Company documents signed
Registration paperwork executed in person, so the courier and re-notarisation loops never start. This alone removes weeks.
15 October – 4 November 2026 · Guangzhou
In Guangzhou for the fair? Get the paperwork done while you are here.
Almost every friction point in setting up China operations comes from one cause: remote identity and document verification. While you are physically in Guangzhou, that stops being a problem — and the work that takes three months by email takes two days in a room.
What can actually be completed during your trip
We will tell you before you fly exactly which items are achievable in your window, and which ones will still need to wait. No promises we cannot keep.
Notarisation and apostille reviewed
We check your home-country documents face to face and catch the inconsistencies that otherwise surface weeks later as a rejection.
Corporate bank appointment
Bank account opening usually requires presence anyway. We book it around your trip rather than around a bank queue.
Platform identity verification
Name mismatches between your licence and your Xiaohongshu account are the most common rejection cause. In person, we catch them the same day.
Chops and licence handover
Physical handover rather than international post. You leave holding the company, not waiting for it.
Meeting the people doing the work
An hour in a room, instead of a video call that gets rescheduled three times across a time difference.
What does not change: government processing times still apply after you fly home. Company registration with a Guangzhou address typically runs six to ten weeks end to end. Your part of it finishes before you leave.
Bring these with you
- Company registration certificate from your home jurisdiction, plus a certified Chinese translation if it is not already in Chinese or English.
- Legal representative passport — the actual person, or a properly executed power of attorney if you are attending on someone else's behalf.
- Trademark certificate, or the full and unbroken chain of authorisation if you sell under licence.
- One page on your brand: your category, current markets, and what you are trying to do in China.
Leave the company brochures at home. Bring a single page showing the competitive landscape for your category on Chinese platforms — that page starts better conversations than any amount of self-description.
Which phase matters
The fair runs in three phases. If you are deciding when to travel, phases two and three are the ones that overlap with consumer brands.
Phase 1
15–19 Oct
Home appliances, consumer electronics, industrial automation, machinery, new energy vehicles, lighting, hardware, tools, service robots. Low relevance for consumer brands.
Phase 2
23–27 Oct
Homeware, kitchenware, home decor, gifts, furniture, building materials, sanitary ware, fashion accessories. High relevance.
Phase 3
31 Oct – 4 Nov
Personal care, food, health and medical products, baby products, apparel, footwear, bags, home textiles, pet supplies. High relevance.
Questions
Also see Canton Fair for Brands, Not Buyers for who at the fair is actually worth talking to.
Can everything be finished during my trip?
No. Your side of the work — signing, verification, handover, review — can be. Government processing continues after you leave. Company registration typically runs six to ten weeks end to end from the point your documents are complete.
What if I do not have my documents ready?
Tell us before you travel and we will tell you what is achievable in your window. In many cases the trip is still worth it — we can review what you have, correct what is wrong, and set up the pieces that do not depend on the missing documents.
Do I need an appointment?
Yes. Email us your dates and what you want to do, and we will confirm a slot. The fair period is busy for everyone in Guangzhou, including us.
What does a session cost?
Nothing on its own. If it leads to company setup, the standard service fee from USD 2,800 applies; if it leads to a Xiaohongshu account, the standard USD 490. There is no charge for the conversation and no obligation.
I am only sourcing at the fair, not selling into China. Is this relevant?
Probably not yet. But brand owners who source from China often look at selling into China within a year or two, and being introduced early costs you nothing.