WeChat Official Account for Overseas Businesses: Types, Options and Costs
Updated on |By QPSoftware
A WeChat Official Account is the business account that companies, media and organizations use to publish content, message their followers and offer services inside WeChat. An overseas business can open one without a Chinese entity: registrations from outside mainland China are limited to a company service account, and WeChat verification costs USD 99 per review.
Key takeaways
- WeChat has two kinds of Official Accounts: the subscription account, made for publishing, and the service account, made for services, payments and user management.
- A company registered outside mainland China can open one service account, and the account only works normally once it passes WeChat verification.
- Verification costs USD 99 per review, paid by WeChat Pay or card, and takes 7 to 15 working days once the file is complete.
- A service account can notify all its followers four times a month, and can reply to a follower within 48 hours of that follower’s message.
- WeChat users in China and abroad can follow a service account registered by an overseas company.
What is a WeChat Official Account?
A WeChat Official Account is an account registered on the WeChat Official Accounts Platform (mp.weixin.qq.com). WeChat users follow it, read its articles, chat with it and use the services behind its menu. For a brand, it works as a newsletter and a customer service channel inside the app its audience already uses every day.
The platform offers several account types, and the Chinese interface now uses new names for them. WeChat’s developer documentation splits the former Official Account documentation into two sets: the 公众号, described as the former subscription account, and the 服务号, the service account (WeChat service account documentation).
- Subscription account, now labeled 公众号 (Official Account) in Chinese: made for media and individuals who publish information and want a closer relationship with their readers.
- Service account (服务号): gives companies and organizations stronger business services and user management capabilities inside WeChat.
- Mini Programs and WeCom (企业微信, formerly WeChat Work) are separate account types. The first runs apps inside WeChat, the second is Tencent’s platform for internal communication.
If you would rather hand over the setup, a WeChat agency that builds for foreign brands can register, verify and run the account for you.
Service account or subscription account: which one does a business need?
Both types publish articles and talk with followers. They differ on two points that matter to a brand: how often followers get notified, and what you can build on the account.
| Criteria | Subscription account (公众号) | Service account (服务号) |
|---|---|---|
| Made for | Media and individuals who publish information | Companies and organizations that offer services |
| Group notifications | 1 per day | 4 per calendar month |
| Where followers see updates | Official Accounts section of WeChat | Service Accounts section of WeChat |
| Features for developers | Menus, messages, publishing | Adds template messages, subscription notifications and web authorization |
| Open to overseas registrations | No | Yes, company accounts only |
The notification limit only applies when a post is sent with a group notification (群发通知). Followers then see the update in the Official Accounts or Service Accounts section of their app, and in their conversation with the account. A post published without the notification stays visible on the account’s profile page, without alerting anyone (Tencent rules for group messages).
For most foreign brands the choice is already made: registrations from outside mainland China only support company service accounts. A company with a Chinese entity can pick either type, and our comparison of WeChat subscription and service accounts explains how to decide.
Can an overseas business open a WeChat Official Account?
Yes. Besides mainland China, the WeChat Official Accounts Platform accepts service account registrations from a number of countries and regions, chosen from a list when you register. If your country is missing, Tencent’s guide advises watching for new registration regions. The same guide sets the rules below (overseas service account registration):
- Accounts registered from outside mainland China can only be service accounts.
- Each overseas entity can register one account.
- The account has to pass WeChat verification before it can be used normally.
- Personal WeChat users, in mainland China and abroad, can follow a service account registered by an overseas entity.
A foreign company has two ways to get an account:
- Register under the overseas company. The company is the registered owner of the account, and the procedure accepts its foreign registration certificate.
- Register under a Chinese entity, such as a subsidiary in China or a local partner. Both account types are available, but when a partner registers the account, the partner is its owner. Changing the owner later goes through WeChat’s official account transfer process, which has its own conditions and fees.
What can a WeChat service account do?
A service account covers the everyday needs of a brand in China, from content to customer care. Its documentation lists custom menus, messages, template messages, subscription notifications, coupons and membership cards, e-invoices, and web tools such as web authorization and the JS-SDK. The features that matter most to a foreign brand are below.
Group notifications
A service account publishes articles, images, text, audio and video. It can switch on the group notification four times per calendar month, and the count does not carry over to the next month. Between two notifications, posts can still be published without an alert: they appear on the account’s profile page.
Messages and the 48-hour window
A service account cannot message a follower whenever it wants. When a follower writes to the account, the account has 48 hours to reply. After that, it cannot write first until the follower gets in touch again (Tencent customer service).
Messages received from followers are kept in the platform for 30 days, then deleted. Star the important ones in the platform to keep them, or retrieve conversations through the customer service API if your team uses a customer service tool.
Mini Programs and payments
A service account can be linked to WeChat Mini Programs, so that articles and menus lead to a shop, a booking tool or a loyalty program. To sell, a verified service account can apply for a WeChat Pay merchant account, and the checkout is then built by a team that knows how to integrate Chinese payment methods.
How to set up a WeChat Official Account from overseas
Setting up the account takes two stages, registration and verification:
- On the WeChat Official Accounts Platform, click Register now (立即注册) and choose Service Account.
- Enter a login email, a password and your company’s place of registration.
- Register the company, with its name and registration number exactly as on its registration certificate, and the administrator’s details.
- Enter the account’s name and introduction.
- Apply for WeChat verification: upload the company registration certificate, the contact person’s ID, the signed application letter and operation authorization letter, then pay the review fee.
Each step, with the full list of documents and the details that delay a review, is covered in our guide on how to open a WeChat Official Account as a foreign company.
How much does a WeChat Official Account cost?
The fees paid to Tencent are for verification (overseas verification FAQ):
- USD 99 per verification review for an overseas entity. The fee is due for each application and is not refunded if the review fails.
- Payment by WeChat Pay or by card: American Express, China UnionPay, Diners Club, Discover, JCB, MasterCard or Visa.
- Review time: 7 to 15 working days after payment and a complete file. A third-party review company, assigned at random, checks the documents, and you can contact it to follow the review.
- Every year: verification is renewed through an annual review. If it expires or fails, the account loses its verified mark, and a service account loses payments and other advanced interfaces.
Beyond these fees, the real budget is the work around the account: content, menu design, Mini Program development and advertising. It depends on your goals, and an agency can quote it once the scope is clear.
How do you manage a service account day to day?
You can log in to the account on the web platform, or use the Official Accounts Assistant (公众号助手), Tencent’s app to publish, interact with followers and manage the account from a phone.
In the web platform, the followers list shows everyone who follows your service account. You can add tags and remarks to each follower to identify them more easily.
Clicking a follower’s profile opens your conversation history with that person. You can reply there when the follower wrote to the account in the last 48 hours, and new messages from followers show up in the same place.
On mobile, follower messages arrive in the app’s chat section, much like a personal account, and push notifications can alert you as soon as someone writes.
Remember that follower messages are deleted after 30 days, so save important conversations elsewhere. For a complete routine, from publishing to auto replies, read our guide on how to manage a WeChat Official Account.
What should you do next?
If your company is registered outside mainland China, check that your country or region appears in the registration list, gather your company registration certificate, and choose who will act as the account’s administrator. Then register the service account and apply for verification.
QPSoftware can open a WeChat service account for your company registered outside China and manage the application from start to finish. Our WeChat agency in Shanghai also designs the menus, content and Mini Programs that make the account useful once it is verified. To discuss your account, contact our team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a foreign company open a WeChat Official Account without a Chinese business license?
Yes. A company registered in one of the countries or regions offered on the WeChat Official Accounts Platform can register a service account under its overseas entity, without a Chinese business license. The account then has to pass WeChat verification, which costs USD 99 per review and takes 7 to 15 working days once the file is complete. Subscription accounts are not open to overseas registrations.
How many WeChat Official Accounts can a company have?
An overseas entity can register one account on the WeChat Official Accounts Platform, and that account is a service account. A company that also owns an entity in mainland China can register accounts under that entity, following the domestic rules. Decide which entity should own your main account before registering, because moving followers to another account later requires an account migration.
Can people outside China follow a WeChat Official Account?
Yes. Tencent’s registration guide states that personal WeChat users, in mainland China and abroad, can follow a service account registered by an overseas entity. The same account can therefore serve your customers in China and the WeChat users of your own market, with the same content and the same menu.
How do businesses send messages to followers on WeChat?
A business sends messages through its Official Account. A service account can push a group notification to all its followers four times per calendar month, and a subscription account once a day. Between these notifications, the account can answer a follower within 48 hours of that follower’s message, from the platform or through the customer service API.
How much does it cost to set up a WeChat Official Account?
Tencent charges an overseas entity USD 99 for each verification review, paid by WeChat Pay or card, and verification goes through an annual review. The rest of the budget depends on the work: content production, menu and Mini Program development, advertising and account management. An agency can quote these costs once the scope is defined.
