A wholly foreign-owned company in mainland China.
A WFOE (外商独资企业) lets a foreign company or person own a mainland company outright. Service-type WFOEs in Shenzhen and Shanghai have a fixed price, 10% below the fee a leading advisory firm publishes.
Shenzhen (Qianhai)
Service-type WFOE
Published benchmark US$ 2,000
Saved 10%
Consulting, management or other service businesses that want to sit next to Hong Kong.
- Company name check and registration application
- Business licence from the Administration for Market Regulation
- Company seals (chops)
- Tax registration
- Basic RMB bank account setup
Shanghai
Service-type WFOE
Published benchmark US$ 2,700
Saved 10%
Service businesses whose clients, staff or partners are in the Yangtze River Delta.
- Company name check and registration application
- Business licence from the Administration for Market Regulation
- Company seals (chops)
- Tax registration
- Basic RMB bank account setup
Other cities or activities
Quoted
Trading or manufacturing WFOEs, other cities, or activities that need a licence beyond the business licence.
- Trading and manufacturing WFOEs
- Any other city
- Industry licences and permits
Optional add-ons
| Add-on | Published benchmark | Our price | Saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet banking setup | US$ 300 | US$ 270 | 10% |
| Additional bank account | US$ 300 | US$ 270 | 10% |
| General VAT taxpayer qualification | US$ 550 | US$ 495 | 10% |
Government filing fees, notarisation and legalisation of foreign documents, and translation are charged at cost.
Prices in US dollars. Each priced item is 10% below a fee published by a foreign-facing China advisory firm, checked 26 September 2026 (Kaizen CPA for company formation and its add-ons; MS Advisory for bookkeeping). Items no firm publishes are quoted. Government fees, notarisation and legalisation of foreign documents, and translation are charged at cost.
Registered with the mainland authorities that license and tax your company
- Administration for Market Regulation
- State Taxation Administration
Done in China, by people registered there
Filings and audits are carried out by a PRC-registered partner firm and CPA practice.
Fixed fees
Published prices are fixed. Quotes are fixed before work starts.
Benchmarked, not guessed
Every published price is 10% below a fee another firm publishes.
Every enquiry is answered by a person, usually within one working day.
Why OCTIS for mainland China
- One account across markets
- Run a China company from the same OCTIS workspace as your Malaysian or Hong Kong one.
- Prices you can check
- Where a market price is published, ours is 10% under it. Where none is, we quote and say so.
- Deadlines derived, not diarised
- Monthly returns, the June annual report and the May CIT reconciliation come from your company's own dates.
- English in, Chinese filings out
- You work in English; the books and filings are kept in Chinese, as PRC rules require.
How it works
- Tell us the city and the business
- Where the company will sit and what it will do decide the licence and the price.
- Documents legalised once
- Investor documents are notarised and legalised for use in China, then reused for every later filing.
- We file, you approve
- Applications and returns are prepared for you to review before they are submitted.
- Records in your workspace
- Business licence, articles, filings and accounts, kept where you can find them.
Questions
How much does it cost to set up a WFOE in China?
With OCTIS, US$1,800 for a service-type WFOE in Qianhai, Shenzhen and US$2,430 in Shanghai — 10% below the fees Kaizen CPA publishes for the same work. Government fees, document legalisation and translation are charged at cost; trading and manufacturing WFOEs are quoted.
What is a WFOE?
A wholly foreign-owned enterprise: a mainland China limited liability company owned entirely by foreign investors, formed under the PRC Company Law and the Foreign Investment Law.
When does the registered capital have to be paid?
Under the revised PRC Company Law in force since 1 July 2024, a limited liability company must pay its subscribed capital in full within five years of incorporation.
What does a China company file after it is set up?
Monthly or quarterly VAT and corporate income tax returns, individual income tax withheld for staff, an annual report between 1 January and 30 June, and the annual corporate income tax reconciliation by 31 May.