Types of ICP License: Filing, Commercial, and EDI Compared

Quick answer
ICP备案 (filing) is the non-commercial record required for any site on mainland hosting; it is not a license to trade.
ICP许可证 (commercial ICP license) is required when the site charges users for information or online services.
EDI许可证 covers online data processing and transaction processing, which is the track for platforms that transact.
The three are cumulative in practice: a commercial site still needs the underlying filing and hosting compliance.
Choosing the wrong track means the site can be approved and later found non-compliant, which is worse than a slow application.

What are the types of ICP registration in China?

There are three names people mix together. The filing, 备案, is a record of the website, its operator, and its hosting. The commercial ICP license, 许可证, permits charging for online information or services. The EDI license permits online data and transaction processing, the category that covers marketplaces and transaction platforms.

A useful way to keep them straight: the filing answers who operates this site and where it runs; the license answers whether it may sell; the EDI answers whether it may process transactions for others. Most small projects need only the first, which is why the filing is far more common than the licenses.

| Track              | Chinese term | Who needs it                              | Main extra requirement          |
|--------------------|--------------|-------------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
| Non-commercial     | ICP备案      | Any site on mainland hosting              | Entity + domain + hosting match  |
| Commercial ICP     | ICP许可证    | Sites charging for information/services   | Company status, provincial review |
| EDI                | EDI许可证    | Platforms processing transactions         | Company status, platform review  |

Which one does my site need?

If the site is informational and takes no money, the filing is the starting point. If it sells subscriptions, courses, memberships, or paid content, the commercial license enters the picture. If it processes transactions between buyers and sellers, or provides online data processing as a service, the EDI category may apply instead of or alongside the commercial license.

Advertising-supported content is a grey area that depends on the model and the province. The safe approach is to describe the revenue model honestly to the provider or a local adviser before applying. Reclassifying later means a new application, a new review, and a period where the site is operating outside its approval.

How do the requirements differ?

The filing requires an entity, a domain, and mainland hosting, and it is submitted by the hosting provider. The commercial license requires a company, a longer provincial review, and additional conditions around capital, personnel, and technical safeguards that vary by province and by the specific service. The EDI adds platform-specific requirements around transaction records and user management.

The practical difference is time and paperwork, not a different portal. Both licenses are administered through the provincial communications administration, and both are tied to the entity and to the service description approved.

What happens if you choose the wrong track?

The site can pass the lighter review and then fail a later compliance check when the revenue model becomes visible. The consequence is not a warning about paperwork; it can be an order to stop the paid service while the correct license is processed, which is a business interruption rather than a filing delay.

The reverse mistake is applying for a commercial license for a site that does not need one, which adds months and conditions without benefit. The decision should follow the actual revenue model, not the ambition for one. If the model will change soon, plan the transition before launching the paid feature.

Where this bites vibecoders
AI-generated product ideas often arrive with a subscription paywall in the first sprint, while the filing was described as a simple website record. The mismatch is not in the code; it is in the assumption that a filing covers selling. Decide the revenue model before the filing description is written.

Where AI coding assistants get this wrong

Calling the filing a license, then assuming paid features are covered.
Adding a paywall or marketplace after filing without reviewing the license track.
Applying for a commercial license for a site that only publishes free content.
Treating EDI and commercial ICP as interchangeable.
Assuming a filing from another site operated by the same company covers a new domain.
Describing a commercial service as informational to speed up review.

Checklist

Write down how the site makes money today.
Match that model to filing, commercial license, or EDI.
Confirm provincial conditions with the provider or an adviser.
Describe the service accurately in the application.
Plan the license transition before launching paid features.
Review the classification whenever the business model changes.

FAQ

Is an ICP filing the same as an ICP license?

No. The filing is a non-commercial record required to host a site in the mainland; the license is a commercial permit to charge for online information or services. The English phrase ICP license is often used loosely for both, which is why clarifying the Chinese term matters.

Do I need an EDI license to run a marketplace?

A marketplace that processes transactions between third parties is the typical EDI case. Whether it also needs a commercial ICP license depends on whether it charges for information or services directly. This is a category judgement made with the provincial administration, not a decision to make from a blog post.

Can one company hold several ICP filings?

Yes. Filings are per domain and per hosting arrangement, so a company with several sites may hold several filing numbers. A new domain generally needs its own filing even when the entity is the same, and the footer should show the number that matches that site.

Does an app need the same licenses as a website?

Apps distributed in mainland app stores have their own filing requirement, and a commercial app service may need the same license track as the equivalent website. The website filing does not automatically cover the app. Treat them as separate submissions that share entity documents.