On this page
  1. What are the core ICP requirements?
  2. Which entity documents are required?
  3. What are the domain and hosting requirements?
  4. What content requirements apply?
  5. Where AI coding assistants get this wrong
  6. Checklist
  7. FAQ
    1. Can an individual get an ICP filing?
    2. Is a Hong Kong company eligible?
    3. Does the website need to be finished before applying?
    4. What happens if the requirements change after approval?
  8. Related topics
  9. Sources
concept

China ICP License Requirements: What You Need Before You Apply

Requirements split into entity, domain, hosting, content, and identity checks. One inconsistent item is the usual reason an application is returned.

DevOpsintermediate5 min readUpdated 2026-10-22

Quick answer

  • The applicant must be a mainland-registered entity: a company for a commercial license, and either an individual or a company for a non-commercial filing.
  • The domain must be registered through an accredited registrar with a registrant name that matches the entity exactly.
  • The site must be hosted on mainland infrastructure from a licensed provider, because the provider submits the application.
  • The content category must match what you actually operate; regulated categories require separate approvals first.
  • Identity verification is mandatory and is completed with the provider, not with the provincial administration directly.

What are the core ICP requirements?

Five things must be true at once: a mainland entity, a domain registered to that entity, mainland hosting from a licensed provider, site content within an allowed category, and a completed identity verification. The provincial reviewer is checking consistency across all five, so a document that is individually valid but inconsistent with the others fails.

For a commercial license, the entity requirements are stricter than for a filing: company status, a registered address, and capital and personnel conditions that vary by province and license type. Treat those as items to confirm with the provincial administration or a local adviser rather than as a fixed national checklist.

Which entity documents are required?

A business license for the company, the legal representative’s identity document, and an authorisation letter if an agent submits on the entity’s behalf. The company name, registered address, and legal representative on those documents must match the filing application character for character, including the official Chinese name.

If the entity is foreign-invested, expect additional review and possible restrictions on the service category. The filing is not the place to discover that the corporate structure is ineligible; confirm eligibility before signing a hosting contract.

What are the domain and hosting requirements?

The domain must be registered with a CNNIC-accredited registrar and pass real-name verification. The registrant must be the entity or its legal representative, not an employee’s personal account, and the certificate must show the same name as the business license. A domain registered abroad can sometimes be transferred in, but the verification still has to happen.

Hosting must be mainland infrastructure from a provider that can submit the application in the relevant province. A Hong Kong or Singapore server does not require an ICP filing and cannot be used to obtain one. If you need the filing, the server location and the filing are a package.

What content requirements apply?

The site must be describable in an allowed category, and the description must match the live content. News, publishing, education, healthcare, and finance are regulated areas that need prior approval from the relevant authority; an ICP filing does not grant that approval. Reviewers check the site, so a placeholder page describing a different business creates a mismatch.

User-generated content adds obligations around moderation and record-keeping, and some categories require additional security assessments. If the app lets users post publicly, say so in the application rather than describing it as a read-only service. Understating the scope delays approval later, when the mismatch is discovered.

Where this bites vibecoders

An AI-built product usually has a clear feature set but no entity paperwork, and the founder often registers the domain personally months before incorporating. That ordering creates the exact mismatch reviewers reject. The fix is administrative rather than technical: transfer the domain to the entity, verify it, then apply.

Where AI coding assistants get this wrong

  • Assuming a filing is available to a company incorporated outside mainland China.
  • Using a domain registered under a personal account or a different company name.
  • Choosing Hong Kong hosting and then expecting to obtain a mainland ICP filing.
  • Describing the site vaguely to avoid content review, which produces a mismatch instead.
  • Forgetting the legal representative’s identity document and authorisation letter.
  • Treating provincial capital requirements as uniform across China.

Checklist

  • Confirm the entity is mainland-registered and eligible for the license type.
  • Match the domain registrant to the entity name exactly.
  • Verify the domain with an accredited registrar.
  • Buy mainland hosting from a provider that supports filing in your province.
  • Describe the site’s real content category accurately.
  • Complete identity verification through the provider.

FAQ

Can an individual get an ICP filing?

Individuals can file a non-commercial website in many provinces, using their own identity document and a domain registered to them. An individual cannot hold a commercial ICP license, which requires a company. Provincial practice on individual filings varies, so confirm with the provider before buying hosting.

Is a Hong Kong company eligible?

A Hong Kong company is not a mainland entity, so it cannot obtain an ordinary ICP filing for mainland hosting. It can host in Hong Kong without a filing, or establish a mainland entity and file through that. Foreign-invested structures face additional category restrictions.

Does the website need to be finished before applying?

It needs to be reviewable. Reviewers look at the site to confirm the content matches the declared category, so a blank placeholder can be rejected as unverifiable. A simple but accurate site that describes the real service is enough; the application is not a design review.

What happens if the requirements change after approval?

Changes to the entity, domain, hosting provider, or site nature usually require an update to the filing. The certificate is tied to those details, and an unreported change can make it invalid. Plan for updates when you migrate hosting or restructure the company.

Sources

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