Common questions about ICP filing requirements, consequences of non-compliance, and service identification numbers.
What is an ICP filing?
ICP filings are required by the Measures for the Administration of Internet Information Services and the Registration Administration Measures for Non-Commercial Internet Information Services. China requires ICP filings for non-commercial Internet services and ICP licenses for commercial Internet services. Without either, a website cannot legally operate. All websites serving Chinese mainland must obtain an ICP filing. Alibaba Cloud GoChina ICP Filing Assistant helps you apply for, modify, cancel, or claim ICP filings, resume website access, and handle special inspections.
What happens without an ICP filing?
- Obtain an ICP filing and resolve the domain name to an Alibaba Cloud instance in Chinese mainland. If you do not, the Alibaba Cloud monitoring system suspends your website and prompts you to obtain an ICP filing.
- If you obtained an ICP filing through another provider and want to resolve your domain name to an Alibaba Cloud instance in Chinese mainland, add Alibaba Cloud as a service provider to your ICP filing. Consult the designated ICP filing expert for guidance.
What is a service identification number?
A service identification number links a website to the instance that hosts it. When you apply for an ICP filing in the Alibaba Cloud ICP Filing system, provide a service identification number for each website. The number of available service identification numbers per instance varies by service type.