Starting Operations in Shenzhen: What to Prepare in Advance
Author: Junanda ConsultingReviewed by: Junanda Service Team2026-09-19
Many founders assume that once the business licence is in hand they can open the doors and start trading. In practice there is a stretch of work that has to be completed between "holding the licence" and "being able to trade normally". No bank account, no tax type determination, no invoices that can be issued, no one at the address to receive correspondence — any one missing link will hold you up at the very moment you are signing a large contract. This article sets out that stretch of work in the order in which the steps are taken, so that the preparation can be completed properly the first time.
Corporate Bank Accounts: Open First, Then Allocate Purposes
A corporate account is the bloodstream of the business. Without it there is no way to receive money, make payments, pay salaries or pay tax. Prepare the following:
- The original and copy of the business licence, the company seal, the finance seal, the legal representative's seal and the original identity document of the legal representative;
- Some banks require the legal representative to attend in person to sign, and some branches ask for evidence of the operating address, such as a lease contract or utility bills;
- Account opening normally requires the expected scale of operations and the main counterparties to be stated; simply state them truthfully.
After the account is opened, it is worth allocating purposes to reduce confusion in later reconciliation:
| Account type |
Suggested use |
Note |
| Basic deposit account |
Payroll, reimbursements, tax payments, large receipts |
An enterprise normally has only one |
| General deposit account |
Earmarked project funds, platform settlements |
Can be set up separately by business line |
| Foreign currency account |
Cross-border receipts and payments |
Open it once there is export or overseas business |
At the same time, enable online banking and set up the review permissions and operators, so that the business does not come to a standstill because the legal representative holds the only USB key.
Tax Information Confirmation, Social Insurance and Housing Fund
It is best to handle tax-related matters strictly in the following order:
- Tax information confirmation: complete enterprise information confirmation in the electronic tax bureau and supplement the details of the person in charge of finance and the tax filing staff.
- Real-name tax filing registration: the legal representative, the person in charge of finance and the tax filing staff each complete real-name verification and authorisation, so that they are not later locked out of the systems.
- Tax type determination: determine value-added tax, enterprise income tax, surcharges, stamp duty and the like according to the actual business scope, and clarify the filing cycle (monthly or quarterly).
- Invoice type and quota approval: determine the invoicing limit and the number of invoices, and apply for the qualification to issue fully digitalised electronic invoices (FDEI).
- Signing the tripartite tax-bank agreement: link the bank account to the tax system so that tax can be deducted directly.
One point deserves particular emphasis: complete the tax and account arrangements before signing large contracts or issuing invoices. Many newcomers sign a contract first, then find themselves pressed by a customer for an invoice, only to discover that they cannot issue one or that the quota is insufficient — an entirely passive position.
Where there is employment, social insurance and housing provident fund registration must be handled:
- Employer social insurance registration and the opening of a housing provident fund employer account;
- Prompt handling of headcount changes in the first month (add employees early and do not delay removals, because reclaiming overpaid contributions afterwards is troublesome);
- Keeping employment contracts, employee identity information and salary payment records, which are the three basic materials for later verification.
Contribution bases, rates and filing deadlines differ between localities and are adjusted from time to time, so the latest official versions issued by the local social insurance and housing provident fund authorities prevail.
Seal Management, Contract Templates and Receipt of Correspondence
Seal management is where things most easily go wrong, and rules are best established from the first day:
| Seal |
Boundary of use |
Suggested custody |
| Company seal |
Formal external documents, registration changes, certificates |
Custody by a designated person, with a register of use |
| Contract seal |
Contract signing only |
Custody separate from the company seal |
| Finance seal |
Bank instruments, financial vouchers |
Custody separate from the legal representative's seal |
| Legal representative's seal |
Bank payments, specific authorisation documents |
Not held by the same person as the finance seal |
A seal use register should also be set up: date, name of the document, number of copies, the person handling it and the approving person, recorded entry by entry. As for contract templates, it is worth preparing basic versions in advance for the five categories of procurement, sales, services, confidentiality and employment, and putting them into daily use only after review.
Shenzhen manages the compliance of registered addresses comparatively strictly, and an address at which the company cannot be reached is a common risk. Confirm the following:
- The address can actually receive correspondence and the telephone can be answered;
- A designated person is responsible for collecting correspondence and notices sent by the business registration authority, the tax authority and the bank;
- Where a managed or hosted address is used, establish whether the provider offers mail forwarding and notification services, and write this into the contract.
Once an enterprise is entered on the list of abnormal operations because the address cannot be reached, the procedure to have that removed is laborious, and it also affects tendering and bank credit.
Industry Licences, Accounting Records and First-Month Documents
Order for licence applications: first establish whether the industry requires pre-approval or post-approval. Where food, medical devices, human resources services, import and export, hazardous chemicals and similar fields are involved, the licence or filing must be obtained from the competent department before trading begins. The general order is: confirm whether a licence is needed, prepare the premises and personnel conditions, submit the application, and only start trading once the certificate is obtained.
Accounting arrangements: whether the company builds its own finance function or entrusts the bookkeeping to an agency, the accounting records should be set up as early as possible, with a clear method of handing over vouchers and a fixed monthly point of contact. It is advisable to set up the accounting records in proper accounting software and to agree with the agency on the rhythm for passing over original vouchers.
First-month document collection list:
- Bank advices and statements;
- Output invoices (issued to customers) and input invoices (received from suppliers);
- Payroll records and social insurance and housing provident fund payment vouchers;
- Receipts for rent, utilities, office expenses and the like;
- Copies of contracts, filed by contract number.
Building Invoicing Capability and Collecting Customer Details
The ability to issue invoices smoothly directly determines the customer experience and the speed of collection. Three things are worth completing in advance.
First, confirm the invoicing scope and limits. The approved invoicing limit and number of invoices should match the actual scale of the business. If large orders are expected, assess in advance whether an adjustment of the limit needs to be applied for, because adjustments take time and a last-minute application can easily delay delivery.
Second, set up a customer invoicing information collection form. Sales staff should collect the details at the point of signing, rather than chasing them all at month end. The elements to collect are:
- The customer's full name (exactly as on the business licence, including brackets and spaces);
- The taxpayer identification number (unified social credit code);
- Registered address and contact telephone number;
- Account-opening bank and bank account number;
- The invoicing content and the tax rate requirements, and the type of invoice (special or ordinary);
- The email address or postal address and recipient for receiving invoices.
Third, define the invoicing process and the reviewing role. Who applies, who reviews and who issues should be set out in a short written procedure. Checking that the contract, the payment and the invoice are consistent before issuing an invoice is the most basic protection against the risk of false invoicing.
Putting the Preparation Work into a Timetable
The preparatory work is often not carried out in strict sequence, and it is best to push it forward week by week:
| Stage |
Main matters |
Completion marker |
| Week 1 |
Bank account opening appointment, tax information confirmation |
Account opened, tax filing staff authorised |
| Week 2 |
Tax type and invoice type approval, tripartite agreement, FDEI activation |
A test invoice can be issued successfully |
| Week 3 |
Social insurance and housing provident fund accounts, seal rules, contract templates |
Rules posted, templates usable |
| Week 4 |
Accounting records established, bookkeeping agency engaged, customer files collected |
First-month documents can be collected normally |
Do the preparation early, and the business that follows will run smoothly.
Self-Check Checklist
This article is general business information prepared by Junanda Consulting. Specific policy positions, tax rates, deadlines and procedural requirements are subject to the latest official versions issued by the competent authorities. To understand how these requirements apply to your business, please contact Junanda Consulting for further information and support.