In 2026, China’s service industry enters a new stage of high-quality development. The three major fields of consulting, education, and culture-tourism have become popular choices for foreign travelers to start businesses and find employment in China due to their low thresholds and high potential. As the three most international cities in China, Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou not only have a broad service consumer market, but also introduce a number of foreign-funded facilitation policies to simplify the access process for the service industry and optimize the efficiency of qualification approval. However, compared with physical operations, the service industry has stricter requirements on qualification compliance and professional capabilities. Most foreign travelers are not familiar with the qualification standards and approval processes of China’s service industry, and do not understand the compliance red lines in the three fields of consulting, education, and culture-tourism. They often encounter problems such as incomplete qualifications and illegal operations, and even face risks such as fines and suspension of business. Combined with the latest 2026 policies on the foreign-funded service industry, this article takes Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou as examples, details the entire qualification processing process for foreigners to engage in consulting, education, and culture-tourism services in China, sorts out the core compliance points of each field, and supplements high-frequency pitfall avoidance tips. With more than 700 words, it helps foreign travelers quickly understand compliance requirements and smoothly start their business in the service industry.
First, clarify the core premise: For foreigners to engage in consulting, education, and culture-tourism services in China, whether in the form of entrepreneurship (establishing a foreign-funded institution) or employment (being employed by a Chinese institution), they must first complete subject compliance or personal qualification filing. No service activities are allowed without legal and compliant qualifications. Among them, those who plan to establish a foreign-funded service institution need to first register a foreign-funded enterprise (either wholly foreign-owned or Sino-foreign joint venture) and obtain a business license and foreign investment filing receipt; foreign practitioners employed by Chinese institutions need to apply for a foreigner employment license and a work-type residence permit, and are not allowed to work without a license. The qualification requirements for the three fields of consulting, education, and culture-tourism are quite different. The education field has the highest qualification threshold, the culture-tourism field requires additional industry filing, and the consulting field is relatively flexible. The specific details are explained in detail by field below.
I. General Basic Requirements (Applicable to All Three Fields, and All Three Cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou)
Regardless of engaging in consulting, education, or culture-tourism services, foreign practitioners or foreign-funded institutions must first meet the following general compliance requirements, which are the basic premise for carrying out services and the core basis for subsequent handling of special qualifications.
1. Subject Compliance (Entrepreneurship Form): Foreign travelers without a Chinese Green Card who plan to establish a foreign-funded service institution need to first register a foreign-funded enterprise (it is recommended to register a limited liability company) and apply for a business license and foreign investment filing receipt; the registered address must be a commercial address (residential addresses are prohibited for registering service-oriented enterprises in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou), and a lease contract and real estate certificate must be provided, and the address must be consistent with the actual business address. Foreign travelers holding a Chinese Green Card can register an enterprise as a Chinese citizen without additional foreign investment filing. In 2026, all three cities support online registration of foreign-funded enterprises, with the review period shortened to 2-5 working days, and bilingual Chinese-English registration services are available.
2. Personal Qualifications (Applicable to Both Employment and Entrepreneurship): Foreign practitioners (including the legal representative and core employees of the institution) must meet the age requirement (18-60 years old), have no criminal record (a notarized certificate of no criminal record issued by a notary public in their home country and authenticated by the Chinese embassy or consulate abroad is required), and have professional capabilities corresponding to the service field (such as relevant industry work experience for the consulting field, and corresponding academic qualifications and teaching qualifications for the education field). At the same time, all foreign practitioners engaged in the service industry in China must apply for a foreigner employment license and a work-type residence permit, and are not allowed to work only with a passport, otherwise they will face high fines.
3. Tax and Filing Compliance: After obtaining the business license, foreign-funded service institutions must complete tax registration within 15 days (in 2026, the “one license, one code” system is fully implemented, and tax registration is integrated with the business license), verify tax types, bind bank accounts, and declare taxes on time; foreign practitioners employed by Chinese institutions must have personal income tax withheld and paid by their employers in accordance with the law. In addition, all foreign-funded service institutions must complete industry filing within 30 days after opening (consulting and culture-tourism fields are filed with the local Bureau of Commerce, and the education field is filed with the local Education Bureau).
II. Detailed Explanation by Field: Qualification Processing Process and Materials (Differences Between Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou)
The three fields of consulting, education, and culture-tourism have significantly different service natures and qualification processing requirements. Combined with the policy characteristics of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, the following decomposes the processing process, required materials, and review period by field to ensure that foreign travelers can prepare targetedly.
(I) Consulting Service Field (Including Business Consulting, Management Consulting, Technical Consulting, etc.)
The consulting field has the lowest qualification threshold, no special business license is required, and business activities can be carried out only after completing basic subject registration and industry filing. The requirements of the three cities are basically the same, with slight differences in details.
1. Core Qualifications: Business License (the business scope must include corresponding categories such as “Business Consulting”, “Management Consulting”, “Technical Consulting”), Foreign Investment Filing Receipt (required for those without a Green Card), Industry Filing Receipt.
2. Required Materials: Foreign-funded enterprise registration materials (legal representative’s passport, notarized documents, registered address certificate, etc.), description of business scope, resumes and professional qualification certificates of core employees (such as relevant industry work certificates and academic certificates), industry filing application form.
3. Processing Process: Register a foreign-funded enterprise → Obtain the business license and foreign investment filing receipt → Submit industry filing materials → Complete filing (3-4 working days in Beijing, 2-3 working days in Shanghai, 1-2 working days in Guangzhou) → Carry out business.
4. Differences Between Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou: Beijing focuses on the review of employees’ professional qualifications and requires work experience certificates; Shanghai supports cross-border consulting services and can additionally handle cross-border service filing to enjoy tax incentives; Guangzhou’s consulting industry filing can be handled online throughout the process without visiting the window offline.
(II) Education Service Field (Including Language Training, Skill Training, Interest Training, etc., excluding compulsory education stage schools)
The education field belongs to a special service industry with the highest qualification threshold, requiring the “School-running License” (core qualification). The three cities have strict review standards and relatively complex processes, and training activities are prohibited without qualifications.
1. Core Qualifications: Business License (the business scope includes corresponding categories such as “Education and Training”, “Language Training”), Foreign Investment Filing Receipt, “School-running License”, Fire Safety Filing Certificate, Employee Qualification Filing.
2. Required Materials: Foreign-funded enterprise registration materials, school-running articles of association, registered capital certificate (no less than 1 million RMB in all three cities, no less than 4 million RMB in Beijing), business address certificate (must be a commercial address with an area of ≥ 300 square meters, ≥ 400 square meters in Beijing), fire safety filing certificate, teaching plan and curriculum system, professional qualification certificates of core teaching staff (foreigners must have a bachelor’s degree or above, more than 2 years of teaching experience, and obtain a Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language Certificate or corresponding language teaching qualification), certificate of no criminal record.
3. Processing Process: Register a foreign-funded enterprise → Submit application materials for the “School-running License” → On-site inspection (required in all three cities; Beijing focuses on teaching venues and teachers’ qualifications, Shanghai focuses on curriculum compliance, and Guangzhou focuses on safety management) → Review passed (15-20 working days in Beijing, 12-18 working days in Shanghai, 10-15 working days in Guangzhou) → Obtain the “School-running License” → Complete industry filing → Carry out business.
4. Differences Between Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou: Beijing prohibits foreign capital from independently running subject-based training (such as cultural course tutoring in primary and secondary schools), and only non-subject-based training can be carried out; Shanghai supports foreign capital to run international training programs and introduce overseas curriculum systems; Guangzhou has relatively loose requirements on the area of school-running venues, some characteristic training can be relaxed to 200 square meters, and the review period is shortened by 20%.
(III) Culture-Tourism Service Field (Including Tourism Consulting, Culture-Tourism Planning, Scenic Area Operation Assistance, Cultural Exchange Services, etc.)
The culture-tourism field has moderate qualification requirements. Special filing or licensing must be handled according to specific service categories, with the core being the “Travel Agency Business Operation License” (if involving tourism group business). Ordinary culture-tourism consulting and planning businesses only need to complete industry filing.
1. Core Qualifications: Business License (the business scope includes corresponding categories such as “Tourism Consulting”, “Culture-Tourism Planning”, “Cultural Exchange”), Foreign Investment Filing Receipt, Industry Filing Receipt; if involving tourism group and entry-exit tourism services, an additional “Travel Agency Business Operation License” is required.
2. Required Materials: Foreign-funded enterprise registration materials, description of business scope, resumes of core employees (culture-tourism planning and tourism consulting require relevant industry work experience), industry filing application form; additional registered capital certificate (no less than 300,000 RMB), quality deposit payment certificate (200,000 RMB), business address certificate and equipment list are required for handling the “Travel Agency Business Operation License”.
3. Processing Process: Register a foreign-funded enterprise → Obtain the business license and foreign investment filing receipt → Submit filing/licensing application according to the business category → Review passed (Filing: 2-3 working days in all three cities; Licensing: 7-10 working days in Beijing, 5-8 working days in Shanghai, 5-7 working days in Guangzhou) → Carry out business.
4. Differences Between Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou: Foreign-funded travel agencies in Beijing and Shanghai can apply for entry-exit tourism business (additional qualification requirements must be met), while foreign-funded travel agencies in Guangzhou can apply only after operating for 1 year; all three cities support culture-tourism integration projects, and foreign-funded institutions can participate in local culture-tourism planning and cultural exchange activities, and some projects can enjoy policy subsidies.
III. Core Compliance Points of the Three Fields (Key to Avoid Pitfalls, Applicable to All Three Cities)
After completing the qualification processing, compliant operation is the core of the long-term development of the service industry. The following sorts out the common and exclusive compliance points of the three fields to help foreign travelers avoid illegal risks and avoid problems such as fines and suspension of business.
(I) Common Compliance Points
1. Qualification Display: Foreign-funded service institutions must hang the business license and special qualification certificates (such as “School-running License”, “Travel Agency Business Operation License”) in a prominent position of the business place. Beijing and Shanghai require a Chinese-English bilingual version to be displayed, and Guangzhou can choose according to business needs, but it must be clearly visible; it is not allowed to forge, rent, or transfer qualification certificates, otherwise the qualification will be revoked and a fine will be imposed.
2. Business Scope Compliance: Strictly carry out services in accordance with the business scope approved by the business license, and over-range operation is prohibited (such as consulting institutions are not allowed to carry out education and training, and culture-tourism institutions are not allowed to carry out tourism group business without a license). The three cities have strict inspections on over-range operation. The first violation will be fined 10,000-30,000 RMB, and the second violation will face suspension of business for rectification.
3. Employee Compliance: Foreign employees must work with valid employment licenses and work-type residence permits, and the licenses must be renewed within 15 days before expiration; it is not allowed to employ foreigners with illegal employment (such as foreign students who have not applied for an employment license), otherwise the employer will face a fine of 50,000-100,000 RMB; labor contracts must be signed and social security must be paid in accordance with the law when hiring Chinese employees, and employee files must be established.
4. Tax and Financial Compliance: Declare and pay taxes on time, and prohibit tax evasion. Foreign-funded service institutions can enjoy some tax incentives (such as tax reduction for small and micro enterprises, tax exemption for cross-border services, etc., which can be consulted with the local tax bureau for details); establish standardized financial books and retain relevant materials such as service contracts and payment vouchers for inspection by the supervision department.
(II) Exclusive Compliance Points by Field
1. Consulting Field: It is prohibited to provide false consulting opinions and mislead customers, and it is not allowed to involve acts such as disclosure of state secrets and trade secrets; consulting contracts must clearly specify the service content, charging standards, and liability for breach of contract to avoid contract disputes; cross-border consulting services must complete foreign exchange settlement filing, and illegal cross-border fund transfers are not allowed.
2. Education Field: It is prohibited to carry out subject-based training in the compulsory education stage (strictly prohibited in all three cities); curriculum content must comply with China’s laws, regulations and public order and good customs, and harmful and vulgar content and religious-related content are not allowed to be introduced; fees must be clearly marked, and it is prohibited to collect fees for more than 3 months at a time (latest policy requirement in 2026), and a pre-collection supervision account must be established to protect the rights and interests of students.
3. Culture-Tourism Field: It is prohibited to falsely advertise tourism products and mislead consumers, and forced shopping and forced consumption are not allowed; for entry-exit tourism services, cooperation with formal overseas travel agencies is required, and compliance with the tourism policies of China and the destination country/region is required; cultural exchange activities must be filed with the local Culture and Tourism Bureau in advance, and illegal cultural activities are not allowed; protect tourism resources and cultural heritage, and do not carry out related services that damage the scenic environment and cultural heritage.
IV. High-Frequency Pitfall Avoidance Tips for Foreigners Engaging in the Service Industry in 2026 (Must Read)
1. Ignoring the qualification requirements of the education field and carrying out training without the “School-running License”: The education field is a key supervision area. Carrying out training without qualifications will be ordered to suspend business, confiscate illegal gains, and be fined 50,000-100,000 RMB, which may even affect the subsequent business qualification in China.
2. Confusing the qualification differences between consulting, education, and culture-tourism, and carrying out over-range operation: For example, consulting institutions illegally carrying out language training, and culture-tourism institutions carrying out tourism group business without a license are all serious violations, and will face high fines after investigation.
3. Foreign employees working without a license: Failure to apply for an employment license and a work-type residence permit, or failure to renew the license after expiration, will result in personal fines and employer fines, and those with serious circumstances will be deported.
4. Ignoring pre-collection supervision (education and culture-tourism fields): Education institutions collecting fees for more than 3 months at a time and culture-tourism institutions collecting excessive deposits are illegal acts, which will be ordered to rectify and fined.
5. Being unfamiliar with cross-border service compliance requirements: Cross-border services in the consulting and culture-tourism fields that fail to complete foreign exchange settlement and industry filing will face foreign exchange supervision penalties, affecting capital flow.
Summary: For foreigners to engage in consulting, education, and culture-tourism services in China in 2026, the core is “complete qualifications + compliant operation + professional adaptation”. Beginners can first try the consulting field to familiarize themselves with China’s service industry policies and processes, and then expand to the education and culture-tourism fields according to their own professional capabilities; when handling qualifications, they can entrust professional intermediary institutions to assist, saving time and energy, and avoiding approval failure due to incomplete materials and unfamiliar processes; in the operation process, adhere to the bottom line of compliance, focus on the exclusive compliance red lines of each field, and fit the policy requirements and consumption habits of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. With the continuous opening of China’s service industry, the development opportunities for foreign-funded service institutions are increasing day by day. As long as compliance requirements are followed and the market is accurately adapted, foreign travelers can smoothly carry out business in the service industry in China and achieve long-term development.
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