Differences between Domestic Entity Mini-program and Overseas Entity - FAQ about WeChat Mini-program
Many retailers face question about whether they should choose domestic or overseas entity mini-program when preparing for launch. Here's what you should know.
by Davy Huang
WeChat mini-program is now becoming an essential part of online retail channel strategy for international retailers. WeChat requires all retailers to be certified as an "overseas entity" mini-program to support cross-border payment. But there are many function and scope differences between "domestic entity" and "overseas entity".
In this article, you will find a detailed comparison between domestic entity and overseas entity WeChat mini-program. Apart from scope differences, brands and retailers should also pay attention to functional differences, which may impact future business growth. Azoya will continue to update this document, and please bookmark the article in your browser.
Categorical permission
When reviewing each mini-program release, WeChat will review the services being mentioned or provided by the merchant. If the services are not supported by WeChat for overseas entity, large chance is that you will fail the release application.
Here's a summary of the categorical permission available for overseas entity. We only listed key categories and services related to e-commerce. To check the full list, please visit the developer document of WeChat mini-program.
| Category/Services | Overseas entity | Note |
| Fashion apparel and accessories | Yes | |
| Toys | Yes | |
| Beauty and personal care | Yes | |
| Jewelry, watches and eyewear | Yes | |
| Flower, handiwork | Yes | |
| Household item, home textile | Yes | |
| Stationery | Yes | |
| Pet food | On condition | Need to provide following document to apply for pet food 1) Trademark certificate (R) 2) Authorization letter from the trademark owner original copy and translated version copy (Chinese/EN) 3) Commitment Letter All products available for sale should be in the Cross-border Import "Positive List" |
| Baby supplies | On conditions | Need to provide following document to apply for infant pacifier, diaper, clothes, and feeder 1) Trademark certificate (R) 2) Authorization letter from the trademark owner original copy and translated version copy (Chinese/EN) 3) Commitment Letter All products available for sale should be in the Cross-border Import "Positive List" Pls note that this category does not include infant milk |
| Infant milk / formula | On conditions | Need to provide following document to apply for infant milk formula 1) Trademark certificate (R) 2) Authorization letter from the trademark owner original copy and translated version copy (Chinese/EN) 3) Need to sign an entrustment letter with a Chinese domestic company and certifying that company to undertake joint liability 4) Evidence that the product/brand is selling on other cross-border e-commerce platformin China (e.g. Tmall Global, JD Global) All products available for sale should be in the Cross-border Import "Positive List" |
| Nutrition / health supplements | On conditions | Need to provide following document to apply for health supplement 1) Trademark certificate (R) 2) Authorization letter from the trademark owner original copy and translated version copy (Chinese/EN) 3) Need to sign an entrustment letter with a Chinese domestic company and certifying that company to undertake joint liability 4) Evidence that the product/brand is selling on other cross-border e-commerce platformin China (e.g. Tmall Global, JD Global) All products available for sale should be in the Cross-border Import "Positive List" |
| Food | On conditions | Need to provide following document to apply for food 1) Trademark certificate (R) 2) Authorization letter from the trademark owner original copy and translated version copy (Chinese/EN) 3) Commitment Letter All products available for sale should be in the Cross-border Import "Positive List" |
| Liquor, wine, alcoholic drinks | On conditions | Need to provide following document to apply for alcoholic drinks 1) Trademark certificate (R) 2) Authorization letter from the trademark owner original copy and translated version copy (Chinese/EN) 3) Commitment Letter All products available for sale should be in the Cross-border Import "Positive List" |
| OTC (over-the-counter drugs), medicine | Not allowed | / |
WeChat Mini-program is continuing to review their policy for cross-border importation, and the above list shows that they are doing more research into the industry. Potentially the application process will be more transparent in the near future.
Live-stream campaign
WeChat's native live-stream campaign is being used by many domestic merchants. For international retailers, they may not be able to use such function due to their limitation. We suggest retailers to research third-party live-stream tools options to host such campaigns in WeChat.
More information: WeChat Developer Document for Live-stream Component
Acquiring user's mobile phone number
Unfortunately, overseas entity mini-program are unable to acquire user's mobile phone from WeChat open platform. Such function are only available for domestic entity mini-program. The workaround is to let each users to input their mobile phone and authenticate these numbers.
Above are the main restrictions for retailers to set up mini-program with overseas entity. Contact our WeChat consultant and tailor your mini-program strategy if you need expert help from us.