The following are common questions about Alibaba Cloud servers.

Do I have to purchase an Alibaba Cloud ECS instance before applying for an ICP Filing through Alibaba Cloud?

To complete ICP Filing, you must purchase a domain name and a server located in mainland China and apply for an ICP Filing through your web hosting service provider. Therefore, to complete ICP Filing through Alibaba Cloud, you must first purchase an Alibaba Cloud ECS instance (with at least a three-month subscription and public network bandwidth) in mainland China.  Log on to the Alibaba Cloud ICP Filing system  to submit an ICP Filing application.

If you are using your own server (a self-built server or data center), contact your ISP (such as China Unicom or China Telecom) for ICP Filing.

I have purchased a server in Hong Kong region. How to apply for an ICP Filing?

If your website domain name directs to a server in Hong Kong region, you do not need an ICP Filing number. Currently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) only requires ICP Filing for accessible websites that direct to servers located in mainland China. ICP Filing is not required for servers outside mainland China.

My ECS instance has only one-month subscription. How to apply for an ICP Filing?

If the remaining time of the subscription for your website server does not meet the requirements for ICP Filing, you must renew your subscription.

How many ICP Filings can an Alibaba Cloud ECS instance be associated with?

You can apply 5 ICP Filing service codes for one ECS instance. A service code can be used once. Even if you cancel an successful ICP Filing license, the service code cannot be used again. 

You can associate an Alibaba Cloud ECS instance (with public network bandwidth and a subscription of at least three months) located in mainland China with up to five ICP Filings (for five websites). The five websites can be of the same ICP Filing subject or up to five different ones. After the ICP Filing is successful, the ICP Filing service number is no longer valid and cannot be reused. An ICP Filing service number cannot be reused if you cancel the website or cancel the transfer.

Must I apply for an ICP Filing through Alibaba Cloud if I am using Alibaba Cloud OSS or CDN?

  • For OSS, you must apply for an ICP Filing with the MIIT. If you already have an ICP Filing, it is not required to be transferred to Alibaba Cloud.

  • For CDN, you must apply for an ICP Filing with the MIIT. If the source site of your website is in Alibaba Cloud, you must apply for an ICP Filing through Alibaba Cloud. If you already have an ICP Filing, you must transfer it to Alibaba Cloud. For more information. see Transfer an ICP Filing.

I already have an ICP Filing. Must I apply for a new one if I have my website hosted through an Alibaba Cloud ECS instance?

If you successfully acquired an ICP number at a web hosting service provider and transfer your website from that web hosting service provider to an Alibaba Cloud ECS instance or have your domain names directed to an Alibaba Cloud ECS instance, you must transfer the ICP registration because the web hosting service provider is changed.

To check if you have obtained an ICP number for your domain name, go to the MIIT ICP registration system (www.miitbeian.gov.cn) (only available in Chinese),  click Public Query > Query ICP Filing,and enter your domain name.

I already have an ICP Filing. Do I have to apply for a new one if I transfer my website to another server?

If your domain name is hosted through an Alibaba Cloud ECS instance and you want to transfer it to another Alibaba Cloud ECS instance, you can modify the domain name resolution, so that the domain name directs to the new server. In this case, a new ICP number is not required.

However, if you transfer your website to a server of another web hosting service provider, you must transfer your ICP Filing information there. For more information about the transfer process, contact your new web hosting service provider.