If your website provides information or services that are related to specific industries, such as news, publishing, medicine, and medical devices, you must obtain a pre-approval before you apply for an Internet Content Provider (ICP) filing. This topic describes the industries that require pre-approvals and the authorities that issue pre-approvals. If your website requires a pre-approval, contact the relevant local authority.
Precautions
- If the name, business scope, website name, or website content of the organization involves the content that requires a pre-approval, you must apply for a pre-approval. Otherwise, the ICP filing application may fail. For more information, see Industries and authorities.
- If the authority that you have consulted informs you that a pre-approval is not required, you must provide remarks or statements as proof when you apply for an ICP filing. For more information, see Remarks or statements to be provided.
- If you are not sure whether pre-approval documents are required when you apply for an ICP filing for your organization or enterprise, consult the customer service by calling 95187 or on the Smart Online page.
Industries and authorities
- If the ICP filing application has not been submitted for the preliminary review, you can log on to the Alibaba Cloud ICP Filing System on a PC and modify the information as required on the Modify Website Information page.
- If the ICP filing application has been submitted for the preliminary review, you must wait for the Alibaba Cloud reviewer to review the application. During the preliminary review, if the reviewer discovers that your pre-approval information is invalid, your ICP filing application is rejected. In this case, you can log on to the Alibaba Cloud ICP Filing System on a PC and modify the information as required on the Modify Website Information page.
Industry | Authority | Certification for pre-approval | Additional information |
---|---|---|---|
News | Office of the cyberspace affairs commission of a province, an autonomous region, or a municipality | Internet News Information Service License | N/A |
Publishing | Publicity department of the provincial committee of CPC and provincial administration of press, publication, radio, film, and television of a province, an autonomous region, or a municipality | Internet Publishing License | N/A |
Medicine and medical devices | Provincial food and drug administration (pre-approvals for pesticide or chemical production enterprises) | Provide one of the following pre-approval documents based on the review result:
Note The authorities in some provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, such as
Beijing and Shandong, do not accept Pharmaceutical Trade License or Medical Device Trading Permit as a pre-approval document during the ICP filing application process. In these provinces,
autonomous regions, and municipalities, Qualification Certificate for Medicine Trading Services can be used. You may refer to the review result for detailed information.
|
N/A |
Culture | Provincial department of culture and tourism | Internet Culture Business Certificate | N/A |
Broadcasts, films, and TV programs | Publicity department of the provincial committee of CPC and provincial administration of press, publication, radio, film, and television of a province, an autonomous region, or a municipality | License for Publication of Audio-Visual Programs through Information Network | Regulatory authorities require pre-approvals. |
Education | Provincial education department | N/A | The pre-approval has been abolished in China. |
Healthcare | Provincial department of public health | N/A | The pre-approval has been abolished in China. |
Online taxi hailing | Transport commission of the region where the company is registered | Online Taxi Hailing Business Certificate | N/A |
Electronic bulletin | Provincial communications administration | N/A | The pre-approval has been abolished in China. |
Finance |
|
N/A | N/A |
Games |
|
N/A | N/A |
Religion | Ethnic and religious affairs commission at the provincial level, municipal level, or district level | Documented approval of religious information and practices by the ethnic and religious affairs commission | Pre-approvals are required only in Guangdong. |
News
Information services of Internet news include the publishing of news information over the Internet, supply of electronic bulletin services on current affairs and politics, and broadcast of communication information on current affairs and politics. News information includes relevant reports and comments on public affairs such as politics, economy, military affairs, diplomacy, and public emergencies. The information service of Internet news can be classified into the following three types:
1. Service providers of Internet news information established by news entities to publish news that is not published and broadcast by the said entities, provide electronic bulletin services on current affairs and politics, and broadcast communication information on current affairs and politics
2. Service providers of Internet news information established by non-news entities to reprint news information, provide electronic bulletin services on current affairs and politics, and broadcast communication information on current affairs and politics
3. Service providers of Internet news information established by news entities to publish news information that is published or broadcast by the said news entities
Publishing
Internet publishing refers to the online broadcast of content by the service providers. Specifically, the service providers choose and edit the content that is produced by themselves or by others and publish or spread the content over the Internet to the users for browsing, reading, use, or downloading. The content comes from different aspects such as books, newspapers, periodicals, audio-visual products, electronic publications, content that is released to the public on other media, and edited content on literature, arts, natural sciences, social sciences, and engineering technology.
All business activities that involve the following content must apply for the Internet Publishing License from relevant authorities: online electronic reading, electronic publications, audio-visual products, Internet books, Internet newspapers, Internet magazines, mobile phone publications, academic publications, art publications, educational publications, and maps on the Internet and mobile networks.
Medicine and medical devices
Based on the Measures for the Administration of Medicine Information Service over the Internet, Internet information services of medicine refer to activities that are conducted over the Internet to provide users with medicines and medical devices.
Culture
Based on the Interim Provisions on the Administration of Internet Culture, online cultural content refers to cultural goods and services that are created, transmitted, and circulated over the Internet. Examples of online cultural content are online music and cartoons.
Broadcasts, films, and TV programs
This type of online content refers to audio-visual programs that consist of movable pictures or sounds that can be continuously watched or listened to, such as the content on video and live streaming websites. Such content is shot and recorded by using audio-visual recording equipment such as video cameras and recorders.
Education
Pre-approvals of the education sector are applied to educational websites and online schools, such as diploma services, distance education videos, and examination training.
Healthcare
Internet information services of healthcare refer to the supply of medical and health information services to Internet users by launching a medical and health institution website, a disease prevention and health knowledge website, or a disease prevention and health channel on a comprehensive website.
Online taxi hailing
An Online Taxi Hailing Business Certificate is required for all enterprises that provide online taxi hailing services or related activities in municipal administrative regions. Online taxi hailing services refer to business operations in which a service platform is constructed based on the Internet technologies. These business operations integrate information on supply and demand, use qualified vehicles and drivers, and provide non-cruising online taxi hailing services. In brief, a company provides online taxi hailing services by using an Internet platform.
Electronic bulletin
Electronic bulletin services refer to the activities of providing Internet users with information publishing conditions in various interactive forms, including electronic bulletin boards, interactive whiteboards, electronic forums, online chat rooms, and message boards.
Note: Based on the Decision of the State Council on the Fifth Batch of Items Subject to Administrative Examination and Approval at the Management Level to Be Canceled or Delegated to Lower Level, Article 7 abolished the pre-approval of electronic bulletin services.
Finance
- For Internet payment business, consult the People's Bank of China.
- For online lending business, such as P2P lending and online small loan business, consult the provincial finance office and the China Banking Regulatory Commission.
- For Internet insurance business, consult the China Insurance Regulatory Commission.
- For Internet trust and Internet consumer finance business, consult the China Banking Regulatory Commission.
- For equity crowdfunding, Internet funds, fund sales, financing, and financing guarantee business, consult the China Securities Regulatory Commission. If you apply for an ICP filing in Jiangsu Province and your website contains information on financing or financing guarantee, you may consult the local economic and information commission.
- For private equity funds, consult the Asset Management Association of China. If you apply for an ICP filing in Jiangsu Province, you must submit approval documents as required by the financial regulator.
- To apply for an ICP filing for a website of charity funds or public funds, you must submit documents such as a filing application document that is verified by the civil affairs department and the letter of guarantee for non-engagement in financial business. If you apply for an ICP filing for such entities in Zhejiang Province, you must submit verification documents that are approved by the financial regulator. Entities without relevant financial permits cannot apply for an ICP filing.
- If your website content is not about finance, you must change the name or business scope of the company. Otherwise, you cannot apply for an ICP filing for the website.
Games
A game must receive a pre-approval before it can be launched and charge fees. In Sichuan Province, the pre-approval is issued by the provincial administration of press, publication, radio, film, and television. In Hubei Province, the pre-approval is issued by the provincial administration of press and publication. In other provinces, the pre-approval must be issued by the Press Bureau of Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee or the provincial administration of press, publication, radio, film, and television.
Religion
For an ICP filing for online religious information and practices, Guangdong is the only province that requires documented approvals granted by the ethnic and religious affairs commission at the provincial level, municipal level, or district level.
Remarks or statements to be provided
Material | Description | How to provide |
---|---|---|
Remarks | You must include the name of the authority, landline number with the area code, and confirmation result in the remarks. | Log on to the Alibaba Cloud ICP Filing System, enter the ICP filing information in theEnter Website Information step, and then enter the remarks in the Remarks field below Pre-approval Type. |
Statements | The statements do not have a fixed format but must contain the following information:
|
During the preliminary review, if the reviewer requires the statements, the reviewer informs you of an email address in the review comments or sends you an email. You can email the statements to the reviewer. |
- If the remarks or statements are not accepted based on the regulations of the relevant authority, you must apply for a pre-approval.
- If your website name or website content involves the content that requires a pre-approval, you must apply for a pre-approval. Otherwise, you must modify the website name or website content.