China company identity
Unified Social Credit Code (USCC) Check
Verify the 18-digit Unified Social Credit Code of any Chinese company. QINCheck validates the USCC format, checksum, issuing authority, entity type, historical changes, and matching SAMR registration to confirm the company is legitimate and correctly identified.
- • Validate the USCC structure and checksum
- • Confirm the legal Chinese name tied to the code
- • Identify duplicates, mismatches, or reused numbers
- • Check status: active, revoked, deregistered, abnormal
- • Detect renamed or reorganized companies
What is the Unified Social Credit Code?
The Unified Social Credit Code (统一社会信用代码, USCC) is China’s standardized 18-digit registration number issued to every legally recognized entity. It is used by SAMR, banks, tax authorities, customs, courts, invoicing systems, and financial institutions. The USCC encodes the registration authority, entity type, organization identifier, and a checksum digit. Every contract, invoice, purchase order, and cross-border payment should verify the USCC to ensure you are working with the correct legal entity.
Why verifying the USCC matters
- Prevent impersonation fraud when companies share similar English names.
- Confirm the correct legal entity for contracts, invoices, and payments.
- Catch fake or photoshopped business licenses via checksum validation.
- Distinguish factories from trading companies in the USCC entity category.
- Meet KYC and AML requirements for procurement, banking, and compliance.
- Track historical changes such as renames, mergers, or address moves.
What QINCheck confirms
1. USCC Structure & Checksum Validation
- Confirm 18-digit length and format
- Apply ISO/GB checksum standard
- Detect misprints, forged, or reused numbers
- Cross-check against SAMR and invoice data
2. Entity Category Decoding
- Decode entity type (LLC, joint venture, branch, sole proprietorship, etc.)
- Flag category mismatches (e.g., sole prop posing as a factory)
3. Legal Name & Registration Authority
- Match Chinese legal name and transliterations
- Identify the registration authority and issue region
- Highlight recent name changes or reorganizations
4. Status & Historical Changes
- Active, revoked, deregistered, or abnormal operations status
- Change history including address, scope, shareholders, or capital
- Multiple entities sharing similar numbers
5. Optional Full Report Add-ons
- Ownership tree and legal representative
- Litigation, enforcement, sanctions screening
- Business license verification with scope translation
Example USCC validations
Example 1 — Valid USCC
- Input: 91330105MA2A00XXXX
- Status: Active, entity confirmed
- Name: 杭州某某科技有限公司
- Checksum: Valid, entity type: LLC
- Interpretation: Registration data consistent and legitimate.
Example 2 — Invalid USCC
- Input: 91350211MA3X999999
- Length: 18 digits but checksum invalid
- Interpretation: Likely forged or mistyped number. Requires further investigation.
Example 3 — Suspicious Category
- Input: 92320281MA7LXXXXXX
- Entity type: Sole proprietorship
- Claim: Large export factory with 200+ staff
- Interpretation: Category mismatch suggests a trading intermediary.
When to order a USCC check
- Onboard a new Chinese supplier or manufacturer.
- Verify bank beneficiary details before wiring deposits.
- Check investor or shareholder legitimacy.
- Confirm invoice header information matches the legal entity.
- Ensure the USCC is still active after corporate changes.
- Support KYC, AML, and compliance reviews.
USCC vs business license vs full report
| Feature | USCC Check | Business License Verification | Full Company Report |
|---|---|---|---|
| Validate 18-digit USCC | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Decode entity type | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Verify legal name | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Check registered address | — | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Check business scope | — | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Ownership & legal representative | — | — | ✔️ |
| Litigation & sanctions screening | — | — | ✔️ |
| Recommended for due diligence depth | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Need deeper risk checks? Order a complete China company report.
How the USCC check works
Step 1 — Submit the USCC
Provide the 18-digit Unified Social Credit Code or the business license document.
Step 2 — Structure & checksum validation
We validate the code format, checksum, and issuing authority to ensure it is legitimate.
Step 3 — Registry matching
We match the code to SAMR data, confirming the legal name, entity type, and status.
Step 4 — Risk analysis (optional full report)
For deeper checks, we add ownership, litigation, sanctions, and scope analysis.
Step 5 — Delivery with evidence
Receive a summary with structured data, translations, and screenshots.
FAQ: Unified Social Credit Code (USCC)
What is the Unified Social Credit Code?
The USCC is China’s official 18-digit company identification number. It links every regulatory filing to the same legal entity.
Can a USCC be fake or forged?
Yes. Scammers sometimes reuse a valid license image but change digits. The checksum helps detect this quickly.
Do I need the Chinese name to verify the USCC?
No. The USCC alone identifies the company. We automatically match it to the legal name and registry data.
What does it mean if the checksum fails?
The code is either mistyped, belongs to a different company, or was fabricated. You should not rely on it without further proof.
Can I verify Hong Kong companies using the USCC?
No. Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan use different registration systems. USCC applies to mainland China entities.
Does QINCheck check sanctions and litigation?
Yes, but those checks are part of the full China company report. The USCC check focuses on identity validation.
Need more detail? See the full FAQ or read how to check a Chinese company.