Hainan Free Trade Port (HNFTP) has entered a critical stage of Special Customs Operations with accelerated institutional opening-up. Empowered by national strategies, rich policy dividends, unique geographical advantages and a high-quality business environment, Hainan has become a highly promising global investment destination. In 2025, Hainan’s GDP reached 810.885 billion RMB with a year-on-year growth of 4.0%, boasting a tertiary industry-dominated industrial structure and a well-established modern industrial system built on four pillar industries and five emerging directions for new-quality productive forces. Thirteen key industrial parks gather high-quality resources and targeted policies here, offering broad development space for foreign investors. This guide streamlines the core conditions, required documents and registration processes for foreign-invested company registration in Hainan, and provides professional one-stop service support for your investment landing.
Foreign investors applying for company registration in HNFTP enjoy national treatment in all sectors except the negative list, with 100% foreign ownership permitted in most industries. For ordinary foreign-invested company registration (non-preferential mode), foreign investors including natural persons and legally registered overseas enterprises only need to meet basic industrial and commercial requirements: comply with China’s foreign investment access negative list (100% foreign ownership is allowed in most non-restricted industries), have a legitimate commercial registered address in Hainan (self-owned property, long-term leased office space, or compliant park cluster address), and complete basic personnel setup (at least one shareholder with no nationality limit, one legal representative aged over 18 with a clean credit record), with all personnel completing real-name authentication. Hainan adopts a capital subscription system for this basic registration, with no mandatory paid-in capital at the time of registration and a 5-year contribution deadline as stipulated in the company’s articles of association. For investors planning to apply for Hainan FTP preferential policies later, the company must meet extra strict criteria: conduct substantive operation in Hainan (with actual office premises, fixed employees and normal business activities), fall into the Hainan FTP encouraged industrial catalog (covering the four pillar industries and five new-quality productive forces sectors), complete relevant foreign investment filing and tax registration in accordance with regulations, and maintain compliant financial and operational records to pass official qualification verification for incentives such as the 15% corporate income tax and zero tariff benefits.
Complete and standardized documents are key to smooth registration, and all foreign-related documents must be notarized and translated into Chinese in accordance with regulations. Foreign natural person investors need to provide a valid notarized passport with Chinese translation; foreign enterprise investors shall submit a notarized and embassy-authenticated business license (or equivalent certificate), plus a recommendation letter if necessary. Official registration documents include the unified HNFTP company registration application form, the shareholder-signed articles of association, written confirmation of shareholder contribution ratios and detailed business scope (the first item matching the company’s main industry). Address proof documents shall be provided based on the address type: property ownership certificate for self-owned properties, rental contract and property certificate copy for leased spaces, and cluster registration certificate issued by industrial parks for cluster addresses. In addition, investors need to prepare appointment documents for the legal representative, director and supervisor, foreign investment filing confirmation (completed simultaneously with industrial and commercial registration for non-negative list industries), and a legal document delivery recipient designation with detailed Hainan contact information. All documents are submitted electronically via the Hainan e-Registration platform for online review.
HNFTP has deepened the “ultra-simplified approval” reform and built the one-stop online Hainan e-Registration platform, realizing online processing for most registration links and significantly shortening the processing time. The first step is company name pre-approval: submit 3-5 alternative names in the format of “Hainan + Brand Name + Industry + Company Type” online, with review completed within 1 working day. After name approval, upload all prepared documents for submission; the competent authorities will review the materials within 1-3 working days, and notify supplements for incomplete materials. Upon approval, an electronic business license is issued immediately, and a physical version can be collected at designated windows if needed. After obtaining the license, complete post-registration procedures: official seal registration and engraving, corporate bank account opening (cross-border settlement accounts supported), tax registration and verification, and foreign exchange registration within 30 days of account opening. For enterprises with complete and compliant documents, the entire registration process takes only 1-8 working days, enabling efficient foreign investment landing in Hainan.
For global foreign investors, navigating the new investment environment and grasping FTP’s policy dividends can be challenging. As a core member of Tannet Group Limited, Hainan Tannet Enterprise Service Co., Ltd. has deep roots in HNFTP’s enterprise service field for many years, with an in-depth understanding of local policies, park rules and official registration procedures. Relying on the group’s whole-chain service system and the Intercity Industrial Alliance’s global resources, we provide full-process investment landing services covering pre-investment, mid-investment and post-investment for foreign investors.
We offer professional agency services for foreign-invested company registration, including one-on-one name verification, customized document preparation and submission, official coordination for efficient review, and registered address selection assistance. For post-registration operation, our professional bookkeeping and tax agency services cover standardized accounting, timely compliant tax declaration, targeted tax planning to maximize HNFTP’s preferential policies (e.g., 15% corporate income tax), and annual financial statement preparation and audit support. In addition, we provide policy interpretation, industrial park site selection, bank account opening coordination, cross-border trade compliance guidance, intellectual property registration, and local resource connection services. For Intercity Industrial Alliance members, we open exclusive one-on-one consultant channels, offering value-added services such as fee discounts, priority processing, regular policy updates and government-enterprise docking, accompanying enterprises in compliant and steady development in Hainan.
Hainan Tannet is committed to building an efficient and professional one-stop service channel for global foreign investors to seize HNFTP’s development opportunities, with a professional team solving all your problems in company registration and subsequent operation.
For detailed consultation on foreign-invested company registration, bookkeeping, tax agency and other investment services, please contact us.China hotline 86 755 82143181,Hainan hotline 898 65329504 ,Hong Kong hotline 852 2783 7818.Our Hainan office address: 12th Floor, Block B, Fengchen Waitan, No. 80 Binjiang Road, Meilan District, Haikou, Hainan Province.
Hainan Free Trade Port embraces global investors with an open attitude, favorable policies and a sound industrial system. Let Hainan Tannet be your trusted guide for investing in Hainan, and together we seize the historic opportunities of the FTP and share its huge development dividends!