What you need to know before creating your website in China

China is a specific Market, everything is different (or almost). Today, we will explain to you what is the specification of the Chinese Market.

.cn domain name

.CN is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for China. Anyone can register for a .cn domain name. Indeed, any individual from any country can register for 2LD.cn, 3LD.cn, .中国, .公司, and .网络 domain name with their personal name.
You need to find an ICANN-accredited registrar, that offers domain names and domain name registration, renewals, and domain transfers for many TLDs. You can choose  .cn, .com.cn, .net.cn, .org.cn, .中国, .公司, and .网络.

Example: http://www.gov.cn/

Main conditions to register a .cn domain name

There are some special registration requirements and restrictions for the .cn domain name:

• Only organization from selected countries is eligible to register 2LD.cn, 3LD.cn, .中国, .公司, and .网络 domain name under their company name. Eligible Country List is opened to the public on the web.
• Companies like “Web-NIC” can provide partners with Local Contact Services in China. Local Contact Service is chargeable, the fee is USD 10 per domain per year.
• A .cn application submission is not considered registered, the domain will be under “in-auditing” status. Supporting documentation is required for auditing, and supporting documents are required to be emailed to the support team within 3 days from the application submission date. MIIT ICP Recording Number is required to activate a successful application.

The procedure to obtain China’s MIIT ICP Recording Number is as follows: Website owners have to apply for an ICP License in order to legalize the website. ICP license is like an online business license from the Chinese government: it is a permit issued by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to allow China-based websites to operate in China.  Only the recording number after the ICP request is verified and passed is eligible for a .cn domain activation. A verified and passed ICP request will have an ICP certificate. Registrant needs to record the name with the MIIT ICP Recording system, after the application pass.

If Registrant is not registered in China’s MIIT ICP Recording system, the domain name will be on “server hold” status. The domain status will be changed to “ok” until Registrant is able to provide Registrar with the MIIT ICP Record Number.

Required documents and forms must be submitted on time, correctly completed, have clear data, correct and sufficient supporting documentation, and must pass .cn registry’s auditing. If these conditions are not met, the domain names applied for will be automatically deleted and a refund is provided. In this case, a full re-application with the correct full set of documentation will be required.

Required supporting documents for a .cn new application

For Individual Application: Registrant contact identity card copy, driving license copy, or passport copy (both sides, jpeg format)

For China’s Applicant

• Registrant Company Business License (jpeg format), the license should be within the period of validity
• Registrant Company Certificate of Organization Code (jpeg format)
• Registrant contact identity card copy (both sides, jpeg format)

For Hong Kong’s Applicant

• Business Registration (BR) Certificate, the license should be within the period of validity (jpeg format)
• Registrant contact identity card copy (both sides, jpeg format)

The applicant from another country

• Registrant Company Business License/Certificate issued by the respective country’s authority (jpeg format), the license should be within the period of validity
• Registrant contact identity card copy (both sides, jpeg format)

For all the applicants

The domain name(s) that are used for a website where the server is located in mainland China now or in the future, the ICP number must be applied from MIIT in accordance with the Chinese Government’s regulations. ICP number shall be provided to the domain name registrar when available.

Important information

• China applicants must submit a Business License and Certificate of Organization Code, which is a key document for auditing.
• Documents submitted must be consistent and tally with the information of the domain name. If the document is in Chinese form, the domain information must be in Chinese and vice versa. Only supporting documentation in English and Chinese will be accepted.
• The Registrant Contact person’s name must be tallied and matched as per the personal ID document.
• Registry reserve the right to delete a domain name if the supporting documents submitted are insufficient or incorrect, and the right to further acquire extra supporting documents for auditing.

Local Contact Service

Partners may subscribe .cn domain Local Contact Service through partner central. Although Local Contact Service for .cn is subscribed, supporting document is still required to ensure that the applicant is a valid entity.

Supporting documents are as follows:

• Registrant Company Business License/Certificate issued under respective country’s law/ act, within a period of validity
• Registrant contact personal ID (both sides, pdf or jpeg format) and Personal ID (driver’s license, passport, resident card/ID)
• Fill in the Registrant information, and enclose it with an authorized signature and company seal. The agreement can be downloaded through the Terms and Conditions under .cn registration page in Partner Central.

It is advised to prepare the above-required documents before submitting the domain registration with Local Contact Service and send the documents within 48 hours from the registration application submission date and time, otherwise, the registration application will be canceled.

Reserved or blocked .cn domain names

All of the following contents are strictly forbidden:

• Those that are against the basic principles prescribed in the Constitution;
• Those  jeopardize national security, leak state secrets, intend to overturn the government, or disrupt state integrity;
• Those  harm national honor and national interests;
• Those violate the state religion policies or propagate cult and feudal superstition;
• Those spread rumors, pornography, obscenity, gambling, violence, homicide, terror or instigate crimes, disturb public order, or disrupt social stability;
• Those insult, libel against others, and infringe on other people’s legal rights and interests;
• Those that are prohibited by laws, rules, and administrative regulations.

Other characteristics concerning the .cn domain name and registration

The length of the .cn domain name is 1-63 characters.

The term of registration is between 1-10 years.

Partners may register the domain name through the Quick Start Registration function.

Partners are allowed to delete a .cn domain name after registration. In case of cancellation, the registration fee is refundable within 3 days grace period.

The term of renewal is 1-10 years.

The renewal grace period for the .cn domain name is 40 days. Partners may renew the domain name through the Quick Start Registration function.

For the .cn domain name registered before 19 March 2007 under registry NEULEVEL, there is no Redemption Grace Period, but there is one (15 days) for the .cn domain name registered since 19 March 2007 under registry CNNIC. A restoration fee is required in order to restore a domain name.

After a .cn domain registered under NEULEVEL was expired, it will go through the below life cycle: 40 days renewal grace period; No Redemption grace period; 5 pending delete. After a .cn domain registered under CNNIC was expired, it will go through the below life cycle: 40 days renewal grace period; 15 days Redemption grace period; No pending deletion. If partners did not renew or restore the domain name, it will be released for public re-registration approximately 45 days from the domain expiration date for a domain registered under NEULEVEL and 55 days for a domain registered under CNNIC.

Partners are allowed to initiate registrar transfer for the .cn domain name. The domain will be extended for 1 year after completion. Registrar transfers in for .cn domain name will be allowed for Domestic-based registrars connecting through the registry’s gateway. Domain names registered through non-Domestic-based registrars cannot be transferred into Domestic-based registrars, and vice versa. Partners are also allowed to initiate reseller transfers for the .cn domain names.

Partners may manage the domain name (for instance name protection, retrieve authorization information, and so on) through the User Management function.

How to rename the registrant for a .cn domain name

-The request is required to be sent to your hosting solution, including the current and new registrant name.
-The new application form is required to return with the business seals or signatures of both current and new registrants together with supporting documents.
-Photocopy or scan version documents for both current and new organizations’ business licenses (pdf format) and personal IDs (both sides, pdf or jpeg format) of the contact person are required to submit for verification.
-All requests will be verified by Registry and subject to Registry’s approval.

How to modify and update the .cn domain name’s WHOIS and DNS:

• The request is required to be sent to your hosting solution including the current and new information.
• The new application form is required to return with the business seals or signature of the registrant’s organization together with supporting documents (Business Registration Certificate and personal ID).
• For the registrant’s contact person name change, photocopies or scanned version documents of personal IDs (both sides, pdf or jpeg format) for both original and new personnel are required to submit for verification.
• Modifying or updating other information such as Administrative, Billing, Technical, and DNS can be done in Reseller Panel.

Internationalized Domain name (IDN) for .cn (IDN.cn). When an IDN.cn domain is registered, its variant under the .中国 extension will be reserved under the same registrant as well, and vice versa.

More information about the Chinese web:

• How to improve a website in China
• Top 10 Chinese Internet Companies

Gentlemen Marketing Agency