Recruiting in China does not always require setting up a company there. It does require knowing under which regime a foreign employer is allowed to file returns and pay contributions, and on what conditions.
Three routes generally exist: registration of the foreign employer with the local bodies, the use of an employer of record established on the spot, or the creation of a structure. The first is the least costly but presupposes a local correspondent able to file the returns in the language and to the calendar of the country; the second moves the employment relationship to a third party, which is not neutral in law. The choice is made in the light of the number of employees, the duration envisaged and what local law actually permits.
Without a Chinese company, a foreign business cannot hire a local employee directly: it works through a locally incorporated structure, usually a wholly foreign-owned enterprise, or through an intermediated employment arrangement whose robustness deserves scrutiny before it is adopted.
Employer accounts are then opened with local authorities, covering social insurance registration and registration with the housing provident fund (住房公积金), both administered at municipal level. Since collection of social contributions passed to the tax authorities, most filings and certificates are handled through the provincial electronic tax portal.
Contract form is prescribed and writing is mandatory; an employer that has not obtained a signed contract within the statutory window faces a specific penalty. Review the term, the probation period, confidentiality, and where relevant the non-compete clause, which is valid only if compensation is paid after the employee leaves.
Withholding individual income tax on wages falls to the employer, who reports it monthly and reconciles it once a year. The end of the relationship is prepared early: termination is permitted only on an exhaustive list of grounds, and statutory severance is calculated by reference to length of service. Working time arrangements deserve attention too, since several regimes coexist and some require administrative approval before they may be applied.
In China, running payroll on behalf of third parties is a regulated activity. It is carried on under the title of 代理记账机构 (agence agréée de tenue de comptabilité) ; personnel titulaire du 会计专业技术资格, and a registration in force must be produced to you before any engagement.
Professional body or supervisory authority : 财政部 会计司 — 全国代理记账行业监管服务平台
| Local wording | Issuing body | Validity | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 营业执照 (Yíngyè zhízhào) — 含统一社会信用代码Business Licence with Unified Social Credit Identifier (USCI) Demander la copie de l'original (正本) et vérifier le code à 18 caractères sur gsxt.gov.cn, qui affiche aussi le capital, l'objet social et les sanctions éventuelles. La licence n'a pas de date de péremption mais la vérification en ligne doit être récente. | 市场监督管理局 (Administration de la régulation du marché, SAMR) — publication sur 国家企业信用信息公示系统 | No expiry Required | Official website |
| 统一社会信用代码 (即纳税人识别号) — 增值税一般纳税人资格登记Unified Social Credit Identifier serving as taxpayer ID; general VAT taxpayer registration Depuis la réforme « 多证合一 », il n'y a plus de certificat d'enregistrement fiscal séparé : le code unifié de crédit social sert de numéro de contribuable. Demander en plus la preuve du statut 一般纳税人 (régime général de TVA), qui conditionne l'émission de factures 专用发票 déductibles. | 国家税务总局 (Administration fiscale de l'État, STA) — 电子税务局 | No expiry Required | Official website |
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