Issued by:    State Administration for Market Regulation
Issue No.:    No. 59 of 2025
Release Date:    January 4, 2026
Effective date:    January 4, 2026
Links:    https://www.samr.gov.cn/zart/2026/art_b4e9437ef7fe410fb95ac407b85a8675.html

The Provisions on the Administration of Enterprise Name Registration, effective from March 1, 2021, and its Implementing Measures , effective from October 1, 2023, established a system for self-declaration of enterprise names, abolishing the previous pre-approval system. To address issues such as inconsistent standards and unclear rules in enterprise name reservation, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) formulated these Guidelines. It should be noted that these Guidelines only provide general guidance for enterprise name reservation for reference by applicants and are not mandatory. The main contents of the Guidelines are as follows:

• Enterprise Name Application Process

1.  1）Enterprises may submit name reservation online or offline. The retention period of a  reservation is generally 2 months, and 1 year for reservations involving pre-approval requirements.
2.  2）The system conducts automatic comparison in accordance with the principles of prohibited and restricted use, and the principle of identical and similar name check, and provides a name duplicate check list and risk prompts.
3.  3）For a self-declared name, if the registration authority, upon examination, deems it complies with relevant regulations, it will be registered; if not, registration will be denied.

• General Rules for Enterprise Name Composition

1.  1）Enterprise names shall use standardized Chinese characters and generally consist of four components: administrative division, trade name, industry or business feature, and organizational form. The Guidelines specify detailed guidance for each component.
2.  2）The Guidelines clearly set out the composition and usage rules for the names of enterprise branches, enterprise groups and foreign-invested enterprises.

• Comparison of Identical and Similar Trade Names

1.  1）Comparison of Identical Trade Names: It specifies that within the same enterprise registration authority, a proposed trade name must not be identical to the trade name of an enterprise in the same industry or an enterprise whose name does not specify an industry, under specific circumstances (unless there is an investment relationship). These circumstances include: enterprise names registered earlier, or original enterprise names that have been dissolved, revoked, or changed for less than one year. It also lists specific situations constituting identical trade names and "investment relationships".
2.  2）Comparison of Similar Names: If the applied enterprise name is similar to another party's prior well-known name (including abbreviations and trade names) and is likely to cause confusion and misunderstanding, the system will prompt that the registration authority may reject the registration or order a correction. In addition, the comparison rules for similar names are illustrated with cases, including various scenarios such as one trade name containing or being contained in another, similar pronunciation, and similar character form.

• Key Points and Reminders
•  Important issues in enterprise name declaration are highlighted, with key points to note as follows:

1.  1）It is reminded that enterprise names must not infringe upon others' prior legitimate rights, including but not limited to name rights, trademark right, copyright, name rights. Applicants are advised to search for trademarks, copyrights, etc., when choosing a trade name to avoid rights conflicts or even infringement.
2.  2）Clarifies the obligation for enterprises to publicize information through the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System in two cases: (a) Group parent companies must publicize the enterprise group name and member information; (b) Both the licensor and licensee of an enterprise name must publicize the authorization information.
3.  3）The obligation to change an enterprise name when the application conditions change. Relevant laws and regulations stipulate clear application conditions for using the word "Group" in an enterprise name, or for enterprise names without an administrative division or an industry description. If an enterprise no longer meets the relevant requirements, it shall legally change its enterprise name in a timely manner.
4.  4）Clarifies the remedy pathways for name disputes (including disputes between enterprise names, between enterprise names and registered trademarks, and unfair competition practices by other enterprises).