Shanghai · Est. for foreign founders
We handle the paperwork, the tax bureau, and the bank — so you can focus on building your business in China. End-to-end company setup and ongoing accounting for foreign entrepreneurs in Shanghai.
What we do
Most foreign founders waste months bouncing between a lawyer, an accountant, a registration agent, and a bank. We bring all of it under one roof.
Pick the right structure. We file everything.
Timeline: typically 4–8 weeks
Stay compliant with PRC tax law — every month.
Engagement: monthly retainer
RMB & foreign currency accounts, opened properly.
Timeline: 2–4 weeks after license
About Bund & Co.
Bund & Co. Advisory is an independent consultancy based in Shanghai. We help foreign founders set up and run small companies in China — registration, monthly accounting, and banking, handled end to end.
Our clients are typically first-time entrants to the China market. We handle the filings with the AMR, the tax bureau, the banks, and SAFE on your behalf, and explain — clearly — what is happening at each step.
Common questions from foreign founders
A WFOE (Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise) is fully owned by you or your overseas parent company. You control 100% of equity and can invoice clients in China directly. This is what most small foreign founders want.
A Joint Venture is co-owned with a Chinese partner. Required in a few restricted industries; otherwise rarely necessary.
A Rep Office can't sign contracts or invoice in China. It's only useful for market research or liaison work. We usually steer founders away from this.
For a typical WFOE in Shanghai, plan for 4 to 8 weeks from document submission to a usable bank account. The business license itself can arrive in 2–3 weeks; the bank account is usually the slowest step.
For most industries China no longer enforces a hard minimum — capital is "subscribed" rather than fully paid up. But the amount you declare affects bank account thresholds, visa applications, and how serious your company looks to customers. We'll recommend a number that fits your industry and plans.
Most of the registration can be done by power of attorney — you don't need to be in China for filing. However, the bank account opening usually requires the legal representative to appear in person for an interview. We'll coordinate the timing so you only need one trip.
At minimum: monthly bookkeeping & tax filings, an annual audit, and the annual AMR (Administration for Market Regulation) report. For a small company with simple operations, total ongoing compliance typically runs a few thousand RMB per month. We quote a fixed monthly retainer once we understand your business.
A fapiao (发票) is an official tax invoice issued through the tax bureau's system — not a regular receipt. In China, only fapiao counts as a deductible expense for the buyer and as recognised revenue for the seller. If you can't issue fapiao, corporate customers won't pay you. We set up your fapiao system as part of registration.
Dividends paid from a Chinese company to a foreign parent are subject to 10% withholding tax (potentially reduced by tax treaty — e.g. 5% under the Hong Kong arrangement, with conditions). The dividend can only be paid out of audited after-tax profit, after a statutory reserve. We help structure and document this so you can actually move money out.
In Shanghai, foreign employees are required to participate in social insurance, with limited exemptions for nationals of countries that have a bilateral totalization agreement with China (e.g. Germany, South Korea, Japan in part). We'll check your specific situation.
In China a company is bound by its official chops (seals), not by signatures. The company chop, finance chop, legal rep chop, and invoice chop each have specific legal uses. Losing control of your chops means losing control of your company — we'll brief you on how to safeguard them from day one.
Get in touch
Tell us a little about your business and what you're trying to do in China. We'll reply within one business day with honest, specific next steps — whether or not you end up working with us.