How to Check a Chinese Company’s Business License
A business licence check is one useful part of supplier verification. It can help you identify the legal company behind a salesperson, but it does not by itself prove product quality or factory capability.
Ask for the Chinese legal name
Request the supplier’s full Chinese company name, not only an English trading name. Also ask for its unified social credit code, registered address, legal representative, and a copy of the business licence. These are the details that connect a supplier’s online presence to a legal entity.
Compare every important document
Compare the legal name with the name on the quote, contract, invoice, and bank account. Look for differences in spelling, location, or company type. A mismatch may be explainable, but it should be resolved before you sign or transfer money.
Check the business scope
A licence describes the company’s registered activities. It can provide context, but it does not answer whether the business personally manufactures your item. Use it alongside questions about machinery, staff, production lines, supplier relationships, and current production.
Verify operational evidence
Ask for a live video call from the location, footage of the production process, current work in progress, and sample history. For a serious order, an on-site factory check or third-party inspection provides stronger evidence than a document alone.
Do not treat a licence as a guarantee
A real company can still be a trading company, have limited capacity, misunderstand requirements, or deliver inconsistent quality. The aim is to build a picture from independent checks: legal details, a sample, supplier communications, production evidence, and inspection.