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ICP Filing:Overview

Last Updated:Feb 19, 2024

This topic provides an overview of the preparations that you must make before you apply for an Internet Content Provider (ICP) filing. For a quick approval of an ICP filing, you can make preparations in advance.

Create an Alibaba Cloud account

You need to use an Alibaba Cloud account to apply for an ICP filing in the Alibaba Cloud ICP Filing system. Therefore, we recommend that you prepare and create an Alibaba Cloud account in advance to apply for an ICP filing. For more information, see Create an Alibaba Cloud account to apply for an ICP filing.

Prepare and check the domain name

You must provide the domain name when you apply for an ICP filing for your Internet information service. Your domain name must meet the following requirements:

  • The top-level domain is approved by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

  • The domain name is valid for more than 90 days. The authorities in specific provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities require that the domain name be valid for more than 45 days.

  • The domain name registrar is approved by the MIIT.

    Note

    The Alibaba Cloud International site (alibabacloud.com) provides registration services only for internationalized domain names. Such domain names must meet the following requirements:

    • From January 1, 2018, if your domain names are registered at international domain name registrars such as the Alibaba Cloud International site (alibabacloud.com), you must transfer the domain names to registrars in the Chinese mainland and complete the real-name verification before you apply for an ICP filing. For more information about how to transfer a domain name to the Domains service at the Alibaba Cloud China site (aliyun.com), see Transfer a domain name to Alibaba Cloud.

    • Specific domain names that were registered before January 1, 2018 at international domain name registrars, such as the Alibaba Cloud International site (alibabacloud.com), may have obtained an ICP filing. In this case, you do not need to transfer these domain names.

  • For an ICP filing application from an individual, the domain name registrant must be the individual. For an ICP filing application from an organization or an enterprise, the registrant can be a shareholder, the major principal, or a senior executive of the organization or enterprise.

  • The real-name verification is passed for the domain name.

    Note

    If the real-name verification is not complete, or the real-name verification information is inconsistent with the ICP filing entity information, the ICP filing application may not be submitted or may fail the review. You must submit the required ICP filing information based on the regulations of the local authorities. For more information, see ICP filing regulations of the MIIT for different regions.

  • The entity information provided during the ICP filing application must be consistent with the real-name verification information of the domain name registrant. Such information includes the name, certificate type, and certificate number.

For more information about how to prepare and check your domain name, see Prepare and check a domain name.

Purchase and prepare an instance

To apply for an ICP filing by using the Alibaba Cloud ICP Filing system, you must purchase an Alibaba Cloud instance in the Chinese mainland. If your Internet information services are hosted on the instances of Alibaba Cloud services listed in the following table, you can apply for ICP filings for your Internet information services.

Table 1. Supported instance service types and the maximum number of service identification numbers allowed

Instance service type

Requirement for purchases

URL for purchases

Number of service identification numbers allowed

Elastic Compute Service (ECS)

  • The instance is deployed in an Alibaba Cloud region in the Chinese mainland.

  • The subscription duration is at least three months. The duration extended by a renewal order is counted.

  • A public bandwidth plan is purchased.

Note

You cannot use a pay-as-you-go instance to apply for service identification numbers.

Elastic Compute Service

Up to five for each instance

Cloud Web Hosting

  • The instance is deployed in an Alibaba Cloud region in the Chinese mainland.

  • The subscription duration is at least three months. The duration extended by a renewal order is counted.

Cloud Web Hosting

Up to five for each instance

Simple Application Server

  • The instance is deployed in an Alibaba Cloud region in the Chinese mainland.

  • The subscription duration is at least three months. The duration extended by a renewal order is counted.

  • A server instance is purchased.

Simple Application Server

Up to five for each instance

Edge Node Service (ENS)

  • The instance is deployed in an Alibaba Cloud region in the Chinese mainland.

  • The subscription duration is at least three months. The duration extended by a renewal order is counted.

Edge Node Service (ENS)

Up to five for each instance

LinkedMall

  • The order amount is no less than CNY 100.

  • The subscription duration is no less than three months.

LinkedMall

Up to two for each mall

IoT Studio

  • The order amount is no less than CNY 100.

  • The instance is deployed in an Alibaba Cloud region in the Chinese mainland.

  • The instance is of Enterprise Edition or Ultimate Edition.

IoT Studio

Up to one for each instance

Note
  • If the duration that remains before your subscription Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance expires does not meet the requirements of the ICP filing application, you must renew your instance before you apply for an ICP filing.

  • You can apply only for a limited quantity of service identification numbers for each instance. You cannot renew an instance to increase the upper limit. If the quantity of service identification numbers that you have applied for reaches the upper limit, you must purchase another instance for more service identification numbers.

For more information about how to prepare and check an instance, see Prepare and check the instance and access information.

Prepare the materials required for an ICP filing

You must prepare and upload an electronic copy or a color photo of the following materials:

  • Basic materials

    Note

    If the entity that applies for an ICP filing is an individual, the identity document of the individual is used as the identity document of the entity leader, the identity document of the website or app administrator, and the certificate of the organization or enterprise. In this case, you are required to upload the identity document only once in the Alibaba Cloud ICP Filing system.

    Material type

    Scenario

    Material to upload

    Identity document of the entity leader

    Verify the identity of the entity leader.

    Individual: the identity document of the individual, such as the ID card.

    Organization or enterprise: the identity document of the legal representative, such as the ID card.

    Note

    If the entity leader or Internet information service administrator is a resident outside the Chinese mainland, one of the following valid identity documents must be provided:

    • Residents of Hong Kong (China) and Macao (China): the Residence Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents or Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents.

    • Residents of Taiwan (China): the Residence Permit for Taiwan Residents or Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents.

    • Residents outside the Chinese mainland: the passport.

    Identity document of the Internet information service administrator

    Verify the identity of the Internet information service administrator.

    Certificate of the organization or enterprise

    Verify the information about the entity.

    Individual: the identity document of the individual, such as the ID card.

    Organization or enterprise: the certificate of the organization or enterprise, such as the business license.

  • Auxiliary materials

    Material type

    Scenario

    Photo of the Internet information service administrator holding the personal identity document

    If the ICP filing entity is an individual, a photo of the Internet information service administrator holding the personal identity document is required by authorities in specific provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities. Such a personal identity document can be the ID card or registered permanent residence page.

    Photo of the Internet information service administrator holding the required certificate of the entity

    If the ICP filing entity is an enterprise or an organization, a photo of the Internet information service administrator holding the required certificate of the entity is required by authorities in specific provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities. Such an entity certificate can be the business license.

    Letter of authorization

    Authorities in specific provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities require a letter of authorization provided by the entity leader or the Internet information service administrator if the entity leader or the Internet information service administrator is not the legal representative of the entity.

    Certificate of the domain name registrant

    Authorities in specific provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities require that a domain name be registered under an enterprise or an organization. If a domain name is registered under an individual, a certificate of the domain name registrant is required for the ICP filing application.

    Website construction proposal

    The Guangdong provincial authority requires that ICP filing entities who have more than a specified number of domain names to be filed provide a website construction proposal for each domain name.

    Domain name certificate

    Authorities in specific provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities require that you provide a domain name certificate. For more information about the regulations of authorities in different provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, see ICP filing regulations of MIIT for different regions.

    Temporary or permanent residence permit

    Specific provincial authorities, such as the Fujian provincial authority, require that you submit a scanned copy or color photo of the original temporary or permanent residence permit if the domicile registered on the ID card is not located in the province where you submit the ICP filing application.

    Certificate issued by the State Commission Office for Public Sector Reform (SCOPSR)

    Provincial authorities of Yunnan, Nei Mongol, Heilongjiang, and Jiangxi require that public institutions and public service sectors provide a certificate issued by the SCOPSR when they apply for an ICP filing.

    Certificate of change

    If the ICP filing entity is an organization or an enterprise, and the organization or enterprise name is changed, a certificate of change that is issued by the corresponding industry and commerce administration must be provided.

    Certificate of employment

    If the certificate number of an entity leader or an Internet information service administrator appears in the ICP filing information of multiple organizations, enterprises, or individuals, specific provincial authorities, such as the Sichuan provincial authority, require that you provide a certificate of employment of the entity leader or Internet information service administrator.

    Business statement

    The name, business scope, website name, or website remarks of an enterprise or an organization in Sichuan may contain commerce-related terms, and such an entity may not be required to obtain a commercial ICP license as notified by the local authority. In this case, a business statement of the entity must be provided for the ICP filing application.

For more information about other required materials, see Required materials.

Take note of the following requirements for the materials to be uploaded:

  • Basic requirements
    • Size: The size of each image must be larger than 200 KB and smaller than 4 MB. If the image to be uploaded does not meet this requirement, use a third-party tool to adjust the image size.
    • Format: You can upload images in the JPG, JPEG, PNG, or GIF format. If the image to be uploaded does not meet this requirement, do not directly change the file name extension. Instead, use a third-party tool to convert the image format.
      Note If you fail to upload an image even though the format and size meet the requirements, update the Alibaba Cloud app to the latest version or change your network type. For example, you can switch from a Wi-Fi to a mobile network. Then, restart the app and upload the image again.
  • Requirements for availability
    • Clearness and completeness: You must upload clear, complete, and valid images with a proper size. If you upload a large-sized image, the image may become blurred due to the compression performed by the system.
    • Material type: You must upload the color scanned copies or color photos of the latest certificates or documents including their borders without cover. Photos of scanned copies, copies in black and white, electronic certificates and documents, and reproduced photos of the documents or certificates that are stored on mobile phones or PCs are not supported.
      Note You must use the latest certificates and documents. If the information about the ICP filing entity changes, the original documents and certificates become invalid. If you do not upload the latest materials, your ICP filing application will be rejected.
  • Requirements for validity
    • From the date when you submit the application, the provided certificates and documents, such as the resident identity card and business license, must be valid for at least three months.
    • Materials such as the certificates of change and letters of authorization that are obtained from website administrators must be provided for ICP filing applications within three months from the date of issue. This rule applies to all the provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China.
      Note
      • Certificates of employment that are issued in Sichuan and domain name certificates that are issued in Hunan must be provided for ICP filing applications within 45 days from the date of issue.
      • Business statements that are issued in Hubei and letters of authorization that are issued in Hebei must be provided for ICP filing applications within six months from the date of issue.

Read and understand ICP filing regulations

The communications administrations (hereinafter referred to as authorities) in different provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities have different regulations and require different materials for an ICP filing application. We recommend that you read and understand the ICP filing regulations of different provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities. For more information, see ICP filing regulations of the MIIT for different regions or visit the MIIT ICP Filing Management System.

(Optional) Obtain a pre-approval

If your Internet information service involves information about particular industries, such as news, publishing, medicine, or medical devices, you must obtain a pre-approval before you apply for an ICP filing. You must also provide the required pre-approval documents during the ICP filing application.

For more information about the industries that require pre-approvals and relevant instructions, see Pre-approvals.