How to Open a WeChat Official Account as a Foreign Enterprise

WeChat updated its policies in 2018. It is now possible for foreign companies to create and operate a  WeChat Official Account overseas.

Since July 2018, the overseas official accounts are visible to users in Mainland China. This gave international companies the ability to market their campaigns and manage business affairs. Directly from overseas but within China!

But what are WeChat Official Accounts exactly?

WeChat Official Accounts are public platforms where businesses can release content to reach a wide range of audience. They can gain followers, and interact with customers using different WeChat app features. WeChat Official Accounts are also verified company accounts that can be used for a variety of purposes. Including but not limited to customer service, homepage, e-commerce shop, and blogging page.

WeChat Official Accounts are significant communication channels for China’s marketing strategies when running, branding, and creating campaigns. Additionally, the account management platform provides operators with access to performance statistics. So that they can optimize their accounts accordingly. There are three different account types, but we recommend companies have either a service account or a subscription account.

What is the cost of registering a WeChat Official Account for an overseas business?

Registering a WeChat Official Account is actually free of charge. That said, for all overseas businesses, verifying their accounts is a must for the account to be fully activated. Verifying the account has a yearly charge of 99 USD.

Documents required for the Registration process of a WeChat Official Account

• The application form, which will be downloaded and filled out during the WeChat verification process
• A photo or photocopy of the original business Registry Certification or Business License is required, which includes the company sealing
• The last three months’ mobile phone bills of the admin with readable names, numbers, and/or transaction records. If phone bills aren’t available, then the most recent three months of office telephone bills. They must have an official company seal or bank statements.
• A high-quality color scanned copy of the admin’s ID card or passport, two-sided. If the business account name involves a trademark, include the Trademark Registry Certification

Guide to Opening a WeChat Official Account

Creating international WeChat Official Accounts, whether WeChat service accounts or WeChat subscription accounts can be done directly through the app. Here’s how:

1. Open the Registration Page

To start with registering your company for a WeChat account, create an account on WeChat’s Official Account platform. Simply click ‘Register’ in the top right corner of the homepage. The page must be in English. If not, you also translate the page to English using the provided option in the top right corner.

 2. Choose the Type of your Account

Now it’s time to choose the WeChat official account type: WeChat service account or WeChat subscription account.

Subscription Accounts are for broadcasting content to all the followers of an account. It fits better for governments, organizations, and individual publishers. Some KOLs, influencers, and companies providing content services prefer to use WeChat subscription accounts. That said, this type of account is not available for overseas businesses.

Service Accounts are for businesses and organizations that need to offer online services to users. With WeChat service accounts you can:

• Interact with customers through a service tool
• Share your content with your followers, 
• Appear in the WeChat feed natively, 
• Customize profile features
• Make use of advert options available for you

3. Fill out & Complete the Registration Form

In this step, you will fill in and complete a simple registration form. Be careful though, you need to provide an email address that has not been registered on WeChat before. Follow the images Simply enter your email address, and verify it.

You’ll need to provide your company details and your own details as the admin of the account. You will also need to pick a name for the account and write down an intro with Chinese characters.

4. Verify your Account

As your registration completes you need to verify your account. Since you have access to the WeChat Official accounts platform now you can verify your account there. Don t forget that verification is important as unverified accounts are usually deleted after a couple of weeks.

5. Payment

The last step in the WeChat verification process is payment. It can be done by either WeChat pay or credit card. The verification is completed by a third-party agency that has been assigned by WeChat. In most cases, the reviewing process is completed within a week. If you happen to provide extra requirements regarding the verification, you may receive an email or a call from the agency.

Are you looking to advertise on WeChat business accounts?

WeChat is essential for international businesses, as WeChat official account followers are very important for your goals, but the setup process can be complicated. Luckily, our agency GMA offers a WeChat Official account setup service to take care of everything for you.

If you’re looking to advertise on WeChat as an international brand, we’re your best option. Our platform and team will handle every aspect of your campaign so that you can focus on other aspects of your business.

Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you reach your target market in China.