Founders

For founders, the code reinforces a few operational realities:

• Expect digital-first licensing. In several regions the electronic license is becoming the default, with paper issued only on request or where required by law. Plan for digital access and record-keeping.
• Assume transparency. Partners, customers and the public can scan the code to view licenses, changes and multi-address information. Keep registration and permit details accurate and current.
• Use it for due diligence. Scanning a counterparty's code through the electronic business license mini-program can reveal registration, licensing, regulatory and credit information where linked, improving information symmetry before signing contracts.
• No separate application needed. The code comes with the license; the compliance work lies in maintaining the underlying information.

Xiong'an's file-retrieval example shows the efficiency goal: a user scanned the code on a license, the electronic license opened a "file cloud cabinet," and a complete, watermarked, tamper-proof PDF was generated and sent in 47 seconds. Whether similar features reach your region depends on local build-out.

Key Takeaways

The enterprise code is a national digital identity layer for businesses, built on the electronic business license system, standardized nationally and expanding region by region. It does not replace the need for proper registration, permits and compliance — it makes the information behind them more visible. Foreign founders should treat accurate registration data and valid licenses as the foundation, and expect banks, partners and authorities to check them through the code.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Need help registering or operating a company in China? Foreign founders can contact ChinaMNC on WhatsApp / WeChat at +86 153 1898 8535 for practical support.