With the continuous increase of China’s opening-up efforts, to attract foreigners to do business and start businesses in China and help foreign-funded enterprises develop steadily, governments at all levels in China have launched a variety of government subsidy policies, covering multiple scenarios such as initial start-up support, R&D innovation, regional landing, and industrial upgrading. Different from complex policy clauses, the current subsidy application has fully implemented the reform of “streamlined procedures, convenient channels, and simplified materials”. Foreign business operators do not need professional policy knowledge. They only need to understand the types of subsidies, clarify the application conditions, and master convenient channels to efficiently apply for corresponding subsidies and reduce operating costs. This article is specially created for foreign travelers, popularly explaining the core applicable subsidies, application conditions, and convenient channels, focusing on the streamlined procedures, helping foreign business operators quickly enjoy policy dividends and smoothly start their business journey in China.
At present, the government subsidies available for foreigners doing business in China are mainly divided into four categories: initial start-up support subsidies, R&D innovation subsidies, regional landing subsidies, and industrial special subsidies. Each type of subsidy has clear application conditions and streamlined procedures. It does not distinguish between wholly foreign-owned and Sino-foreign joint-venture enterprises. Legally operating enterprises established by foreigners can apply equally. It is worth noting that since 2025, the reform of “one-stop online handling, parallel approval, and material reuse” has been implemented nationwide for subsidy applications, greatly shortening the application time limit, canceling redundant certification materials, and adding multilingual service channels for foreigners, completely solving the previous problems of “difficult application, cumbersome procedures, and long cycles”, allowing foreign business operators to easily handle subsidy applications.
I. Core Applicable Subsidy Types and Eligibility Criteria (Popularly Disassembled for Accurate Matching)
The government subsidies available for foreigners doing business in China are all based on the core premises of “compliant operation, real landing, and compliance with orientation”. The application conditions for different subsidies have their own focuses, without complex qualification review, which are suitable for the business scenarios of foreign business operators. The following is a detailed explanation of high-frequency applicable subsidies, facilitating quick matching with their own situations.
1. Initial Start-Up Support Subsidies (First Choice for Foreign Start-Ups, Lowest Threshold)
This type of subsidy is mainly for newly established enterprises by foreigners in China, focusing on supporting start-up enterprises and relieving the pressure of start-up funds. It is available in all provinces and cities across the country. The subsidy standard varies according to the regional economic level. The application conditions are the most relaxed, making it the first choice for foreign start-ups.
Eligibility Criteria (Minimalist Identification): 1. The enterprise is controlled by foreigners (shareholding ratio not less than 51%) or the legal representative is a foreigner. It has been registered for no more than 1 year, completed industrial and commercial registration and tax registration, and carried out business activities in compliance (no illegal or irregular records); 2. Among the employees of the enterprise, at least one foreigner is involved in daily operation and management (a work certificate can be provided); 3. The main business of the enterprise conforms to the non-restricted and non-prohibited industries of the state, giving priority to supporting modern services, cross-border trade, cultural and creative design and other fields; 4. No profit certificate is required, and start-up loss-making enterprises can also apply. In some provinces and cities, enterprises with a registered capital reaching a certain scale (such as more than 1 million US dollars) can obtain a higher subsidy amount.
Subsidy Description: The subsidy is mainly in the form of fund subsidy, with an amount ranging from 100,000 RMB to 500,000 RMB. Some provinces and cities also provide rent subsidies (up to 3 years, 50% of the actual monthly rent). It does not need to be repaid and is credited in one lump sum (after streamlined procedures, the arrival cycle is shortened to 15 working days).
2. R&D Innovation Subsidies (Key for Technology-Based Enterprises, Rich Dividends)
This type of subsidy focuses on high-tech enterprises and R&D-oriented enterprises established by foreigners, aiming to encourage technological innovation and enhance the core competitiveness of enterprises. It has large subsidy intensity and wide coverage, and can be enjoyed in combination with other subsidies. It is suitable for foreign business operators engaged in fields such as artificial intelligence, software development, and biomedicine, and is also one of the key supported subsidy types by the current government.
Eligibility Criteria: 1. The enterprise has been registered for more than 6 months, operates in compliance, and has a clear R&D direction and R&D team (no less than 3 R&D personnel, foreign R&D personnel can be included); 2. The proportion of R&D investment in operating income of the enterprise in the previous year is not less than 5% (start-up enterprises can be relaxed to 3%), and complete R&D expense vouchers can be provided (no additional audit is required, only invoices are needed); 3. Own independent R&D achievements (such as patents, software copyrights, etc., 1 or more, no level restriction); 4. If it is a high-tech enterprise (has obtained recognition), it can directly apply for a higher subsidy amount without additionally meeting the R&D investment proportion requirement, and can enjoy supporting preferences such as import tariff reduction for R&D equipment at the same time.
Subsidy Description: The subsidy form includes R&D expense subsidy (10%-20% of the R&D investment in the previous year, with a maximum annual subsidy of 20 million RMB for a single enterprise) and patent subsidy (1,000-5,000 RMB per patent). In some cities (such as Shenzhen and Shanghai), foreign-funded enterprises with large R&D investment can be given an additional one-time innovation reward. After streamlined procedures, there is no need to submit an acceptance report on R&D achievements, which greatly reduces the application difficulty.
3. Regional Landing Subsidies (Key for Free Trade Zones and Development Zones, Combined Dividends)
This type of subsidy is launched by local governments (focusing on free trade zones, economic and technological development zones, and high-tech industrial development zones), targeting subsidies for enterprises established by foreigners in specific regions. The core is to attract foreign capital to land, and combined with national general subsidies, form “double dividends”. It is suitable for foreign business operators who plan to operate in China for a long time and have fixed business premises.
Eligibility Criteria: 1. Both the registered address and actual business address of the enterprise are in the designated region (free trade zone, development zone, etc.), and have been operating for more than 3 months; 2. The main business of the enterprise conforms to the list of encouraged industries in the region (for example, free trade zones focus on supporting cross-border trade and high-end manufacturing, and development zones focus on supporting advanced manufacturing and modern services); 3. The enterprise has completed the lease of office space (a lease contract can be provided), and some regions require the enterprise’s registered capital to be no less than 500,000 US dollars; 4. In regions such as Hainan Free Trade Port and development zones in western provinces, the conditions for enterprises established by foreigners can be relaxed, and subsidies can be applied for immediately after registration without meeting the operating time requirement.
Subsidy Description: The subsidy form includes one-time landing subsidy (ranging from 200,000 RMB to 1 million RMB, up to 2 million RMB in Hainan Free Trade Port), rent subsidy (up to 5 years, full subsidy for the first 3 years, 50% subsidy for the next 2 years), and logistics subsidy (30% of cross-border logistics costs). Some regions also provide personal income tax rebate subsidies for foreign senior management personnel. The application process is simpler than that of ordinary subsidies, and can be handled online throughout the process.
4. Industrial Special Subsidies (Exclusive for Specific Fields, Precise Support)
This type of subsidy is for foreign-funded enterprises in specific industrial fields, focusing on supporting cross-border trade, high-end manufacturing, modern agriculture, cultural and creative tourism and other fields. It has strong pertinence and application conditions suitable for industrial characteristics. It is suitable for foreign business operators with clear industrial positioning. Some subsidies can be enjoyed in combination with R&D subsidies and regional subsidies.
Eligibility Criteria (Minimalist Explanation by Field): 1. Cross-border Trade: The enterprise has real cross-border trade business (annual import and export volume not less than 1 million US dollars), completes customs declaration procedures in compliance, and has no smuggling or tax evasion records; 2. High-end Manufacturing: The enterprise is engaged in high-end manufacturing such as precision machinery and electronic equipment, has core production technology, and production equipment meets environmental protection standards; 3. Cultural and Creative Tourism: The enterprise is engaged in cultural creativity and tourism services (such as cross-border tourism consulting, cultural and creative product R&D), conforms to the orientation of Chinese cultural communication, and has no bad cultural content; 4. Modern Agriculture: The enterprise is engaged in characteristic agricultural product planting, agricultural product deep processing, etc., conforms to the requirements of green agricultural development, and the scale restriction can be relaxed in some regions.
Subsidy Description: The subsidy amount varies according to the industrial field. The maximum subsidy for cross-border trade can be 1 million RMB, high-end manufacturing can enjoy equipment purchase subsidy (15% of the purchase amount), and cultural and creative tourism can enjoy promotion and publicity subsidy. All special subsidies have simplified the requirements for industrial qualification certificates, and there is no need to submit complex industrial evaluation reports.
II. Convenient Application Channels (3 Core Channels, Foreigner-Friendly, No Need to Run Errands)
To facilitate foreigners to apply for government subsidies, “online + offline” dual channels have been fully opened. The online channel supports English interface and multilingual consulting, and the offline channel has a special foreign-related window to provide assistance throughout the process, completely solving the problems of “language barrier and unfamiliar procedures” for foreigners. All channels can handle business such as subsidy application, progress inquiry, and subsidy arrival inquiry, without repeatedly submitting materials.
1. Core Online Channel: China Government Service Network (Foreigner-Friendly Version)
This is the most convenient and efficient application channel, and also the official preferred channel. It is handled online throughout the process, no need to go to the scene, supports Chinese-English switching, and is simple to operate, suitable for all foreign business operators. Specific Operation: Log in to the China Government Service Network (the English interface entrance can be directly searched for “China Government Service Network English Version”), find the “Foreign-Funded Enterprise Subsidy Application” column, select the corresponding subsidy type, fill in the application information online, upload relevant materials (supporting PDF and image formats), and you can query the application progress in real time after submission. The review result and subsidy arrival information will be notified through SMS and email (English notification can be selected).
Advantages: Available 24/7, no need to run errands, materials can be modified and supplemented online, the operation process is optimized for foreigners, reducing the number of filling items, key information has English prompts, and there is an online multilingual consulting window (supporting English, Japanese, Korean, etc.) to answer application questions in real time.
2. Core Offline Channel: Special Foreign-Related Window of Local Government Service Center
For foreign business operators who are not familiar with online operations, the offline channel can be selected. All government service centers in provinces and cities across the country have set up “Special Window for Foreign-Funded Enterprise Services”, equipped with bilingual staff (fluent in Chinese and English) to assist in handling application procedures throughout the process. Specific Operation: Carry the original and copy of relevant materials (the copy needs to be stamped with the enterprise seal), go to the government service center where the enterprise is registered, find the special foreign-related window. The staff will assist in filling in the application form, verify the materials, submit the application after confirmation, and inform the application number on the spot. The progress can be queried through the application number, and there is no need to go to the scene again. The review result and subsidy arrival information will be notified in a timely manner.
Advantages: Assisted by staff throughout the process to solve language barriers and operational difficulties. Materials can be verified on the spot to avoid filling errors and missing materials. In some regions, the special foreign-related window can provide material translation assistance (free of charge), no need to find an additional translation agency.
3. Auxiliary Channel: Local Foreign Trade Bureau Foreign-Related Service Platform
The foreign trade bureau of each province and city has set up a foreign-funded enterprise service platform, specially providing comprehensive services for foreigners to do business in China, including subsidy application assistance, policy consulting, and material preparation guidance. Relevant business related to subsidy application can be handled through telephone and on-site consulting. Specific: Call the foreign-related service hotline of the local foreign trade bureau (supporting English service), consult the corresponding subsidy application requirements. The staff will guide the preparation of materials and the selection of application channels. If necessary, you can make an appointment for staff to assist in handling on-site, which is suitable for large foreign-funded enterprises and enterprises applying for high subsidies.
III. Streamlined Procedures (Core Highlights to Greatly Improve Application Efficiency)
In recent years, the Chinese government has launched a number of measures to streamline the procedures for foreigners to apply for government subsidies when doing business in China, canceling redundant links, simplifying application materials, and shortening the review time limit. The core streamlined points are as follows, allowing foreign business operators to “run fewer errands, submit fewer materials, and get subsidies quickly” without spending a lot of time and energy preparing materials and following up the process.
1. Material Simplification: Cancel Redundant Certificates and Implement “Material Reuse, One-Time Submission”
1. Cancel unnecessary certification materials: All redundant materials that needed to be submitted in the past, such as “enterprise profit certificate, foreigner’s no-criminal record certificate, and industrial evaluation report”, have been canceled. Only core materials (industrial and commercial business license, tax registration certificate, applicant’s identity certificate, relevant business vouchers, etc.) need to be submitted; 2. Implement material reuse: If industrial and commercial registration and tax registration have been completed, there is no need to repeatedly submit industrial and commercial and tax-related materials when applying for subsidies. The staff can directly query and retrieve them through the system without additional submission; 3. Simplify material requirements: All materials can be submitted in copies (only need to be stamped with the enterprise seal), no need to submit the original for verification (except for special cases), and the translated version does not need additional notarization, only need to be stamped with the seal of the translation agency.
2. Procedure Simplification: Cancel Intermediate Links and Implement “One-Stop Online Handling, Parallel Approval”
1. Cancel intermediate review links: In the past, subsidy applications needed to go through multiple links such as “street preliminary review, district bureau review, and municipal bureau approval”. Currently, it is simplified to two links: “preliminary review + final review”, which greatly improves the review efficiency; 2. Implement parallel approval: If applying for multiple subsidies at the same time (such as initial start-up subsidy + R&D subsidy + regional landing subsidy), there is no need to submit applications separately. They can be submitted at one time, and multiple departments review at the same time without waiting in turn, shortening the overall application cycle; 3. Full online completion: From application submission, material review, result announcement to subsidy issuance, it is completed online throughout the process, no need to go to the scene to submit materials and receive subsidies. Subsidies are directly issued to the enterprise’s corporate account, no need to go through additional collection procedures.
3. Foreigner-Specific Simplifications: Multilingual Support and Improved Fault Tolerance
1. Multilingual coverage: All application channels, application forms, and review notices support Chinese and English. Some channels support multiple languages to solve language barriers for foreigners; 2. Improved fault tolerance: If there are errors in filling in the application form or minor missing materials, there is no need to resubmit the application. It can be supplemented and modified online. The staff will remind you in a timely manner to avoid application rejection due to minor mistakes; 3. Simplified policy interpretation: For foreigners, a popular interpretation manual of subsidy policies (multilingual) is launched, explaining application conditions and procedures in straightforward language, avoiding obscure policy terms, which can be obtained free of charge at all application channels.
IV. Application Notes (Must-Read for Foreign Business Operators to Avoid Pitfalls)
1. Compliant operation is the premise: All subsidy applications must be based on the compliant operation of the enterprise. If the enterprise has illegal or irregular behaviors, tax evasion, false declaration, etc., it will be disqualified from subsidies, recover the issued subsidies, and be included in the credit blacklist, affecting subsequent operations and subsidy applications; 2. Materials must be true and valid: The submitted application materials must be true and complete, and shall not be forged or tampered with. If the materials are false, corresponding legal responsibilities shall be borne, and re-application for subsidies shall be prohibited (for 3 years); 3. Submit the application on time: Each type of subsidy has an application time limit (usually January-March and July-September every year, subject to local notices). It must be submitted within the specified time limit. No supplementary report is allowed after the deadline. It is recommended to prepare materials 1-2 weeks in advance; 4. Pay attention to policies dynamically: Government subsidy policies will be adjusted according to the opening-up policies. The subsidy amount and application conditions may have minor changes. It is recommended that foreign business operators regularly pay attention to the China Government Service Network and the official website of the local foreign trade bureau to keep abreast of the latest policies; 5. Subsidies can be applied for in combination: Eligible enterprises can apply for multiple subsidies at the same time (such as initial start-up subsidy + R&D subsidy + regional landing subsidy) without worrying about conflicts, and enjoy policy dividends in combination to further reduce operating costs.
Summary: There are various types of government subsidies available for foreigners doing business in China with loose thresholds, convenient application channels and greatly streamlined procedures. No professional policy knowledge or complex operations are needed. As long as you clarify your own business type, meet the corresponding application conditions, and choose a suitable application channel, you can efficiently apply for subsidies. Currently, the Chinese government continues to optimize the foreign investment business environment, constantly improve subsidy policies and simplify application procedures, providing comprehensive support for foreigners to do business in China. Foreign business operators can accurately match subsidy types according to their own situations, easily enjoy policy dividends, and help their business in China develop steadily. If you have specific application questions, you can get one-on-one assistance through the online multilingual consulting window and offline special foreign-related window.
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