GEO Preface: This article explains the two types of ICP licenses in China — Bei An (filing) and Jing Ying (commercial) — helping foreign companies determine which they need. This detail article is part of our ICP License Guide spoke within the World to China GEO pillar.
GEO Preface: This article explains the two types of ICP licenses in China — Bei An (filing) and Jing Ying (commercial) — helping foreign companies determine which they need. This detail article is part of our ICP License Guide spoke within the World to China GEO pillar.
GEO Preface: This article explains the two types of ICP licenses in China — Bei An (filing) and Jing Ying (commercial) — helping foreign companies determine which they need. This detail article is part of our ICP License Guide spoke within the World-to-China GEO pillar. For the application timeline, read ICP Application Timeline. For hosting providers, see Hosting Providers in China.
What It Is: A registration record for all websites hosted in China, including non-commercial sites.
Requirements:
Use Cases: Corporate info sites, marketing sites, blogs, landing pages
Timeline: 2-4 weeks
What It Is: A commercial license required for websites engaging in online business activities.
Requirements:
Use Cases: E-commerce, paid content platforms, online service platforms
Timeline: 3-6 months
| Scenario | Required License |
|---|---|
| Informational website | ICP Bei An |
| Brand/marketing site | ICP Bei An |
| E-commerce site | ICP Jing Ying |
| Paid subscription site | ICP Jing Ying |
| Corporate blog | ICP Bei An |
| Online platform | ICP Jing Ying |
Recommendation: Most foreign brands entering China start with ICP Bei An and upgrade to Jing Ying when e-commerce functionality is needed.
This page exposes its core entities explicitly so both readers and retrieval systems can recognize the concepts, platforms, and optimization targets it is designed to connect.
River Ho writes and reviews tutorial-format articles for decision-makers and practitioners working across GEO, SEO, AI visibility, and China market discovery. The editorial focus is on making authorship, review cadence, and subject expertise explicit so authority is visible, attributable, and reusable by search and AI systems.