Before payment · PRACTICAL GUIDE
How to Verify a Chinese Company Before Payment
Verification is not a single database search. The commercial goal is to connect the company you researched, the entity signing the contract, the person making promises and the account receiving funds.
Match the identities
Obtain the Chinese business licence and compare the registered name, unified social credit code, legal representative, address and business status with public registration information.
Check that the company named in the contract matches the invoice, chop and payment instructions. A personal or unrelated account requires a documented explanation and creates additional recovery risk.
Verify the transaction, not just the company
A valid company may still lack manufacturing capacity, authority or financial stability. Confirm the factory relationship, authorised signatory, product capability and inspection arrangements.
Use staged payments, objective acceptance criteria and a workable dispute clause. Verification reduces uncertainty; it does not guarantee performance.
Initial document checklist
- Chinese business licence
- Account-holder name
- Company chop and authority
- Factory relationship
- Contract and staged payment terms
