Internet Information Services in certain industries, such as news, publishing, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices, require pre-approval. This topic describes the industries that require pre-approval and their corresponding approval authorities. If your information service requires pre-approval, you can use this topic to find and contact the relevant local authorities to complete the process.
Notes
If your website now requires pre-approval because of a change in features, you must modify your ICP filing information. Update the relevant information, add the pre-approval documents, and then upload the materials again for review.
If your website or app falls into an industry category that requires pre-approval, you must upload the corresponding pre-approval documents. If it does not, you must provide a letter of commitment for pre-approval based on your region. During the filing process, you can add remarks and upload the letter of commitment as supporting material.
If you cannot obtain the pre-approval documents, you must modify the relevant information, such as your entity name, business scope, or service information. This ensures that your service does not fall into a pre-approval industry category before you submit the ICP filing application again.
Pre-approval industries and approval authorities
Use the table below to find the approval authority for your industry and obtain the required documents. Before you upload these documents, you must complete the ICP filing information up to the website or app information section. In this section, you must select the correct Pre-approval type, enter the approval number, and upload the approval documents.
If there are errors in the pre-approval information that you entered or the documents that you uploaded, you can modify them as follows.
If the ICP filing application has not been submitted for initial review, you can access the Alibaba Cloud ICP Filing system on your computer. On the Modify Website Information page, you can correct the information.
If the ICP filing application has been submitted for initial review, you must wait for the Alibaba Cloud review team to process it. If the reviewer finds errors in your pre-approval information during the initial review, your application is rejected. After your application is rejected, you can access the Alibaba Cloud ICP Filing system on your computer. On the Modify Website Information page, you can correct the information.
Category |
Approval authority |
Pre-approval document name |
Notes |
Provincial, municipal, and district education administrative departments |
None |
None. |
|
Provincial Cyberspace Administration offices |
《Internet News Information Service License》 |
None. |
|
Provincial publicity departments and provincial press, publication, radio, film, and television bureaus |
《Online Publishing Service License》 |
None. |
|
Provincial food and drug administrations (for approval of pesticide and chemical production enterprises) |
《Internet Drug Information Service Qualification Certificate》
Note
Chemical drugs are approved by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). |
None. |
|
Provincial departments of culture and tourism |
《Online Culture Business Permit》 |
None. |
|
Provincial publicity departments and provincial press, publication, radio, film, and television bureaus |
《License for Online Transmission of Audio-Visual Programs》 |
Regulators still require this license. Otherwise, the ICP filing application will not be approved. |
|
Transportation management committee in the city where the company is registered |
《Online Ride-hailing Business License》 |
None. |
|
|
None |
None. |
|
Religious affairs departments of people's governments at or above the provincial level |
《Internet Religious Information Service License》 |
Regulators still require this license. Otherwise, the ICP filing application will not be approved. |
After-school tutoring
According to the 《Opinions on Further Reducing the Burden of Homework and After-School Tutoring for Students in Compulsory Education》 issued by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council, all enterprises involved in after-school tutoring (including online, offline, remote, and other forms of tutoring) must provide pre-approval documents from the provincial, municipal, or district education department where the ICP filing is located before submitting an ICP filing application. Vocational training is currently not subject to this requirement. For example, the pre-approval number for a school operating permit is typically the permit's certificate number.
If you cannot determine whether your service is classified as vocational training, the reviewer's decision is final.
News
Internet news information services involve publishing news on the Internet. This includes reports and commentary on social and public affairs, such as politics, economics, military affairs, and diplomacy, along with reports and commentary on social emergencies. It also includes providing electronic bulletin board services for political news and sending political news communications to the public.
Category 1 applies when an Internet news information service provider publishes news information beyond its authorized scope, provides electronic bulletin board services for political news, or sends political news communications to the public.
Category 2 applies when a non-Internet news information service provider republishes news information, provides electronic bulletin board services for political news, or sends political news communications to the public.
Category 3 applies when a news provider publishes news information that it has already published or broadcast.
Publishing
Internet publishing is when a service provider selects, edits, and processes their own or others' works and then publishes them on the Internet or sends them to user devices for public browsing, reading, use, or download. These works mainly include content from officially published books, newspapers, periodicals, audio-visual products, and electronic publications. They also include works that have been publicly released in other media and edited works in literature, art, natural sciences, social sciences, and engineering.
Any entity that operates online reading, electronic publications, audio-visual products, Internet books, Internet newspapers, Internet magazines, mobile publications, academic publications, art publications, educational publications, maps, and similar services on the Internet and mobile networks must apply for an online publishing service license from the relevant authorities.
Pharmaceuticals and medical devices
According to the 《Administrative Measures on Internet Drug Information Services》, an Internet drug information service provides drug information, including information about medical devices, to Internet users.
Culture
According to the 《Interim Provisions on the Administration of Internet Culture》, Internet cultural products are cultural products that are produced, disseminated, and circulated through the Internet, such as music, animation, and live streaming.
Radio, film, and television programs
This category includes audio-visual programs filmed or recorded with cameras, recorders, and other audio-visual equipment. These programs consist of continuously moving images or continuously audible sounds, and are often part of services such as video and live streaming information services.
Online ride-hailing
Entities engaged in online ride-hailing business services, management, or other related activities within a city's administrative region must obtain the 《Online Ride-hailing Business License》. Online ride-hailing business services are business activities that use an Internet-based platform to integrate supply and demand information and provide non-cruising, pre-booked taxi services with qualified vehicles and drivers. In simple terms, this means the company provides online ride-hailing services through an Internet platform.
Finance
If the entity name, business scope, information service name, or information service content that you submit for an ICP filing contains finance-related keywords, you must provide special approval documents from financial regulators. These keywords include exchange, trading center, finance, asset management, wealth management, fund, fund management, investment management, equity investment fund, online lending, P2P, equity crowdfunding, Internet insurance, and payment. Because rules vary by province, this list of keywords is for reference only. The final decision is based on the review result.
The Alibaba Cloud ICP Filing Center periodically checks existing information services. If any service is found to be engaged in illegal financial activities, Alibaba Cloud will immediately cancel its ICP filing number.
The authorities from which you can obtain pre-approval documents for finance-related businesses are listed below. This list is for reference only.
For Internet payment services, consult the People's Bank of China.
For online lending services, such as P2P online lending and online micro-lending, consult the provincial financial office or the CBRC.
For Internet insurance services, consult the CIRC.
For Internet trust and Internet consumer finance services, consult the CBRC.
For equity crowdfunding, Internet funds, fund sales, financing, and financing guarantee services, consult the CSRC. In Jiangsu province, for information services that involve the keywords "financing" or "financing guarantee," you must consult the Economic and Information Commission.
For private fund services, consult the AMAC. In Jiangsu province, you must also provide approval documents from financial regulators that permit the submission of a financial ICP filing.
Special cases (for reference only):
If the entity is a foundation, such as a charitable or public welfare foundation, some communications administrations may require you to upload the "Approval Letter for Entity Establishment from the Civil Affairs Department" and a "Guarantee of Not Engaging in Financial Business."
If the information service content is not related to financial activities, you must change the company's registered name or business scope. Otherwise, the ICP filing will not be granted.
Religion
To publish, promote, or conduct any religion-related information or activities on the Internet, you must obtain the 《Internet Religious Information Service License》. This license is approved by the religious affairs departments of people's governments at or above the provincial level. This license is required to have your ICP filing application approved.
Remarks and letter of commitment upload
For industries that require pre-approval, the system automatically determines whether a letter of commitment is needed and generates one if it is. If the initial reviewer determines that you need to provide a letter of commitment, refer to the table below for the content requirements and submission methods for remarks and the letter.
Supporting material |
Information description |
Submission method |
Remarks |
The remarks must include the name of the approval authority you contacted, their contact phone number (a landline phone number with an area code), and the confirmation result. |
|
Letter of commitment |
The templates for pre-approval rules vary by region. For more information, see Letter of commitment for pre-approval. |
|
If the communications administration does not allow you to provide remarks or submit a letter of commitment, you must obtain the pre-approval documents.
If your information service name or content requires pre-approval, you must either obtain the pre-approval documents or modify the service name and content.