Free tool · China side
Is this Chinese supplier who they say they are?
Two checks that take five minutes. Decode the registration code on the supplier’s business licence, then run through the warning signs that come before most losses when buying from China. Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
1 Decode the business licence code
Every mainland Chinese company has an 18-character Unified Social Credit Code (统一社会信用代码) on its business licence. Ask the supplier for a photo of the licence and type the code here.
Try the example from the official standard:
2 Warning signs before you pay
Answer what you know. Your verdict updates as you go.
The company name on the licence matches the name on the quote, the contract and the invoice.
A valid code does not prove the company on it is the one invoicing you. Get every document in the same registered name before paying.
The bank account you are asked to pay is in that same company’s name.
Pay only a business account in the supplier’s registered name. A personal account or a different company is a stop sign.
The bank details have stayed the same since the first quote or order.
Criminals take over supplier email accounts and send “new bank details”. Confirm any change by phone, on a number you already had.
They accept an independent inspection before the balance is paid.
Suppliers who refuse to be inspected are telling you something. Make the balance depend on a passed pre-shipment inspection.
They accept escrow (Alibaba Trade Assurance) or a deposit with the balance after inspection, not 100% up front.
Keep money in hand until the goods pass. Trade Assurance holds payment and lets you claim within 30 days of delivery.
Their registered business scope on the official register covers the product you are buying.
A company outside its business scope may not be able to make or export your product. Check the scope on the register.
They can send real test reports from an accredited lab that match this product (for regulated products).
Toys, electricals, children’s products and cosmetics need proper test reports for UK rules, not certificates of unknown origin.
You know whether they are the factory or a trading company.
Trading companies can be fine, but you should know. The business scope, a video call of the production line or a factory audit tell them apart.
They sent a sample you approved, to keep as the standard for the order.
Approve a sample first and keep it as the “golden sample” every order is checked against.
Their price is in line with other quotes, not far below them.
A price far below everyone else often means cheaper materials later. Ask what is different, and inspect carefully.
They will sign a written order with your specification (and an NNN agreement if the design is yours).
Put the specification, tolerances, packaging and inspection terms in writing. Protect your own designs before sharing them.
What the code tells you, and what it doesn’t
- Character 1 is the registering authority. Companies that trade or manufacture are registered with market regulation: 9.
- Character 2 is the type, under 9: 1 an enterprise, 2 an individual business (个体工商户), 3 a farmers’ cooperative.
- Characters 3 to 8 are the area where the code was issued; the first two give the province.
- Character 18 is a check character worked out from the other 17, so most typos and many invented codes fail.
A valid code does not prove that the company exists, that it is still active rather than revoked or deregistered, that its business scope covers your product, that it may export to you, or that it is the company issuing your invoice. The area and type show what applied when the code was issued: a company can move, or change from an individual business to a company, and keep its code. Always check the live record on GSXT, China’s official company register (it can be slow or blocked outside China). Sources: GB 32100-2015, china-usci, Currawong, QualityInspection.org on the bank-details scam, Alibaba Trade Assurance.
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Questions about checking suppliers
What is a Unified Social Credit Code?
The 18-character registration number on every mainland Chinese business licence, in use since 2015. It says which authority registered the organisation, what type it is, where the code was issued, and ends with a check character that catches most typing mistakes.
Does a valid code mean the supplier is genuine?
No. A correctly formed code can be invented, and a real code can belong to a company that is revoked, deregistered, or not the one invoicing you. Look the code up on the official register (GSXT) and check the name, status and business scope.
What does 91 or 92 at the start of the code mean?
91 means the organisation was registered with market regulation as an enterprise when the code was issued. 92 means an individual business (个体工商户). An individual business can later become a company and keep its code, so check the current type on the register.
How do I check a Chinese company on the official register?
Search the code or the Chinese company name on GSXT, the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System. It shows the registered name, status, legal representative, registered capital and business scope. It can be slow or blocked outside China.
Want a supplier checked properly?
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