FAQs about report contents - Knowaco.com (Know A Company)

General questions

Will the search target know that I am searching for it?

No. We will never, either in instant or manual searches, contact the search target. We obtain the information just from public sources.

Can I obtain company financials and custom data through your tool?

No. Company financials and custom data are not in our service scope.

Can I search the companies in Greater China Region, including Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan?

No. Our search scope only covers the companies in Mainland China.

I cannot get anything by searching a English company name. Why?

Chinese companies only have official names in Chinese. English names are either directly translated or from public records. Don't hesitate to contact our support team if you have any questions. You may also refer to our article How to conduct background check on a Chinese company if you only have its English name? for more details.

How do you translate the report since the information is not in English?

In Instant Company Search, We use Google Translate services for translating the report content. We also provide manual quality checks as a value-added service (optional when you order a report). For the reports with a manual quality check purchased, we will check the translated content and make any necessary updates to meet the quality expectation.

1 - Basic information

What is the company's social credit code?

The company's social credit code is a unique and lifelong legal identification code issued for each legal entity and other organizations. The code is 18 digits in length and contains Arabic numerals or uppercase English letters.

Does a Chinese company have an official English name?

No. Chinese companies only have official names in Chinese. English names are either directly translated or from public records. So the English names in our reports translated automatically may differ from your records. Don't hesitate to contact our support team if you have any concerns. You may also refer to our article How to conduct background check on a Chinese company if you only have its English name? for more details.

I downloaded a Pre report for free, but why do I not see contact information in the report?

Contact information, including telephones, emails, and websites, is not included in the scope of a Pre report. If you want to obtain such information, please use the Basic or Riskpuls version of the report.

Why there is no postal code in the basic information?

Postal code is not included in the report. Please use the address in the report to search teh postal code of a given address.

What does the company status "revoked" stand for?

What does the company status "revoked" stands for? The revoked business license means that the company violated the industrial and commercial administrative regulations and was deprived of its operating qualification by the market regulators (in China, the SAMR) by coercive means. So if the company status is "revoked", it is highly possible that the company has behaviors violating the laws.

2 - Contacts and websites

The report mentioned the contact information is from SAMR annual reports. What are SAMR annual reports?

Under relevant company laws and regulations, companies must submit annual reports to the national enterprise information publicity system. The annual filling is expected to be conducted from January to June every year for submitting the annual reports for the last year.
The scope of information required in the annual reports includes owner/manager and their telephones, employee number, financial status, tax paid, and websites. The company can choose whether to publish the information to the public or not. If the information were selected as not-to-publish, the information would be redacted in an inquiry result.

3 - Management

What are the management roles in a Chinese company?

In the company registration information, typical management roles may include director, executive director, general manager, supervisor, and person in-charge-of finance.

How do I know if a management member also holds shares or has roles in other companies?

You may need a reverse check to get such information. Our Instant Company Search does not include a reverse check on the management members or shareholders. We offer such information in the Advanced Company Background Check. Please get in touch with [email protected] if you are interested.

4 - Shareholders

Where can I find a shareholder in the past?

Analyze the shareholder change information in Section 9 "Change records".
We can offer such information in the Advanced Company Background Check. Please get in touch with [email protected] if you are interested.

How do I know if an individual shareholder also holds shares or has roles in other companies?

You may need a reverse check to get such information. Our Instant Company Search does not include a reverse check on the shareholders or management members. We offer such information in the Advanced Company Background Check. Please get in touch with [email protected] if you are interested.

8 - Employee number with social insurance

What does it mean if the number of employees paying social insurance is zero?

Employers must purchase five essential social insurances, including pension, medical, unemployment, industrial injury, and maternity insurance for their employees. If the employee number with social insurance is zero, it might be because the company has no employees or it conducts business without complying with the law requirements.

Where can I get the total employee number, regardless of the social insurance status?

If the company chooses to keep its employee number private, i.e., not disclose such information in the annual reports submitted to the SAMR, you may not be able to obtain such information from our Instant Company Search.

15 and 16 - Judgment debtor and dishonest judgment debtor

What does a "Judgment debtor" stand for?

A judgment debtor means one who is obligated to pay a debt or damages in accordance with a judgment entered by a court. In Chinese laws, it stnads for a party who fails to perform the court judgment or arbitral award and enters the enforcement procedure after the statutory appeal period expires or after the final judgment is made.

What is a "Dishonest judgment debtor"?

A dishonest judgment debtor refers to a person who has not fulfilled the obligations determined in the effective legal document and has the statutory circumstances of "not performing but having the ability to perform" or "resisting enforcement", and is thus included in the list of dishonest persons subject to enforcement by the People's Court according to law.

17 - Restrictions on high-amount consumptions

What does "Restrictions on high-amount consumptions" mean?

Restricting high-amount consumption means restricting people's consumption beyond their normal consumption and consumption close to high-end consumption through laws or relevant regulations. The order's purpose is to push the judgment debtor to fulfill their legal obligations.

What is the scope of "high-amount" consumptions?

It is not allowed to take high-end means of transportation such as airplanes, luxury passenger ships, and taxis or use high-end communication tools;
Not allowed to spend in high-consumption places such as star-rated hotels, restaurants, bars, dance halls, nightclubs, saunas, and gyms;
It is not allowed to purchase high-end commodities, significant daily necessities, cars, and rent office buildings;
Prohibited to buy, build, expand, or decorate houses; do not travel, take vacations, or spend large amounts of money for family members;
Restrictions on cross-border travel;
Foreign investment is prohibited (including starting a company, purchasing stocks and bonds, etc.). Only the living expenses according to the minimum standard of living stipulated by the government can be kept, and the others belong to the category of property to be executed.
Children of restricted persons are not allowed to attend high-consumption private colleges and universities.

Not allowed to grant approval for property mortgages and transfer matters, and cannot provide guarantees for others;
Cannot use public funds to spend in high-consumption places such as hotels, restaurants, restaurants, dance halls, restaurants, nightclubs, saunas, gyms, golf courses, etc., nor approve their employees to use public funds for the above-mentioned consumption;
The company shall not be reimbursed for transportation expenses such as taxis, sleeper trains, airplanes, and ships with class 4 or above;
Restrictions on cross-border travel;
Cannot receive bonuses and distribute bonuses to its employees;
The financial status of the company must be reported to the court on a monthly basis and by prepare for audits at any time.

18 - Terminated execution cases

What does a "terminated execution case" stand for?

"Terminate the execution procedure" means the court will temporarily terminate the enforcement procedure and close the case for cases where no property is available for enforcement and will continue to resume enforcement after the property is found.

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