Change a business entity or update a company name

Use cases

When your company undergoes an acquisition, restructuring, or deregistration, you may need to transfer the ownership of your Alibaba Cloud account from one legal entity to another. If your business registration information changes, you must determine if the enterprise real-name registration for your Alibaba Cloud account requires an update. The key criterion is the company's Unified Social Credit Code.

1. If the Unified Social Credit Code of the account entity changes, you need to change the enterprise entity.

2. If the Unified Social Credit Code of the account entity does not change, you do not need to change the enterprise entity.

   1. If the company changes its enterprise name, you only need to update the enterprise name. This process is simpler.

   2. If the company updates its legal representative information, the system automatically syncs the information. You do not need to take any action. If the information has not yet been refreshed, wait for the data to update in the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System. Alibaba Cloud then automatically syncs the latest legal representative information.

3. If your enterprise has been deregistered, we recommend that you manage the assets in your Alibaba Cloud account as soon as possible.

   1. If you can still sign in to your Alibaba Cloud account, please change the enterprise entity promptly. Note that the required supporting documents for a deregistered enterprise are slightly different from those for an active enterprise.

   2. If you can sign in to your Alibaba Cloud account but no longer need it, you can clear or transfer the resources in the account and then cancel your Alibaba Cloud account.

   3. If you cannot sign in to your Alibaba Cloud account, see What do I do if I cannot complete identity verification? You can submit supporting documents to restore account access and complete the entity change at the same time.

Change enterprise entity

If you need to change the enterprise currently used for real-name registration to another enterprise, which involves a change in the Unified Social Credit Code, follow these steps.

Impact

Prerequisites

To ensure a smooth process, check the following before you start:

1. Change interval: At least 30 days must have passed since the last successful entity change.

2. Operating environment: This process is not supported on the Alibaba Cloud app. You must use a computer.

3. Review timeline:

   • Legal representative facial recognition or Alipay verification typically completes in a few minutes to 1 hour.

   • Verification through a corporate bank account or corporate Alipay account typically takes 1 to 3 business days.

   • The process is usually completed within one business day. Applications submitted before 18:00 are processed the same day, even on non-business days, while those submitted after 18:00 are processed the next morning.

   • After approval, you must start the new entity verification within 9 calendar days. Otherwise, the system automatically terminates the process.

4. Credit limit: Confirm with your business manager that there are no pending credit limit adjustments for the current account. You cannot initiate a change if there are.

5. Verification method for the original entity: The first stage of the process requires verifying the original entity's identity. If the legal representative is unavailable for facial recognition, you can use one of the following alternatives:

   • Verification through corporate bank account: Use the original enterprise's corporate bank account to complete the verification. This method does not require facial recognition of the legal representative.

   • Verification through corporate Alipay account: Use the original enterprise's corporate Alipay account to complete the verification. This method does not require facial recognition of the legal representative.

   Important

   Stage one verifies the original entity's information, such as by uploading the original company's business license or using its corporate bank account, not the new entity's information. Do not submit materials for the new entity, as this will result in an "information mismatch" error.

   Note

   If you cannot switch the verification method on the current page, first click Cancel Change to end the current process. Then, initiate the change again to select a different method on the verification page.

6. Reseller partnership: If the account is linked to a reseller, changing the real-name registration may terminate the partnership, and it cannot be re-established. Before proceeding, you must contact your reseller to confirm the impact. If you need to maintain the reseller relationship or issue invoices with specific titles, contact your business manager to assess whether "multi-invoice title rights" or other solutions are available.

7. Prepare enterprise verification materials: Choose a verification method based on the new enterprise's situation and prepare the necessary materials. For more information, see Enterprise Real-name Registration.

8. Business continuity: If the account has pay-as-you-go products such as ECS, OSS, SLB, and CDN, maintain a sufficient account balance to avoid service interruptions.

9. Multi-account scenarios: If your enterprise account is in any of the following situations, you must resolve them before proceeding:

   • Resource Directory: In the payer account's Costs console, remove the relevant financial relationship. Note: Removing the financial relationship does not affect the account relationship in Resource Directory.

   • financial trusteeship: You must remove the trusteeship relationship before you can change the entity.

   • Financial Management: You must remove the financial relationship before you can change the entity.

   • enterprise affiliation: If the account has completed enterprise affiliation, you must first leave the affiliation. If you are a super administrator, you must first transfer your super administrator permissions before leaving.

Procedure

The process has two main stages: verifying the original entity's identity and verifying the new entity's information. Before starting, see Enterprise Real-name Registration to choose a suitable method and prepare accordingly.

1. Sign in to the Real-name Registration page in the Alibaba Cloud Account Center and click Change Enterprise Entity.

2. On the Prefill Change Information page, enter the new enterprise's information. You can search by the exact Unified Social Credit Code or by a partial enterprise name.

3. On the Change Enterprise Entity page, first select your Enterprise Situation, then read and agree to the change agreement, and click Initiate Change.

4. Follow the steps below based on your enterprise's situation.

   Enterprise is active

   If your enterprise is still active and not deregistered, you need to choose a verification method for the original entity after initiating the change.

   1. On the Change Enterprise Entity [Stage 1] page, select a verification method for the original entity. This example uses Legal Representative Facial Recognition Verification.

   2. After selecting Legal Representative Facial Recognition Verification, the system automatically detects your enterprise information. Click Continue, and then use the Alipay app to scan the QR code on the page to complete the legal representative's identity verification. Wait for approval. The review can take up to three business days. You will receive an SMS notification with the latest status to your account's Security Mobile Number.

   Enterprise is deregistered

   If your enterprise has been officially deregistered, you need to submit relevant documents to verify the original entity's identity after initiating the change.

   1. On the Change Enterprise Entity [Stage 1] page, upload photos of the original enterprise's deregistration certificate and its asset disposal certificate, and then click Next.

      Example of enterprise deregistration documents

      • The enterprise deregistration certificate is issued by the local Administration for Market Regulation. The specific materials required may vary based on local policies and circumstances.

      • If you cannot provide the official deregistration certificate, go to the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System, search for the enterprise by its name or Unified Social Credit Code, go to the enterprise details page, and take a screenshot of the page showing the registration status as "Deregistered".

      • If you cannot provide a paper certificate, sign in to the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System, search for the enterprise name, and submit a screenshot of the page showing the enterprise status as "Deregistered".

      Enterprise asset disposal certificate

      The asset disposal certificate is a document specifying the disposition of the Alibaba Cloud account and its associated business assets. It can be issued before or after the company is deregistered.

      Guidelines for completing the form:

      • "Pre-change real-name registration" and "Post-change real-name registration" should be the full company names, not the names of the legal representatives.

      • Signature and seal requirements:

        • If the original enterprise has no other shareholders (only the legal representative), the legal representative must sign and provide a fingerprint.

        • If the original enterprise has other shareholders, shareholders who hold more than two-thirds of the shares must sign and provide their fingerprints.

        • The new entity must affix its official company seal.

      • A tax clearance certificate cannot be used as a substitute for the asset disposal certificate. You must download and fill out the template.

      Issued before deregistration

      If the asset disposal certificate was issued before the company was officially deregistered, follow these steps:

      1. Click Asset Disposal Certificate Template to download, complete, and print it.

      2. Affix the company's official seal to the printed document to validate it.

      3. Take a photo of the sealed document.

      4. Upload this photo when submitting your documents.

      Issued after deregistration

      If the asset disposal certificate needs to be issued after the company has been deregistered, follow these steps:

      1. Click Asset Disposal Certificate Template to download, complete, and print it.

      2. Have shareholders who hold more than two-thirds of the company's shares sign and add their fingerprints to the printed document to confirm their consent.

      3. Take a photo of the document after it has been signed and fingerprinted.

      4. Upload this photo when you submit your documents.

      

      The subsequent steps of Stage 1 are: Step 2 Applicant facial recognition (legal representative not required), Step 3 Review.

   2. The current applicant must scan the QR code on the page using the Alibaba Cloud or Mobile Taobao app to complete facial recognition, then wait for approval.

      The applicant's facial recognition does not require the legal representative. No login is needed when scanning. You can share the QR code with an operator to scan on your behalf. After a successful scan, click Refresh Status promptly. The system will then automatically proceed to review and the process cannot be revoked.

   Note

   The QR code is valid for 1 hour. Please complete the action promptly.

5. After the review is approved, click Start Now to begin the new enterprise verification. You must start this process within 9 calendar days after the original entity's verification is approved. Otherwise, the system automatically terminates the process.

6. Read and agree to the relevant agreements, and then click Start Stage 2.

7. Choose a suitable verification method based on the new enterprise's situation and continue the process. For more information, see Enterprise Real-name Registration.

Next steps

• After the account entity is changed, domain name and ICP filing information is not automatically updated and remains registered to the original company. You must manually transfer the domain and change the ICP filing. The domain's real-name registration entity must match the ICP filing entity to avoid potential website access issues.

  Recommended order of operations:

  1. First, complete the account entity change.

  2. Next, modify the domain name holder information (transfer).

  3. Finally, change the ICP filing.

  Note

  Normal use of the domain name is not affected during the account entity change process.

• By default, the invoice title matches the entity used for account real-name registration. After the entity is changed, previously issued invoices are not affected. New invoices can be issued in the new entity's name, but you must manually update the invoice title first. For more information, see Manage Invoice Titles.

Update enterprise name

If your registered enterprise has updated its name with the Administration for Market Regulation but its Unified Social Credit Code has not changed, you can follow these steps to update your enterprise name. This process is not supported on the Alibaba Cloud app.

Impact

Updating the enterprise name does not affect your account assets, orders, or previously issued invoices.

Procedure

1. Sign in to the Real-name Registration page in the Alibaba Cloud Account Center and click Update Enterprise Name.

2. On the Update Enterprise Name page, enter the new enterprise name and upload a photo of the updated business license copy.

3. Click Confirm Modification. If the system verification is successful, the enterprise name update is complete.

Troubleshooting:

• If the enterprise name recognized by OCR is incorrect, you can manually correct the name before submitting.

• If you receive an error or the system cannot find the enterprise information, the backend business data may not have been synchronized yet. Contact customer service to manually synchronize the enterprise information and then try again.

• When uploading the business license, please use a photo of the original document and ensure the photo is clear. Scanned copies or electronic files are not supported.

Next steps

After the enterprise name is changed, domain name and ICP filing information is not automatically updated. You must manually perform a Domain Name Holder Information Modification (Transfer) and Change ICP Filing. The real-name registration entity for the domain name must match the ICP filing entity to avoid potential website access issues.

FAQ

If you encounter other issues, please contact customer service for assistance.