1. Match the Chinese status label
Copy the status exactly and keep the company code beside it. Use the next-check table below; a translated label alone may hide differences between jurisdictions.
2. Choose your next check
Use the status as a starting point. The table does not assess a supplier’s capacity, finances or the safety of a payment.
| Status on the record | What to check next |
|---|---|
| 存续 / 在业 Active record | Check required licences, the company on the contract and the payee. This status does not mean it is safe to pay. |
| 歇业 Filed pause | Ask when business resumed. Check the notice and any changed company details before paying. |
| 吊销 Licence revoked | Pause payment. Match the code and read the revocation record. The company may still legally exist. |
| 注销 Entity ended | Confirm which legal entity your contract names. The deregistered company has terminated. |
| 迁入 / 迁出 Registry transfer | Match the company code, new registry and address. Check the current status and required licences. |
Order No. 746, Article 12(4), also limits who may act as legal representative. If a licence was revoked for illegal acts, a person at fault may face a three-year bar. Read the full rule and check the facts of that case.
Liquidation and bankruptcy have separate procedures. A status label alone does not settle your rights under an existing contract.
3. If the licence is revoked, pause the order
吊销未注销 means revoked but not yet deregistered. A company can still appear in the registry and answer messages after its business licence has been revoked. A storefront is not evidence that it may trade.
Check that the record matches your supplier’s code. If it does, pause payment and ask for records that explain what happened. Get legal advice if this affects your order or a dispute.
A licence photo may predate the revocation. In a saved 264-name change-log frame, 145 of 264 (54.9%) had a returned change dated within the prior 12 months. This was one commercial-source query on 8 August 2026. Original list sources still need checking. The count does not measure revocation risk. Keep a dated record of your own check.
The dated examples below show how status labels varied across two samples.
4. Re-check at the points that affect your order
- Before the deposit: check the code for typing errors, then read the current company record. An active status does not approve the payment. Match the contract entity and payee too.
- Before the balance: repeat the lookup if production has taken months or the supplier’s details have changed. Save the new query date.
- During a dispute: identify the legal entity behind the order. If it is revoked or deregistered, get qualified advice on your specific claim.
Use the official registration search steps, or request a China-side record check. Appeals, liquidation and disputes need case-specific review. This guide is not legal advice.
5. If the supplier is dormant, ask whether it has resumed
Under Order No. 746, an entity facing specified operating difficulties can file 歇业 before pausing business. The published dormancy period may not exceed three years.
Article 42 of the implementing rules requires public notice within 30 days of deciding to resume or actually resuming business. Changes to the company record must also be filed as required.
If a dormant company sends you a quote, ask when it resumed. Check the public notice and any changed company details before paying.
Research examples: status labels in returned records
A commercial platform returned 存续 for 26 of 46 selected records, 开业 for 19 and 仍注册 for one on 28 August 2026. These are stored labels. The study did not confirm each identity or current official status. See the sample and input limits.
A separate lookup started with 106 China-labelled trailer entries in data from the US vehicle regulator, NHTSA. Searches by English name returned 84 candidate rows on 18 August 2026. These contained 83 distinct names; rows are counted as returned, including repeats. Read the name-search method and limits.
| Status shown | Records | Means |
|---|---|---|
| 存续 | 64 | Active |
| 仍注册 | 11 | Source label: Hong Kong |
| 在业 | 3 | Source label: active |
| 注销 | 6 | Source label: deregistered |
存续 and 在业 describe active records. The platform used 仍注册 for Hong Kong-labelled results. We did not confirm these labels against the Hong Kong registry. Check which jurisdiction and entity the result belongs to.
Six candidate records showed 注销. Match the company code before connecting any such result to your quotation. A name search alone does not establish that identity.
None of the 84 records showed 吊销. This small, selected sample cannot establish how common revocation is among suppliers generally.
What else can the lookup return?
Check the other records your order needs. Some may be missing. We queried one paid data source on 21–22 August 2026 for 45 codes chosen from the 106-name trailer frame. Choosing a code did not prove it was the right company.
| Field | Companies with a record |
|---|---|
| Legal form | 45 of 45 |
| Shareholders and annual reports | 44 of 45 |
| Change history and import/export credit | 41 of 45 |
| Qualification certificates | 36 of 45 |
| Abnormal-operation / serious-illegality lists | 0 of 45 |
Neither list in the last row returned a record for any of the 45 codes. These checks did not cover international sanctions. A separate query for administrative penalties returned records for 9 of 45 codes. A missing result does not clear a company.
Each field is counted separately; grouped fields may return different code sets. Type and certificate queries ran on 21 August; the other fields on 21–22 August. Read the 45-code selection notes. Keep missing fields marked as missing.
Official sources
- Market Entity Registration Regulations, Order No. 746. Article 30 covers dormancy. Article 31 covers termination on deregistration; Articles 32–34 describe deregistration routes. Article 12(4) sets conditions for the legal-representative restriction.
- Implementing Rules for Market Entity Registration. Article 42 requires notice within 30 days when business resumes.
- National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (GSXT). Use it to check the matched company’s published record.
Registration regulation checked 5 September 2026; implementing rules rechecked 8 September 2026. Each sample keeps its query date. Use a fresh lookup for your supplier.
Frequently asked questions
What does 存续 mean in a Chinese company registration?
存续 means the company remains registered. 在业 is another active-status label. Neither proves that it holds every required operating licence or that a payment is safe.
What is the difference between 吊销 and 注销?
注销 means the entity has terminated on deregistration. 吊销 means the business licence has been revoked as a penalty. Losing the licence alone does not end the company.
Why is revoked-but-not-deregistered (吊销未注销) the state that catches buyers?
The company may still appear in a registry and answer messages after revocation. Match the company code, read the revocation record and pause payment while resolving the issue.
Can I rely on a photo of the business licence for company status?
No. A photo may predate a status change. Look up the current company record for the exact company code, and save the source and query date.
How we checked
Field counts came from 46 selected commercial platform records. They do not verify identity, cash in the bank or what a factory can make. Candidate figures count rows returned for the submitted names, in source order. A candidate or its position does not confirm the intended company. Fill rates come from dated checks of chosen company codes through one paid data source. A hit is a returned record; it may be incomplete or mislinked. Last date marked for the checks: 28 August 2026. Use the date shown with each finding. A page update does not mean all checks were run again.
Use the source links. Check the dates and limits stated for each finding.
Before you pay a deposit Use the free pre-payment checklist to review the company, payee and order terms.
Need help checking your supplier? Choose “Just check who they are” in the supplier report menu. Packs start from $26.55. First paid order: unhappy for any reason, tell us within 14 days of delivery and it is refunded in full.