How long does an ICP take in China, and what does it cost?

A single number won’t fit your case, because the regulator’s clock is only part of the wait, and the filing fee is the smallest part of the bill.

This guide separates what the rules set from what vendors estimate. It’s part of the legal basics of a website in China.

If you aren’t sure you need an ICP at all, read our ICP license guide first. If you don’t know which type applies, see ICP filing vs ICP license.

How long does an ICP filing take?

The provincial regulator has up to 20 working days once your file is complete.² Estimates for the whole job disagree, mostly between 3 and 8 weeks in 2026 sources.⁹¹⁰ Here is each stage.

Stage	Published time
Documents and hosting setup	1 to 2 weeks, AppInChina 10
Domain not registered with Alibaba Cloud	Wait 2 to 3 days before review 23
Host’s preliminary review	1 to 2 business days, Alibaba Cloud 5; 3 to 7 days, FDI China 16
Host passes the file to the regulator	1 to 2 business days, Alibaba Cloud 5
MIIT text message check, where required	Answer within 24 hours 6
Provincial review	1 to 20 working days, Alibaba Cloud 7; 3 to 20, AWS China 8; 10 to 20 days, FDI China 16

Alibaba Cloud’s three timed steps add up to 3 to 24 business days. That sum is ours, and it leaves out preparation.

Estimates for the whole filing are longer, and they don’t agree:

Source	Estimate for a filing
China Briefing, April 2026	3 to 4 weeks 9
AppInChina, October 2026	6 to 8 weeks from preparation to approval 10
Cloudflare documentation	1 to 2 months, or 4 to 8 weeks after submission 11
MSA Asia, 2026	20 to 30 working days once the entity exists; its step list gives 20 to 60 for MIIT review 12

In our reading, the gap comes mostly from what each source counts. Some start at submission, others at the first document.

A separate public security filing follows. Alibaba Cloud puts the deadline at 30 days after launch,²⁵ and MSA Asia estimates 5 to 10 working days for the step itself.¹² See what a PSB filing is.

Does your province change the timeline?

Yes, by AWS China’s estimates. You file in the province of your business license,¹⁰ so your entity’s address sets your queue. AWS China gives these estimates:⁸

Estimated review	Provinces
About 1 week	Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Henan, Shaanxi, Anhui, Fujian, Guizhou, Liaoning
About 2 weeks	Beijing, Sichuan, Hubei, Tianjin, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Guangdong, Chongqing
About 3 weeks	Gansu, Yunnan

The page is undated, and AWS says to confirm final review times with the authority. Use it as a guide to the spread, not as a schedule. The 20-working-day limit still applies everywhere.²

How long does a commercial ICP license take?

The rules allow 60 days, and most estimates run from 2 to 6 months. China’s Measures give the regulator 60 days from receipt of the application to decide.¹

Two details in the 2017 licensing text explain why that can stretch:⁴

• The 60 days run from receipt of all materials.
• Time spent on expert review doesn’t count toward them.

The same text gives the authority 5 days to tell you everything that’s missing.⁴ Here is what sources publish:

Source	Estimate for a license
China Briefing, April 2026	2 to 6 months, by license type 9
Cloudflare documentation	2 to 3 months 11
MSA Asia, 2026	60 to 90 working days 12
Sinorbis, 2021	Around 60 to 90 days 14
GWBMA, 2021	20 days after submitting to a host 15

What has to be true before you apply

The waiting often starts before the application. Each of these needs to be in place first:

• A filing. A license applicant must already hold one.¹¹
• The right business scope. Value-added telecom services must be in it.⁹ MSA Asia puts fixing a narrow scope at 2 to 4 months.¹²
• Sector approvals. News, publishing and education can need one first.¹ China Briefing also names health, finance and gaming.⁹ We found no published duration.
• Three dedicated staff. China Briefing asks for 3 months of social security records.⁹

That last point can set a floor. If you have to hire, those records may take 3 months to build, whatever the regulator’s speed. No source we read spells this out, so check the timing with a local adviser.

Eligibility is its own question, and sources disagree for foreign-owned companies. Our ICP license guide sets out where.

How long does it take with no Chinese entity?

Plan in months, because the entity usually takes longer than the ICP. MSA Asia says to plan on 3 to 6 months in total from scratch.¹² China Briefing gives 3 to 6 months for the company alone.²¹

Your starting point	What the sources support
Entity exists, filing only	Sources disagree: 3 to 4 weeks 9, 6 to 8 weeks 10
Entity exists, license needed	Filing first, then 2 to 6 months 911
No entity, filing only	8 to 14 weeks for the WFOE 12, up to 3 to 6 months 21, then the filing
Regulated sector	Add the sector approval, with no published duration

1. Entity8 to 14 weeks (MSA Asia) or 3 to 6 months (China Briefing)
2. Filing3 to 4 weeks (China Briefing) or 6 to 8 weeks (AppInChina)
3. License if needed2 to 6 months (China Briefing)
4. PSBWithin 30 days of going live (Alibaba Cloud)

These are published estimates, not a schedule anyone can guarantee. Our guide on whether you need a WFOE covers the setup itself.

What does an ICP cost?

The government fee for a filing is zero, and almost everything else costs money. MIIT registration is free, though your host may charge a processing fee.¹¹

Alibaba Cloud says the process is free but needs an eligible paid server.¹⁸

For the license, we found no published government fee. The 2017 licensing text lists no application fee,⁴ but that isn’t proof, so ask a local adviser.

The two most specific public estimates come from a 2026 adviser and a 2020 vendor. All amounts are in US dollars, as published:

Line item	MSA Asia, 2026 12	Chinafy, 2020 13
MIIT filing fee	$0	No fee
Hosting, per year	$200 to $1,500	$412
Domain, per year	$15 to $50	$331 (.cn)
Chinese entity	$3,000 to $8,000	$17,650, plus $2,300 for an accountant
Translation and paperwork	$500 to $1,500	$412 to $618, translation only
Agent or host fee, for a filing	$300 to $2,000	$279 and up
Consultant, for a license	Not listed	$64,000
Site design	Not listed	$1,028 and up
Local contact, per year	Not listed	$17,685 and up

Why estimates run from $5,000 to $104,024

They measure different things. MSA Asia’s $5,000 to $15,000 covers WFOE setup, hosting, domain and service fees, and it calls these “project costs, not the licence itself.”¹²

That total doesn’t reconcile. The same page also says $3,000 to $15,000, and its registered capital line alone runs to $150,000.¹² The firm’s separate WFOE cost page quotes more for setup: USD 8,500 to 14,000 all-in, by company type.²⁷

Chinafy’s three scenarios add a new site and a local hire: $20,147 for an individual filing, $40,303 for a business filing and $104,024 for a license.¹³

$897 (2.2%)

ICP application

$35,335 (88%)

Local contact and Chinese company

$4,071

Other items

Chinafy’s $64,000 consultant quote makes up most of its license figure. By our math, the application itself is about 2% of its business filing estimate.

Is registered capital part of the cost?

It isn’t a fee, but it is cash you have to commit. A commercial license requires RMB 1 million for one province, or RMB 10 million across provinces.⁴⁹

• The figure in dollars. Sinorbis and GWBMA gave about $150,000 for RMB 1 million in 2021.¹⁴¹⁵ Check the current rate.
• The payment window. Company Law gives a limited liability company 5 years to pay in subscribed capital.²²
• A filing without a license. China Briefing says there’s no general legal minimum outside regulated sectors.²¹ MSA Asia still lists $15,000 to $150,000, saying it “varies by activity,”¹² and its WFOE cost page calls USD 100,000 to 500,000 typical for a service company.²⁷

Ask your adviser whether a license reviewer expects the capital to be paid in sooner. We didn’t find a source that answers this.

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What keeps costing after approval?

An ICP is a running commitment, not a one-off purchase. We found no published amounts for most of these lines, so get them quoted.

Ongoing item	What the sources say
Mainland server	At Alibaba Cloud, a total subscription of more than 3 months, with free trials excluded 17
Staff	3 dedicated employees are a license condition 9
License renewal	Valid 5 years 4; apply 90 days before expiry, or it won’t be renewed 4
Compliance	MLPS certification, plus reporting changes of shareholders, capital or scope 9
Chinese-language operations	Alibaba Cloud says you must read and write Chinese to proceed 19

What usually slows a filing down?

The published failure points are mostly on the applicant’s side: mismatched details and missed messages. Here is what host documentation and one adviser list:

Problem	What happens	Fix
Domain owner differs from filing entity	Rejection 7	Transfer the domain first, then allow 2 to 3 working days to sync 20
Domain close to expiry	Alibaba Cloud wants more than 45 days left 20	Renew it before filing
Text message missed	Rejected after 24 hours, and you restart 6	Brief every named validator
Unreachable by phone	Alibaba Cloud says to stay reachable for reviewers 5	Name someone reachable during China business hours
Application returned	Each round trip adds 1 to 2 weeks, says MSA Asia 12	Check the file before submitting

Domain details cause trouble early, so read whether you need a .cn domain before you register anything.

Don’t set a mainland launch date before approval

Alibaba Cloud places building the site and adding DNS records after the filing succeeds.²³ AWS China says domains without an ICP shall not provide internet information service.⁸

Cloudflare’s documentation says China-based hosts are told to shut down sites without a number, often without notice.¹¹ So hold your mainland launch until the number is issued.

What to ask before you pay anyone

Quotes aren’t comparable until you know what they count. Ask these before you sign:

1. Which one is it? A filing or a commercial license? People say “ICP license” for both.
2. When does the clock start? At the first document, or at submission?
3. Is the PSB filing included? It’s a separate step with its own authority.
4. Whose entity files? If it’s a partner’s, ask what happens when the contract ends.
5. What’s recurring? Hosting, local staff and renewals all outlast the first invoice.
6. What about returned files? Ask how many resubmissions the price covers.

Do you have to pay any of this?

Not the ICP, as long as your site is neither hosted on the mainland nor delivered through a mainland CDN.¹¹ Alibaba Cloud says sites on servers outside the mainland, such as in Hong Kong, don’t need a filing.¹⁸

Chinafy, a vendor in this space, says such sites can still appear on Baidu, and warns that poor speed can hold them back.²⁶ See ranking on Baidu without an ICP.

One cost may remain. Alibaba Cloud’s FAQ says those sites still need a PSB filing,¹⁸ but sources disagree, as our PSB guide shows, so ask a local adviser.

If you’re testing China, compare Hong Kong hosting first, and read about working without a Chinese company. We haven’t found reliable data comparing the two budgets, so price your own case.

The bottom line

If you already have a Chinese entity, a filing is a matter of weeks, and its costs are mainly hosting and outside help. A license is a matter of months, and it brings capital and staffing conditions with it.

Without an entity, the company is the largest one-off filing cost and the longest delay in the published estimates. Budget for that first, and treat every total you read online as a list of questions.

How Index in China can help

We translate your site into Simplified Chinese with a human reviewer and work on getting it indexed on Chinese search engines. An ICP isn’t needed for indexing, so it doesn’t have to be your first step.

An ICP isn’t part of the offer we list. We don’t give legal advice, and we’ll tell you when your case needs a local adviser. See what we do.

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