Chinese Business Registration Number Verification Guide

You asked a Chinese supplier for their "business registration number." They sent you a string of digits. Maybe 18 characters, maybe 15, maybe 9. You paste it into Google and get nothing useful. You ask the supplier what it is, and they say "company code" or "business license" — both of which could mean three or four different things in mainland China.

This is the single most common source of confusion in China supplier due diligence. There isn't one "Chinese business registration number." There are four numbers that have been used at different times in the last thirty years, and depending on when a company was registered and which document you're looking at, any of them might be the number your supplier hands over. If you try to verify the wrong one on the wrong database, it will fail — even if the company is completely legitimate.

This guide walks through all four numbers, how to identify which one you have, and how to verify each against official Chinese government systems. By the end, you'll be able to look at any string of digits a Chinese supplier sends you and say: "That's a USCC from Guangdong, issued post-2015, here's the company it belongs to." Every verification technique here uses free public data from the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (GSXT) and the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR).

The 4 Numbers on a Chinese Business License

Before 2015, a fully licensed Chinese company carried around four different identifiers, each issued by a different government agency. A supplier emailing you in 2026 may still quote any of them, because old business cards, old contracts, and old export documents still circulate.

1. Unified Social Credit Code (USCC) — 统一社会信用代码

Length: 18 characters Introduced: October 1, 2015 (mandatory for all new registrations) Issued by: State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) Governs: GB 32100-2015 national standard, State Council Decree No. 22 (2015)

The USCC is the only number that matters today. It merged the previous four identifiers — business registration, organization code, tax number, and social security number — into a single 18-character code. When a supplier in 2026 gives you "our business registration number," this is what they should be sending.

Example: 91110108MA01C2XX3Y — 18 characters, mix of digits and uppercase letters, with a check digit at the end.

2. Legacy Business Registration Number — 工商注册号

Length: 15 digits Used: Pre-2015, still printed on old business licenses Issued by: State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC, now SAMR)

This was the primary company ID before the USCC. It's still valid on legacy documents, and some older companies that haven't updated marketing materials will quote it. If you see a 15-digit all-numeric string, this is likely what it is.

Example: 110108000123456 — all digits, starts with a 6-digit region code.

3. Organization Code — 组织机构代码

Length: 9 characters (8 digits + hyphen + 1 check digit, e.g., 12345678-9) Used: 1989–2015 Issued by: General Administration of Quality Supervision (AQSIQ)

The organization code was a separate identifier used primarily for statistical and banking purposes. A company would have both a business registration number AND an organization code. Old contracts and customs declarations often quote this number.

Example: 12345678-9 — 8 digits, hyphen, single check digit or letter.

4. Tax Registration Number — 税务登记号

Length: 15–20 characters (typically 15 digits) Used: Pre-2015, phased out as USCC rolled out Issued by: State Administration of Taxation (SAT, now STA)

The tax registration number was issued separately by tax authorities. It almost always starts with the 6-digit administrative region code plus the 9-digit organization code — so if you see something that looks like a region code followed by what resembles an organization code, you're probably looking at a tax number.

Example: 110108123456789 — 15 digits, visually similar to a business registration number but with the organization code embedded.

History: Pre-2015 vs Post-2015 — The Unified Reform

Understanding why these numbers exist requires understanding how chaotic Chinese company identification used to be.

Before October 2015: Every company had four numbers. Registration with SAIC got you a 15-digit business registration number. Within 30 days you had to register with AQSIQ to get a 9-digit organization code. Then you registered with the tax bureau for a tax registration number. Then with Social Security for another ID. Four agencies, four numbers, four renewal cycles, four sets of documents.

October 1, 2015: The State Council, under Decree 22 of 2015, implemented the "Three Certificates, One Code" reform (三证合一, later expanded to "Five Certificates, One Code" — 五证合一). All four identifiers were replaced with a single 18-character Unified Social Credit Code under GB 32100-2015.

Transition period: Companies registered before October 2015 were given until the end of 2017 to convert to a USCC. In practice, most active companies had converted by 2016. Dormant shell companies sometimes kept legacy numbers longer.

Today (2026): Every legitimate, active Chinese company has a USCC. If a supplier cannot provide an 18-character USCC in 2026 — more than eight years after the transition deadline — that is itself a red flag.

How to Tell Which Type You're Looking At — Quick ID Table

When a supplier sends you a number, identify which of the four it is using length and starting characters:

Fastest decision tree:

1. Contains any letters (A–Z)? → USCC (if 18 chars) or Organization Code (if 9 chars with hyphen).
2. 18 characters, no hyphen? → USCC. This is what you want.
3. Exactly 9 characters with a hyphen? → Organization Code. Request the USCC.
4. 15 digits, all numeric? → Could be legacy business registration OR tax number. Ask the supplier which.
5. Fewer than 9 or more than 20 characters? → Not a real Chinese business ID. Reject.

If the number is 18 characters, you're done — proceed to USCC verification. If it's anything else, politely reply to the supplier: "Please send your 18-digit Unified Social Credit Code (统一社会信用代码) as shown on your current business license." Every legitimate active company has one.

Verifying a USCC (18-Character Format)

The USCC is the only number that can be independently verified on the national GSXT database. Here's how.

Step 1: Decode the structure

Under GB 32100-2015, the 18-character USCC is structured as:

Position 1     : Registration category (1 digit)
Position 2     : Managing agency (1 digit)
Positions 3–8  : Administrative region code (6 digits)
Positions 9–17 : Entity code (9 characters, digits + uppercase letters)
Position 18    : ISO 7064:1983 MOD 31-3 check digit (1 character)

For company USCCs (which is what you'll deal with as a buyer):

• Position 1 = 9 (工商 — business registration)
• Position 2 = 1 (国家市场监督管理总局 — SAMR)
• So nearly all company USCCs start with 91.

Example breakdown of 91110108MA01C2XX3Y:

• 9 — business registration category
• 1 — SAMR-managed
• 110108 — Beijing Haidian District
• MA01C2XX3 — entity code
• Y — check digit

Step 2: Validate the region code

Positions 3–8 are the GB/T 2260 administrative region code. The first two digits are the province, the next two are the city, and the last two are the district. Major codes to recognize:

If a supplier claims to be in Shenzhen but their USCC region code starts with 11 (Beijing), something is wrong — either the address is wrong, the USCC is wrong, or they're using a different entity than they claimed.

Step 3: Validate the check digit

Position 18 is a checksum calculated using the ISO 7064:1983 MOD 31-3 algorithm over positions 1–17. If the check digit doesn't match, the USCC is invalid. For a detailed walk-through of the checksum math, see our companion article on decoding the 18-digit Chinese business registration number.

Step 4: Look up on GSXT

Go to www.gsxt.gov.cn, enter the 18-character USCC, complete the CAPTCHA, and read the result. You should see the company name, legal representative, registered capital, address, and business scope. Cross-check against what the supplier told you.

For a fuller walk-through of the GSXT interface (which is Chinese-only by default), see our GSXT company search guide in English.

Verifying a Legacy Business Registration Number (15 digits)

If the supplier can only provide a legacy 15-digit business registration number — meaning they never converted — that is unusual in 2026 and warrants caution.

Structure of the 15-digit number:

Positions 1–6 : Administrative region code
Position 7    : Enterprise type
Positions 8–14: Sequence number
Position 15   : Check digit

How to verify: The primary method is to convert the legacy number to the equivalent USCC. In most cases, the 9-digit entity code portion of a company's USCC corresponds to its old organization code, not its old business registration number — so you cannot mechanically derive the USCC from the legacy number. Instead:

1. Ask the supplier for the company name in simplified Chinese.
2. Go to GSXT and search by name.
3. Confirm that the returned record lists the legacy 15-digit number in the "historical information" or "certificate history" section.
4. Note the current USCC from the same record and use that for all future verification.

Verifying an Organization Code (9-Digit Format)

The organization code (format XXXXXXXX-X) is obsolete for new verification purposes, but it appears on old contracts, customs documents, and banking records. You may encounter it during due diligence on older business relationships.

Structure:

Positions 1–8 : Numeric body code
Position 9    : Alphanumeric check digit (MOD 11-2)

How to verify:

1. The 8-digit body of the organization code is embedded, verbatim, in positions 9–17 of the company's current USCC (if it had one issued before the USCC transition).
2. Take the 8 digits from the organization code, and search GSXT for a USCC containing those digits in positions 9–16.
3. If you find a match, the company has been converted and the USCC is canonical.
4. If no USCC contains those 8 digits, the organization code may belong to a deregistered entity.

This is the cleanest way to link an old organization code to a current USCC, and it works because GB 32100-2015 explicitly preserved the organization code inside the new unified code for continuity.

Verifying a Tax Registration Number (15–20 characters)

The tax registration number is typically [6-digit region code] + [9-digit organization code], giving a 15-character all-digit string. Longer variants (up to 20 characters) existed for branch offices and foreign-invested entities.

How to verify:

1. Split the tax number into the 6-digit region code and the 9-digit organization code.
2. Cross-check the region code against GB/T 2260 — does it match where the supplier claims to be located?
3. Take the organization code portion and follow the organization code verification above to find the current USCC.
4. Confirm on GSXT.

Tax registration numbers should never be used as the primary key for verification in 2026. They are a stepping stone to finding the USCC.

Red Flags: Fake or Invalid Numbers

Scammers, shell companies, and "supplier" middlemen all use invalid or misleading numbers. These are the patterns we see most often at ChineseCheck.

Checksum Failures

A string that looks like a USCC but fails the MOD 31-3 checksum is the single clearest sign of a fabricated number. Legitimate USCCs — issued by SAMR — always pass the checksum. Tools on chinesecheck.com compute this automatically.

Wrong Region Codes

Supplier claims to be in Yiwu (Zhejiang, code 3307) but their USCC starts with 91440300 (Shenzhen). Possible explanations:

• Legitimate: they have a registered entity in Shenzhen and merely operate out of Yiwu.
• Suspicious: they're borrowing a real Shenzhen company's credentials.
• Fraud: they fabricated the number.

In all three cases, verify the company name and address on GSXT. If the GSXT record lists a Shenzhen address and the supplier operates out of Yiwu, press for clarification before sending money.

Non-Existent Region Codes

The region code must match a real entry in GB/T 2260. Random 6-digit prefixes that don't correspond to a province and city are fabrications.

"New" Companies With Recycled Numbers

USCCs are unique and permanent. A new company cannot "reuse" an old USCC. If a supplier claims their company is three years old but their USCC was issued in 2008, the number doesn't belong to their current entity.

USCC Starts With Something Other Than 9

Commercial companies start with 9. If a supplier sends you a USCC starting with 5 (social organization) or 1 (government body), they are not a commercial supplier — they are an NGO or government entity masquerading as a supplier, or the number simply doesn't belong to who they claim to be.

Missing or Fake Check Digits

Some scammers generate strings that look like USCCs by combining a plausible region code with random characters. They rarely bother to compute a valid checksum. Always validate the check digit.

Cross-Checking Across Multiple Numbers

For high-value deals (anything over USD 10,000), don't rely on a single number. Cross-check across all identifiers the supplier has ever used.

1. USCC → GSXT: Pull the full company record.
2. USCC positions 9–16 = old Organization Code: If the supplier has sent old contracts or documents, verify the organization code matches.
3. GSXT record → Business Scope: Confirm the company is licensed to sell what you're buying. A textile company selling industrial chemicals is a red flag.
4. GSXT record → Legal Representative: The person signing contracts should match the registered legal representative, or have a valid power of attorney from them.
5. GSXT record → Registered Capital: Tiny registered capital (e.g., RMB 30,000) combined with claims of large export volumes is suspicious.
6. Customs → USCC: If you're importing, the customs declaration will cite the USCC. Cross-check it matches the supplier's claim.

For a comprehensive end-to-end supplier verification workflow, see How to Verify a Chinese Supplier.

Common Supplier Tricks

After reviewing thousands of supplier documents, we've cataloged the most common ways suppliers obscure or misrepresent their registration numbers.

Mismatched Numbers Between Documents

The business license shows one USCC, the quotation shows another, and the invoice shows a third. Sometimes this is genuine confusion between the USCC and an old organization code. Sometimes it means the company you're invoicing isn't the company you think you're dealing with. Always verify every document against the same GSXT record.

Outdated Records

A supplier sends a scan of a 2014 business license showing a 15-digit legacy number, but the company updated to a USCC in 2016. The legacy number is technically still valid as a historical identifier, but the current license should supersede it. Ask for the most recent business license scan, issued within the last 12 months.

"Our Parent Company" Substitution

The supplier sends you their parent company's USCC. The parent might be a legitimate large corporation with a clean record — but you're actually contracting with a small subsidiary that has different credit, different capital, and potentially different liability. Always verify the entity that will be named on your contract and invoice.

Photoshopped Business License Scans

We see this weekly. The red SAMR seal is suspiciously crisp, the USCC text is in a different font than the rest of the license, or the QR code doesn't scan. Every real 2020+ business license has a scannable QR code that links to the GSXT record. If the QR code doesn't work or points somewhere else, the document is fake.

"Same Name, Different Region"

China has hundreds of thousands of companies named things like "Shenzhen Xinda Trading Co., Ltd." Scammers pick a real, legitimate company's name and publish it on Alibaba. When you verify, the real company checks out — but you're not dealing with the real company. Always verify by USCC, never by company name alone.

For a deep dive on reading and validating the business license document itself, see How to Read a Chinese Business License in English and the Chinese Business License Verification Guide.

FAQ

Q: My supplier sent me a 15-digit number. Should I be worried?

Not necessarily, but press for the USCC. In 2026, every active Chinese company has been required to have an 18-character USCC for over eight years. A 15-digit number is either a legacy business registration, a tax number, or a fabrication. Ask specifically: "Please send your 18-character 统一社会信用代码 (Unified Social Credit Code)." If they can't or won't, that's a red flag.

Q: The supplier's business license QR code won't scan. Is it fake?

Often, yes. Genuine post-2020 Chinese business licenses include a QR code that opens the company's GSXT record when scanned. If the code is blurry, unrecognized, or points to a non-government domain, the document may be photoshopped. Request a fresh scan and cross-check the USCC on GSXT manually.

Q: Can two Chinese companies have the same USCC?

No. The USCC is unique per entity by design, under GB 32100-2015. Duplicates only exist if one is a fabrication. If GSXT returns two companies for the same USCC, report it to SAMR via the GSXT "complaint" channel and do not transact with either.

Q: What if my supplier has a USCC but it doesn't show up on GSXT?

A valid, active USCC always returns a result on GSXT. Possible causes of a no-result lookup: (1) the USCC is fabricated, (2) the company has been deregistered (注销), (3) typing error — re-enter carefully with no spaces. Deregistered companies are not legally capable of signing valid contracts. Do not transact.

Q: The supplier's USCC starts with 92 instead of 91. Is that valid?

Yes. 91 is issued by SAMR for most commercial entities. 92 is issued for individual businesses (个体工商户 — sole proprietorships). Both are valid business entities, but sole proprietorships carry different legal liability — the owner is personally liable for debts. For large orders, prefer 91-prefixed limited liability companies.

Q: Is there an official English database for Chinese business registration numbers?

No. The authoritative database is GSXT (www.gsxt.gov.cn), which is operated by SAMR and is Chinese-only. ChineseCheck translates and normalizes the data into English. Commercial aggregators like Qichacha and Tianyancha also draw from GSXT but charge for English access and full records.

Q: My contract lists an old organization code, not a USCC. Is the contract still valid?

Generally yes — Chinese courts recognize contracts citing legacy identifiers if the entity's current USCC can be linked to the old code. However, for new contracts, always use the current USCC to avoid disputes. Amend old template contracts before re-use.

Q: How do I verify a USCC for a Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan company?

You don't — the USCC system only covers mainland China. Hong Kong companies have a Business Registration (BR) number issued by the Inland Revenue Department and a Company Registration (CR) number issued by the Companies Registry. Macau and Taiwan have their own systems. See our upcoming guides for those regions.

E-E-A-T: How We Verified This Guide

Every technical claim in this article is grounded in primary Chinese government sources:

• GB 32100-2015 ("Rules for coding of legal entities and other organizations") — the national standard defining USCC structure, issued by the Standardization Administration of China. We reference the full text available through the SAMR standards portal.
• State Council Decree on Unified Code (2015 No. 22) — the legal basis for the October 2015 rollout and the mandate for all pre-2015 entities to convert.
• Chinese Company Law — as amended by the National People's Congress, which establishes the registration obligations that produce these numbers.
• National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (GSXT) — www.gsxt.gov.cn — the canonical public database maintained by SAMR.

The ChineseCheck Research Team has verified over 280,000 Chinese business entities for international buyers since 2023. This guide reflects patterns observed across that dataset, validated against the primary sources above. We update it whenever SAMR publishes new guidance; this edition reflects rules and formats in effect as of April 2026.

If you find a discrepancy between what's written here and what GSXT returns, email us at support@chinesecheck.com — we'll investigate and update.

Conclusion

The number a Chinese supplier hands you is almost never "just" a business registration number. It could be any of four historical identifiers, with different formats, different issuers, and different implications for how you verify. The clearest signal of a trustworthy supplier in 2026 is the ability to produce a valid, 18-character USCC that passes a checksum, resolves on GSXT, and shows a company whose name, address, legal representative, and business scope match what the supplier has told you.

If any of those four alignment checks fail, stop and investigate before you wire money. A USCC takes 60 seconds to verify. A recovery from wire fraud to a fake Chinese "supplier" takes months and usually fails.