Glossary
Bei'an (备案) — ICP Filing
Definition
Bei'an (备案), commonly called ICP filing, is the mandatory registration for most websites hosted on mainland servers. It registers the domain and its operator with the authorities, ties the site to a hosting provider and a legal operator, and must be completed before the site can stay online. With complete documents and a qualified entity, filing submission and review typically takes 2–4 weeks. The ICP number must stay displayed for the life of the site.
What Bei'an (ICP filing) is
- The baseline registration for mainland hosting. If your site runs on Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, or another local provider, you need a filing before it can stay online.
- Tied to a hosting provider and a legal operator. The filing connects your domain, your server, and the entity that holds it.
- A scheduling constraint, not a blocker — when planned alongside entity setup and hosting selection, the 2–4 week window fits a standard launch timeline. Not sure which phase applies to you today? Run the ICP filing timeline estimator.
- Required for marketing sites, content sites, corporate pages, and any mainland-hosted web presence.
What it is not
- Not the ICP license. The license is a separate, longer permit for commercial online platforms and paid services. The trigger is what your product does, not where it is hosted. Most marketing and content sites need only the filing; most transaction platforms need to assess the license. See ICP Filing vs ICP License for the full comparison. Term definition: ICP License (ICP证).
- Not audience-based. The obligation attaches to mainland hosting, not to where your visitors are. A mainland-hosted site needs the filing even if every visitor sits outside China.
- Not obtainable by a Hong Kong entity. A Hong Kong entity alone does not satisfy the filing-holder requirement. The holder must be a mainland-registered company or qualifying partner — typically a WFOE (Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise) for foreign brands.
Why the ICP filing matters for foreign companies
Mainland hosting triggers it. Any deployment on Alibaba Cloud or Tencent Cloud mainland regions starts the filing obligation. The filing runs through the hosting provider's portal — you submit server, domain, and entity information, and the provider forwards it through the regulatory review chain. Apps and API backends included — see APP filing.
Operating unfiled risks domain blocking. Running a mainland-hosted site without a filing risks domain blocking and enforcement. Visitors cannot reach your site.
For CDNs, the filing — not the configuration — sets go-live. A domain accelerating the Chinese mainland must hold an ICP filing before any CDN configuration matters — see the filing-first rule for CDN acceleration domains. The filing is the critical path.
The same filed entity underpins WeChat operations. The entity that holds the filing is the same entity that supports WeChat Mini Programs, WeChat Pay merchant onboarding, and other China digital operations — see the five-stage Mini Program filing flow. The entity must be registered and hold a valid business license before any filing work begins.
Common misconceptions
"Our Hong Kong entity can file." It cannot. The filing holder must be a mainland-registered company or qualifying partner. If your group operates in mainland China through a WFOE, the WFOE holds the filing. The Hong Kong entity cannot substitute.
"Our audience is offshore, so no filing." The obligation follows hosting, not audience. If your server is in mainland China, the filing applies.
"Filing equals license." They are separate instruments. The filing registers a mainland-hosted site. The license permits commercial online platforms and paid services. A late "you need a license" finding stalls a launch — classify the product before committing to hosting.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Bei'an (ICP filing) and an ICP license?
The filing is the mandatory registration for most websites hosted on mainland servers. The ICP license is a separate, longer permit for commercial online platforms and paid services. The trigger is what your product does, not where it is hosted. Most marketing and content sites need only the filing; most transaction platforms need to assess the license.
Who needs an ICP filing, and who can hold one?
Any site hosted on Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, or another mainland hosting provider needs a filing before it can stay online. The filing covers marketing sites, content sites, corporate pages, and any mainland-hosted web presence. The filing holder must be a mainland-registered company or qualifying partner — typically a WFOE (Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise) for foreign brands. A Hong Kong entity alone does not satisfy this requirement.
What is the difference between ICP filing (Bei'an) and PSB filing?
PSB filing (公安备案) is the public-security (police) registration that happens after the ICP filing number issues. MIIT runs the ICP filing pipeline; public security handles its own registration afterward. The two are sequential steps from separate authorities — the ICP filing number must issue before the PSB filing begins.
How can I check whether a website has a valid ICP filing?
The ICP filing lookup (备案查询) is the public query of MIIT filing records at beian.miit.gov.cn. Once a filing is approved, the portal lets you look up the ICP filing number and the domain names associated with it. The lookup returns approved records only — it is not a status tracker for applications in review.
What happens if we operate a mainland-hosted site without an ICP filing?
Operating a mainland-hosted site without a filing risks domain blocking and enforcement. Visitors cannot reach your site. The obligation follows mainland hosting, not audience location — a mainland-hosted site needs the filing even if every visitor sits outside China.
Related terms
- ICP Filing Lookup (备案查询) — the public query of MIIT filing records at beian.miit.gov.cn; verify a displayed filing number and its associated domains before you rely on it.
- PSB Filing (公安备案) — the public-security (police) registration that happens after the ICP filing number issues.
- APP Filing (APP备案) — the ICP registration for native mobile applications whose backend domains resolve to servers in the Chinese mainland.
- ICP License (ICP证) — a separate permit for commercial online platforms and paid services — marketplaces hosting third-party sellers, platforms charging for access, and certain regulated categories. The trigger is what the product does, not where it is hosted.
- WFOE (Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise) — a mainland-registered company wholly owned by foreign investors. It holds a Chinese business license and qualifies as the legal operator on an ICP filing — for foreign brands, the typical filing holder.
- Business License (营业执照) — the document a mainland-registered company holds; an upload required to obtain the ICP filing. The filing is a separate registration the entity holds.
Related reading
- ICP Filing vs ICP License: Which One You Need — the decision table and product-by-product classification.
- ICP Filing Timeline: Phase-by-Phase — the five phases from entity readiness to display and maintenance.
- Transfer or Cancel an ICP Filing Without Losing Your Domain — why a provider switch is a filing event, not a DNS change, and how to transfer or cancel without downtime.
- WFOE vs Hong Kong Company: ICP Filing Entity Rules — why the mainland entity comes first, and what changes between the two paths.
- which provider to file through — the five-criteria decision framework across Alibaba Cloud and Tencent Cloud.
- ICP Compliance Service — how we coordinate filing, entity, and hosting decisions.
- China Digital Entry Glossary — the full term set in one place.
Filing your mainland-hosted site?
We coordinate the filing, entity, and hosting decisions so your domain goes live filed and stays online. Start with the ICP & compliance service or the 10-point China readiness diagnostic.
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