How to Create a Baidu Ad Account Without a Chinese Business Licence

Key take-aways

• Two legal work-arounds: run ads under a certified Baidu agency sub-account or register a Baidu International account with a Hong Kong/overseas company.

• Expect to submit only light paperwork (passport, Chinese landing-page screenshot) and wire a ¥5 000–¥7 000 opening deposit plus a one-off agency/service fee.

• Typical approval window is 5–10 working days.

• Ongoing agency management fees sit around 10-15 % of monthly spend.

• Build a fast, Chinese-language landing page, refresh your Chinese creatives monthly and stay clear of restricted verticals unless you also secure the extra permits.

Why Baidu normally demands a business licence?

Baidu must comply with the Cybersecurity Law, the Data Security Law (DSL) and the Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL), all enforced by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR). These rules require every “direct” advertiser to verify its corporate registration, bank account and legal representative before any ad can go live.

For small foreign brands, producing notarized Chinese translations of overseas incorporation papers can add 4–6 weeks and several hundred dollars to the onboarding timeline, prompting many to seek faster alternatives, if timeline allows it is still possible to open a Baidu Ads account.

2. Two Legitimate Paths Without a Mainland Licence

2.1 Re-seller Sub-Account (“代理开户”)

• How it works: A certified reseller opens the master Baidu Ads account under its own Chinese business licence. You receive a separate sub-account, complete with your own budget, tracking and log-ins, while the agency handles all compliance checks.

• What the agency provides:

  • Business-licence umbrella, so no licence needed from you.

  • RMB billing and tax handling (the agency invoices you in USD/€, converts and pays Baidu in RMB).

  • Compliance screening and Chinese-language copywriting to reduce rejection risk.

• Eligibility paperwork:

  • Passport scan of the account owner or legal signatory.

  • Screenshot or PDF of your website’s Chinese-language landing page.

  • Visible contact details (phone, email, address) on that page.

Step-by-Step Onboarding

1. Short-list certified core-tier resellers via Baidu’s partner directory or reputable English-language agencies.

2. Ask the agency to pre-screen your vertical—finance, healthcare, education and supplements need extra permits.

3. Send digital copies of the passport and landing-page screenshot (no company chop needed for individuals).

4. Sign the tri-party contract among you, the agency and Baidu’s regional reseller.

5. Wire the opening deposit (typically ¥5 000–¥7 000) plus the one-off set-up fee (about US $300–500).

6. Provide keywords and creatives in Chinese; the agency localises them if necessary.

7. Wait three-to-seven business days for Baidu’s review; once approved you receive sub-account credentials.

2.2 Baidu International Account via Hong Kong (and Similar Jurisdictions)

Baidu’s International program allows companies registered in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, the UK, France and several other markets to open accounts that bypass mainland ICP checks and offer English-language dashboards.

• Deposit: About ¥7 000, but you manage the account yourself, avoiding agency mark-ups.

• Annual costs: Roughly ¥1 100 (¥600 Baidu audit + ¥500 handling for the HK entity).

• Timeline: Once your Hong Kong Certificate of Incorporation is issued (often within a week), Baidu activates the account in three-to-five working days.

Choose this route if

• You plan to scale spend quickly and want to avoid agency fees.

• You need direct access to advanced formats such as feed ads or Brand Zone.

• You already have—or can quickly set up—a Hong Kong or other qualifying entity.

3. Requirements You Still Must Meet (Even Without a Mainland Licence)

3.1 Chinese-Language Landing Page and Fast Hosting

Baidu’s crawler measures load time from servers inside China; anything slower than two seconds hurts Quality Score. Use mainland hosting (Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud) or a China-based CDN node.

3.2 Mandatory On-Page Disclosures

Include clear privacy policy, refund or return terms, a real phone number, email address and physical address. The real-name contact should match the passport submitted during onboarding.

3.3 Extra Permits for Restricted Verticals

Medical, finance, education, supplements and games with loot boxes require sector-specific licences before ads will pass manual review.

Conclusion

Advertising on China’s largest search engine without a mainland licence is entirely feasible but very complex compared to other western search engines. Use a certified agency’s umbrella account for speed and simplicity, or register a Hong Kong entity to open a Baidu International account and keep fees low.

You could be driving qualified mainland traffic in as little as two weeks—giving you valuable market data while you decide whether a full mainland entity or ICP licence is worth the deeper investment.

Are you ready to expand to China?