In theory, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) does not charge a fee for the application itself. 

However, in practice, most foreign companies will likely face a long to-do list for various ICP perquisites including setting up a business license and onshore entity (separate to the ICP). And with this information in mind -

Applying for an ICP could cost anywhere between $20,147 and $104,024 (or more). 

Where exactly does your business fall into? In this article, we've estimated ICP-related costs for websites of different nature including* -

Informational websites

Company websites

Ecommerce websites

*Estimates are based on quotations from Alibaba Cloud, local design agencies, and web providers in China.

Scenario 1: $20,147+ for ICP Filing (Individual)

Does this sound like you? You’re looking to start a blog site purely for information sharing in China, but do not have any local support in China. You're also not a Chinese national nor proficient in Chinese.

Costs breakdown

1. Build a new site in China: $19,456

New domain name with .cn extension (SXL): $331/year

China server for hosting (SXL): $412/year

Designer for custom design e.g. banners and subpages (Huawei): $1,028+

Chinese named contact who’ll manage your site (Liepin): $17,685+/year

2. ICP application $691

Translation service (~10,000 words): ~$412

ICP agency (9Mayi): $279+

Scenario 2: $40,303+ for ICP Filing (Business)

Does this sound like you? Your business is registered overseas and none of your staff is proficient in Chinese nor a Chinese national. Your new China-facing site is an informational site with no on-site transaction.

Costs breakdown

1. Build a new site in China $19,456

New domain name with .cn extension (SXL): $331/year

China server for hosting (SXL): $412/year

Designer for custom design e.g. banners and subpages (Huawei): $1,028

Chinese named contact who’ll manage your site (Liepin): $17,685/year

2. Apply for a business license in China (e.g. Joint Venture) $19,950

China entity: $17,650

China business bank account 

Accountant: $2,300

3. ICP application $897

Translation service (~15,000 words): $618

ICP agency (9Mayi): $279

Scenario 3: $104,024 + for ICP Commercial License

Does this sound like you? You do not have a business license in China nor an ICP Filing yet. China expansion is something new to you and you foresee needing agency-level support along the way.

Costs breakdown

1. Build a new site in China: $19,456

New domain name with .cn extension (SXL): $331/year

China server for hosting (SXL): $412/year

Designer for custom design e.g. banners and subpages (Huawei): $1,028

Chinese named contact who’ll manage your site (Liepin): $17,685/year

2. Apply for a business license in China (e.g. Joint Venture): $19,950

China entity: $17,650

China business bank account

Accountant: $2,300

3. ICP application: $64,618

Translation service (~15,000 words): $618

ICP consultant (Alibaba Cloud): $64,000

The above costs are separate to the time costs from documentation and application processing by MIIT, which at the very least could take 24 days to 6 months. 

Costs can vary greatly from client to client, but what can be certain is that if you do not have local support in China and need to host onshore (and thus need the business license), you’ll likely need agency-level support starting at roughly $64,000.

Takeaway

If you could afford the ICP process or have one already – that's great! Just keep in mind though that having your website licensed in China doesn't mean it works.

Click here to find out why most ICP-registered sites are still 'broken' in China.

Do you need an ICP? Here's how Chinafy helps you get an ICP.