A question we’ve gotten a lot is something along the lines of “We’re a foreign company, how can we register for a verified business account on WeChat?”

It’s easy enough to sign up for a personal account WeChat- you can download the app on your mobile from the app store and register with your phone number- but getting a verified WeChat account for business takes a little more effort (as opposed to a verified business account on Sina Weibo here.) Foreign companies can’t directly sign up for a business account, but don’t worry, that just means you have to get a little creative. There are a number of solutions, but the easiest way for a foreign company to get a business account is to ask a deputy company to apply for them (check us out if you’re interested). Deputy companies have to have a Chinese business license, and once they’ve registered your business with WeChat, they can pass it on to you. Generally the paperwork is pretty standard- company license, address, etc. 

Alternatively, you can apply as an individual public account first and then try to verify it as a foreign company, or contact Tencent directly (they’ll likely charge you an international fee), but contacting their help email or writing on their forum seems to take quite a while, if you get any response at all.

Like many things in China, getting a foreign verified business account on WeChat is slightly gray, slightly complicated, but ultimately doable.