Without a business license, industrial and commercial enterprises or individual operators are not allowed to start business, engrave official seals, sign contracts, register trademarks or advertise, and banks are not allowed to open accounts.

Business license is a certificate issued by the administrative department for industry and commerce to industrial and commercial enterprises and individual operators to engage in certain production and business activities. Its format shall be uniformly stipulated by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

The registered items include: name, address, person in charge, amount of funds, economic composition, business scope, business mode, number of employees, business period, etc.

Business licenses are divided into originals and duplicates, which have the same legal effect. The original shall be placed in a prominent position in the company's domicile or business premises, and the business license shall not be forged, altered, leased, lent or transferred.

Extended data:

According to the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on the Administration of Company Registration:

Article 53

The company registration authority shall make a decision on whether to approve the registration of the application within the prescribed time limit:

(1) After accepting the applicant's application, the company registration authority shall make a decision to approve the registration on the spot.

(2) If an application submitted by the applicant by letter is accepted, a decision to approve the registration shall be made within 05 days from the date of acceptance.

(3) Where an application is submitted by telegram, telex, fax, EDI or e-mail, the applicant shall, within 15 days from the date of receiving the notification of acceptance, submit the original application documents and materials that are consistent with the contents of telegram, telex, fax, EDI and e-mail and conform to the legal form.

If the applicant submits the original application documents and materials to the company registration authority, it shall make a decision to approve the registration on the spot; If the applicant submits the original application documents and materials by letter, it shall make a decision to approve the registration within 15 days from the date of acceptance.

(4) If the company registration authority fails to receive the original application documents and materials within 60 days from the date of issuing the acceptance notice, or the original application documents and materials are inconsistent with those accepted by the company registration authority, it shall make a decision not to register. Where the company registration authority needs to verify the application documents and materials, it shall make a decision on whether to approve the registration within 15 days from the date of acceptance.

Article 54

If the company registration authority makes a pre-approval decision to approve the company name, it shall issue a Notice of Pre-approval of Enterprise Name; If the company decides to approve the establishment registration, it shall issue a Notice of Approval of Establishment Registration, informing the applicant to obtain the business license within 10 days from the date of decision.

If the company decides to approve the change of registration, it shall issue a Notice of Approval of Change of Registration, informing the applicant to renew the business license within 10 days from the date of decision; If it decides to approve the cancellation of company registration, it shall issue a Notice of Approval of Cancellation of Registration and collect its business license.

If the company registration authority decides not to pre-approve the name or not to register, it shall issue a Notice of Rejection of Enterprise Name and a Notice of Rejection of Registration, explain the reasons for not approving the registration, and inform the applicant of the right to apply for administrative reconsideration or bring an administrative lawsuit according to law.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Business License