A foreign investor can own 100% of a Hangzhou company through a WFOE, with the licence typically issuing in 3–5 working days and bank account opening taking 1–3 weeks. Hangzhou is the natural base for businesses whose revenue comes from Chinese e-commerce: the platform ecosystem, the service providers around it and the talent pool are concentrated here. If you operate a platform rather than a store, an ICP licence is a separate approval that must be planned for.
Why Hangzhou
Hangzhou's economy is organised around online retail, and that shapes everything a foreign founder needs: agencies that know the platforms, developers who have built storefronts before, warehouses that ship same-day, and accountants who understand platform settlement flows rather than only traditional invoices.
For a brand entering China through Tmall, JD or Douyin, being registered in Hangzhou shortens the distance to the people who operate those channels. For a SaaS or content business, Binjiang and Yuhang have the engineering talent and the office stock that goes with it.
What is different here
Scope wording matters more than in most cities. Selling goods through a marketplace, operating a platform for third-party sellers, and providing software as a service are three different scopes with three different licensing consequences. An ICP licence — and for some activities an EDI licence — is required to operate a platform, and it is granted to domestically funded entities under current practice, which affects how the ownership structure must be built.
The city also runs cross-border e-commerce pilot programmes with bonded warehousing, which is relevant if you import goods to sell into China rather than sourcing from it. Those programmes require a specific registration and a customs record, and the address has to sit in a district that participates.
How we sequence it
We start from the revenue model rather than the address: marketplace seller, brand operator, platform or software provider. That determines the scope, whether an ICP or EDI licence is needed, and whether the equity structure can be wholly foreign-owned from day one or needs a domestic licensing entity alongside.
Then the address in the right district, the filing, the seals, and the bank account — where platform settlement statements are increasingly requested as evidence of business substance.
Hangzhou at a glance
| Item | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Registration authority | Hangzhou Administration for Market Regulation, filed by district |
| Licence timeline | 3–5 working days; licensing adds weeks or months |
| Registered address | Yuhang and Binjiang for e-commerce and tech, Xihu for services |
| Bank account | 1–3 weeks; platform settlement evidence may be requested |
| Best for | E-commerce brands, live commerce, SaaS, cross-border retail |
Frequently asked
Do I need an ICP licence to sell online?
Selling your own goods through an existing marketplace does not require an ICP licence. Operating your own platform, hosting third-party sellers or providing paid online services does, and the licence is issued by the provincial communications administration with its own capital and staffing requirements. We confirm which category applies before the company is registered, because it changes the structure.
Can a WFOE sell on Tmall or JD?
Yes. A wholly foreign-owned company can open flagship stores on the major platforms, and many international brands do exactly that. The platform will ask for the business licence, the scope covering the product category, and trademark evidence, so the scope and the trademark filing should be aligned before you apply to the platform.
Is a virtual address accepted in Hangzhou?
Licensed virtual addresses are accepted in most districts for service and e-commerce scopes, provided the filing matches the property record. If you hold or apply for an ICP licence, expect the authority to check that the address is a real operating site, which usually means a serviced office rather than a virtual address.
Other cities we cover
Not sure which route applies to you?
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