OPC 101: The one-person company in China

What is an OPC?

OPC stands for One Person Company — a company with a single shareholder and, increasingly in China's 2026 policy wave, a single human operator backed by AI tools. In Chinese company law it is the one-person limited liability company (一人有限责任公司), which has existed since the 2006 Company Law revision. The 2024 Company Law (effective 1 July 2024) removed the old limits on how many one-person companies a person can own and simplified governance for single-shareholder firms.

In 2026 the term took on a new meaning: cities across China began actively promoting OPCs as the vehicle for AI-era "super-individuals" — founders who run the full business loop (product, marketing, finance, service) with AI as their "digital employee." Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Qingdao and Suzhou all published OPC support measures in 2026.

Can a foreigner register one?

Yes. A foreign natural person can be the sole shareholder of a wholly foreign-owned enterprise (WFOE) structured as a one-person limited company. Historically this was administratively complex; the 2026 reforms changed that:

• Shanghai explicitly supports foreign natural persons registering OPCs, with online registration in districts like Yangpu and Pudong.
• Qingdao registered its first foreigner-owned OPC in one day (Chengyang, Mar 2026) with bilingual support.
• Other cities follow the standard WFOE path — a foreigner can register, just without the OPC-specific expat fast lanes.

What does it cost?

Typical all-in costs for a foreign founder (excluding government fees):

• Company registration (OPC / WFOE): ¥4,000 – ¥8,000 one-time
• Corporate bank account opening: ¥2,000 – ¥5,000
• Annual bookkeeping + tax filing (12 months): ¥6,000 – ¥12,000 per year
• Registered capital: no minimum for most industries; plan what you can actually contribute

Our own standard packages are listed on the services page.

Typical setup timeline

1. Pick a city and check its policies (start with our city pages)
2. Reserve the company name and draft the business scope — 1–3 days
3. File incorporation — from half a day (Nansha, Shenzhen) to ~2 weeks
4. Open the corporate bank account — 1–4 weeks
5. Register for tax, social security and any licenses — 1–2 weeks

The catch: your stay in China

Registering a company does not, by itself, give you the right to live in China. You need a visa and a work permit path — see our visas & work permits guide. Shanghai's combination of the K visa and self-employment work permit is currently the most complete route for solo founders.