How to Set Up an Import-Export Company in Guangzhou

The business licence is not the finish line

It is easy to treat registration as the whole project because it produces a visible document. For a trading company, the operational questions start immediately afterwards: Can the bank understand the expected payment flows? Is the address suitable for the stated business? Who will make the customs declarations? Will supplier invoices, contracts, payments and export records support the tax treatment you expect?

Those questions do not mean every project is difficult. They mean the order matters. The earlier you identify the model, the less likely you are to change the address, scope, taxpayer plan or bank file after money has been committed.

1. Start with the trade model, not a generic scope

Write down what you will buy or sell, where products come from, who owns the goods at each stage, who is the contracting party, where customers are located, how payment will arrive and whether the company will import, export or both. This basic map guides the business scope, the bank KYC explanation and the later customs and tax work.

Products can add their own requirements. Food, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals, controlled goods and some online-platform activities may need additional review. Do not copy a wide scope from an internet template and assume it covers every product or licence question.

2. Check the address against the final scope

Address decisions are not only about rent. For trade, the address needs to fit the registered scope, receive official correspondence and withstand practical questions from banks, customs, tax advisers and counterparties. A cheap address chosen before the scope is confirmed can be expensive to replace later.

If Nansha is being considered, read the Nansha trading WFOE guide first. Its cluster-registration rules have a specific boundary for goods import-export and import-export agency activities, so an ordinary address package should never be assumed to work.

3. Prepare banking early

The bank needs a credible explanation of a new company's real activity. Prepare the legal representative, ownership information, address evidence, product or service description, expected transaction flows, source of funds and any supplier/customer evidence available. A bank may ask more questions or take longer; approval is its independent decision.

Our corporate bank-account guide sets out the preparation questions in more detail.

4. Customs and trade systems

A company acting as a consignee or consignor for imports or exports needs the relevant Customs filing. Customs filings and related digital trade systems are part of the operating preparation. The exact workflow changes with the products, whether you use a customs broker, and whether you are the importer/exporter of record.

Do not wait until the cargo is ready to decide who holds which role, who keeps which document or how product information will be declared. The first shipment should follow an agreed document flow rather than become a test of the company's registration.

5. Tax status and export evidence

Tax status is a commercial decision as well as a filing decision. If the business expects to purchase goods in China and export them, taxpayer status, supplier invoices, customs declarations, contracts, payments and settlement records should be considered before the first shipment. Export VAT treatment does not arise simply because a company has the words “import and export” in its licence.

Different models can lead to different export VAT treatment. A focused review before the supply chain starts is more useful than a refund promise after the documents have already been created.

A practical operating sequence

When to look at Nansha

Nansha can be a practical option for businesses with a real connection to Guangdong sourcing, port logistics or cross-border e-commerce, and for founders whose address and operational setup fit the district. It is not automatically the best answer for every company. If daily client meetings, staff access or central-city banking are more important, another Guangzhou district can be more practical.

The right question is not “Does Nansha have incentives?” It is “Does Nansha fit the way this company will actually operate?” Start with the Nansha location overview if you are comparing districts.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Special Administrative Measures for Foreign Investment Access — 2024 Negative List, NDRC and Ministry of Commerce.
• Consignee and Consignor Filing Service Guide, General Administration of Customs.
• Announcement on VAT and Consumption Tax Policies for Export Business, Ministry of Finance and State Taxation Administration, effective 1 January 2026.

This guide provides general business, customs and tax information as at August 2026. It is not legal, tax, banking or product-licensing advice. Requirements depend on the founders, products, documents, transaction model, selected bank and current government practice. Future Compass does not guarantee company registration, bank approval, customs acceptance, export VAT treatment or a fixed processing time.