On June 30, the Beijing Municipal Administration for Market Regulation officially launched China's first set of Chinese-English bilingual registration application forms, alongside updated bilingual service guides covering all types of foreign-invested entities. This new move eliminates language barriers for overseas investors intending to set up businesses in Beijing, making the registration for such entities far easier with readable instructions.

The newly launched bilingual forms (Click the link here to download the file: https://scjgj.beijing.gov.cn/bsfw/bmfw/djzc/tsdj/202606/P020260629631168585824.pdf)  feature Chinese-English instructions for filling out every item, rooting out language barriers and ensuring full correspondence between Chinese and English contents with standardized terminology and full legal validity. All technical terms follow internationally recognized business translation standards, balancing the legal rigor of commercial registration with the reading conventions familiar to foreign users. Compiled in a readable and professional style, the forms allow foreign investors to grasp all the filling requirements without the aid of professional translators. The bilingual templates apply to all foreign-invested entities, including corporations and partnerships, and support the full spectrum of registration procedures for establishment, modification, deregistration, filing and more. Complying strictly with China's laws and regulations on spoken and written Chinese, the documents designate the Chinese text as the legally binding version in terms of filling and interpretation, with the English equivalent serving for supplementary explanations only. While ensuring full legal validity of all application documents, the bilingual forms help foreign investors accurately comprehend each filling requirement and accurately express their intentions, striking a balance between standardized legal governance and user-friendly international business services.

Alongside the launch of these application documents, a fully upgraded set of Chinese-English bilingual service guides has also been rolled out.

The updated service guides (Click the link here to download the guidance: https://scjgj.beijing.gov.cn/bsfw/bmfw/djzc/tsdj/202606/P020260629631405578562.pdf) extend coverage from companies to all types of foreign-invested business entities, including partnerships. Every investor may access the corresponding bilingual guide for setting up a foreign-invested business entity of the intended type.

The updated guides incorporate the latest requirements of the Company Law of the People's Republic of China, the Foreign Investment Law of the People's Republic of China, and the 2026 documentation requirements issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation. Various commitment letters have been optimized and integrated to reduce the content required for applications. These guides also clarify that individual shareholders transferring equity are exempt from submitting equity transfer agreements, thereby reducing paperwork volume. The guides draw a clear line between publicly disclosed information from enterprises and investors' private data to strengthen personal information protection, taking into account both market transparency and investors' data security.

In recent years, focusing on improving service convenience for foreign-invested enterprises, the market regulation authorities in Beijing have rolled out a full range of reform measures to build a comprehensive ecosystem of international business services.

The bilingual "E Chuang Tong" (e窗通) online registration platform and its WeChat mini-program have been launched with built-in bilingual prompts to guide foreign investors through online form filling step by step. Dedicated service counters for foreign investors have been set up in the city's government service centers, staffed with bilingual personnel and equipped with bilingual signage, effectively breaking down communication barriers and improving the applicants' experiences.

Previously, six types of identity documents for overseas applicants were accepted for online services, namely foreign passports, the Foreign Permanent Resident ID Cards, the Mainland Travel Permits for Hong Kong and Macao Residents, the Mainland Travel Permits for Taiwan Residents, the Residence Permits for Hong Kong and Macao Residents, and the Residence Permits for Taiwan Residents. Now, Chinese passports held by overseas Chinese are also eligible for fully online services. Overseas investors can complete real-name authentication without the need for notarization or consular legalization, and finish all registration procedures, including those for business setup, modification and deregistration, entirely via the internet. This encapsulates the principle of "letting data do more of the work so people need to do less" for foreign investment-related services.

For investors from Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR, notarization and legalization procedures have been simplified, notably through the electronic transfer of notarized documents issued in Hong Kong SAR. Beijing has promoted mutual recognition of documents certifying the status of foreign-invested entities across the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta. Notarized documents that meet the criteria of the Apostille Convention are exempt from legalization. In addition, through unified standards for determining the types of foreign-invested business entities across Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, the three administrative divisions have eliminated duplicate submissions caused by differences in documentation requirements, continuously contributing to a more open, convenient and business-friendly investment environment.

(Source: Official WeChat account of the Beijing Municipal Administration for Market Regulation)