How to Check an ICP Filing Number

Quick answer
A filing number looks like 京ICP备12345678号-1: province abbreviation, ICP备, eight digits, 号, and a site sequence suffix.
The official lookup is the MIIT filing portal at beian.miit.gov.cn; third-party lookup sites are copies with stale data.
Search by the domain or by the entity name, then compare the returned entity, domain, and hosting details.
A commercial license uses 证 instead of 备, and an EDI license has its own prefix; they appear in a different lookup.
A copied footer number is a red flag: check that the number belongs to the domain you are on, not to a template.

How do you read an ICP filing number?

The format is a province or municipality abbreviation, then ICP备, then an eight-digit sequence, then 号, and often a hyphenated site index. For example, 京ICP备12345678号-1 identifies a Beijing filing and the first site under it. The suffix matters when one entity operates several domains.

Commercial licenses replace 备 with 证 and follow a different numbering scheme. EDI licenses have their own prefix. If a footer shows a number in the 备 format while the site sells services, that is a classification question worth raising, not proof of a problem.

京ICP备12345678号-1
│  │      │        │  └─ site index under the same entity
│  │      │        └──── 号, terminator
│  │      └───────────── sequence number
│  └──────────────────── 备 = filing (证 = commercial licence)
└─────────────────────── province / municipality abbreviation

How do you verify a filing number?

Go to the official MIIT portal and use the public query. Search by the domain name first, then by the entity name, and compare what comes back: the operator, the domain, the filing date, and the hosting provider should all match what you expect. The portal is the record; a footer is a claim.

Third-party lookup sites can be convenient for bulk checks but they cache and sometimes lag. For any decision that matters — signing a vendor, approving a partner, checking a competitor — confirm on the official portal. The query is free and does not require an account.

What should you compare?

Four things: the domain listed, the entity operating it, the nature of the service, and whether the record is current. A filing that exists for the domain but belongs to a different company is a mismatch. A filing whose entity has been deregistered is effectively invalid even if the number still resolves.

For a commercial relationship, also check that the license category matches the service being sold. A filing for an informational site does not authorise paid services. This is the check most often skipped, because the number looks valid and the site looks professional.

What are the signs of a fake or stale number?

A number that belongs to another domain, an entity name that does not match the site’s operator, a format with the wrong digit count, or a footer copied from a template without the link. Expired records are subtler: the number resolves, but the filing lapsed when the hosting or domain changed.

The link matters as evidence. A compliant footer links the number to the official portal, which makes verification one click. A plain string with no link is not proof of anything, and a dead link is a sign the record has moved.

Where this bites vibecoders
Template footers are the usual source of fake-looking numbers: the AI copied a footer from a Chinese site, changed the brand name, and left the registration string. Search the exact number and you will often find it on a dozen unrelated sites. Generate the footer from real data or omit it until the real number exists.

Where AI coding assistants get this wrong

Copying a footer ICP number from a template or another site.
Displaying the number without linking to the official portal.
Using a filing number for a domain it does not cover.
Assuming a 备 number authorises paid services.
Trusting a cached third-party lookup for a compliance decision.
Leaving an old number in the footer after changing the domain.

Checklist

Read the number’s province, type, sequence, and site index.
Look up the domain on the official MIIT portal.
Compare entity name, domain, and hosting provider.
Check that the license type matches the service.
Confirm the footer number links to the official portal.
Re-check after any domain or hosting change.

FAQ

What does the -1 at the end of an ICP number mean?

It is the site index for that entity’s filing. One company can file several domains under one sequence, and each gets a suffix. The base number identifies the filing; the suffix identifies the specific site, which is why two sites can share a base but not a full number.

Can I check an ICP number without Chinese?

The official portal is in Chinese, but the query fields are limited: domain and entity name. A browser translation is usually enough to run the check. For a high-stakes verification, ask a Chinese-speaking colleague or the provider to confirm the result rather than relying on translation alone.

Is a Hong Kong site required to show an ICP number?

No. ICP filing applies to mainland hosting, so a site hosted in Hong Kong does not have a mainland filing number and should not display one. A footer showing an ICP number on Hong Kong hosting is either copied or the site is actually served from the mainland.

What if the entity name differs from the brand?

That is normal. The filing records the legal entity, while the site may use a trading brand. The check is whether the legal entity is plausibly the operator — for example, named in the terms or the contact page. A complete mismatch with no explanation is worth questioning.