As the most popular online marketing platform in China today, it is essential for overseas brands to get into the China market by applying a WeChat Official Account to build up their brand images and increase their exposure in China. There are two ways to apply a WeChat Official Account for overseas brands. Firstly, an overseas company or agent can apply directly for the overseas company in need of an Official Account. Secondly, any companies with Chinese business registrations can set up an Official Account for the overseas company under their business license.
Option 1 – Application by an overseas company or agent directly
In the case of an overseas company applying a WeChat Official Account, an overseas business license is required as identity proof. The company in application for the account will need to go through a third-party reviewer authorized by WeChat and pay a USD$99 verification fee. Although the official application process takes about seven to fifteen days to proceed, according to our experience, it can take as short as two days. By using an overseas company to apply for an Official Account, the account administrator can be a non-Mainland Chinese person, making the management more autonomous and secure.
Required documents (scanned color copies):
- Business Registration Certificate or Certificate of Incorporation
- Official letter of application
- Administrator’s mobile phone bill (if mobile phone bill is not available, company office phone bill or bank statement can be uploaded)
- ID card of the administrator/company contact person (passport/driver’s license is acceptable; front and back)
- If you need to use a trademark, you need to provide a certificate of trademark registration or trademark license
Pros
- The company owns the account directly, there is no risk of being hijacked by an agency
- Users can see the legal name of the owner of the Official Account on the profile page. Applying with your own brand can increase confidence of potential audience/customers
- WeChat ads can be placed (except for specific industries)
- Cross-border payments can be received directly without having to apply for a bank account in China
Cons
- Application fees are more expensive than those for Chinese companies (USD99 vs. RMB300), and there are no refunds for unsuccessful applications
- Overseas company’s account cannot be transferred to another company
- WeChat Official Account has a limited API interface for overseas accounts. For details, please refer to: https://kf.qq.com/faq/180619quEnaa180619E3Q3YV.html
Option 2 – Application with the support of a company with business registration in China
In addition to applying for an Official Account directly as an overseas company, you can also appoint an agency that is already registered in China to help create an account for you. While the Official Account can display the brand name, company description and logo, the agency name will be shown as the owner of the account on the account profile page.
Pros
- Accounts can be transferred to other companies in China. If you plan to set up a company in China, you can transfer your accounts and followers directly to your new company’s Official Account.
Cons
- The ownership of the Official Account belongs to the agency, which lacks flexibility and autonomy
- Since the agency’s business license is in a different industry than your business, it may cause consumer suspicion
- WeChat may reject an ad application if the advertising content does not match the industry of the Official Account owner
- Since you have appointed a company in China to apply for your account, you can only receive payment in RMB and the money can only be transferred to the agency’s bank account
We hope the above WeChat Official Account information is helpful to you. ChatStore is an one-stop e-shop marketing platform that helps businesses in Hong Kong, Taiwan and overseas to expand their WeChat online trading business in China. If you want to know more about how to create a WeChat account and manage your marketing plan on the platform, please contact us!
