Company Business Scope Change Registration: Your Guide to Application Process and Key Information

As a company grows and stabilises, over time it might face business transformation or expansion. At this point, you’ll need to go through a change business scope process, and you might also need to add new business scope. 

‘Business scope’ refers to a company’s specific business content and industry type; simply put, it’s the activities, products, or services that generate revenue for the company. This application process is relatively straightforward, and with authorities promoting online processing, you can handle it with just a few clicks from your office. 

Below, we’ll explain to entrepreneurs setting up a company in Taipei how to navigate the change business scope process, giving you a complete grasp of the steps, details, and relevant documents.

1. Before Registering Your Company’s Business Scope Expansion, Confirm These Two Key Points

Before you begin the change scope process, there are two crucial points to pay close attention to. You must confirm them in advance to avoid missing things, wasting time, and having to start over. 

The first is the company’s business scope; the authorities’ websites provide clear classifications, which are very easy to search. The second is the business premises; the building where your company operates must comply with regulations for the corresponding business activities. These two points are inseparable.

Confirmation Item One: Business Scope

This article focuses on the change business scope process, so naturally, the first thing to confirm is the business scope. We briefly explained ‘business scope’ earlier – it’s the operational activities that generate income for your company, essentially its soul. Therefore, it’s vital to confirm each category listed by the authorities.

Regarding the desired change scope process, you need to understand if the chosen activity aligns with the company’s future business direction and complies with regulatory requirements. Incorrectly selecting or omitting activities in this step could lead to fines or an order to cease operations. So, it’s best to first browse the ‘Company and Business and Limited Partnership Business Scope Code Search System’.

For a simple search, on the system’s homepage, click [Business Scope Classification], then select [Major Category Name], and then narrow it down to [Minor/Medium Category Name]. Each item provides a detailed list and code, allowing you to compare carefully and confirm your company’s expansion or change of business scope. If you know your business activity requires central authority approval, you can click [Permitted Business Purpose Competent Authority Classification] and search via the corresponding authority for a quicker way to find the item and code.

Confirmation Item Two: Business Premises

After confirming the business scope, the second key point is the business premises. This involves whether the building where your company operates complies with regulations related to the relevant business activities. 

So, you need to confirm: 

• Can the changed or new business scope continue to operate at the original registered address? 
• Do you need to relocate and undergo a company address change? 

If the original business premises and the changed business activities don’t match, you’ll similarly face legal violations and penalties.

In summary, before a change business scope process, you must re-confirm that the registered address complies with the changed activities. To do this, you can use the Taipei City Department of Commerce’s Business Premises Pre-check System. Alternatively, you can refer to this article: “Is Company Relocation Difficult? A 7-Step Guide to Smoothly Changing Your Company Address.” The primary step within that guide is the address pre-check, to verify if the building at that address complies with building management regulations.

2. Methods for Change Business Scope Process

Once the two key points from the last step – business scope and business premises – are confirmed, you can start preparing the application documents and initiating the process.

Currently, you have two ways to apply: online application or in-person/mail application. We’ll introduce both methods below, so you can choose the one that suits your needs.

Method One: Online Application

Using the new online business scope option is the most convenient way to expand or change the company’s business scope. There’s no need to travel to the processing authority, and if additional documents are needed, you can submit them via email, saving a lot of time on correspondence or travel.

You can use the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Department of Commerce “Company, Business, and Limited Partnership One-Stop Online Application Platform.” On this platform, you’ll need to register an account. The platform offers various certificate account registrations, and you can also use your Facebook or Google account. 

After registering, click “Start Online Application” on the platform and follow the instructions to fill out the form, upload the required documents, and submit your application.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Department of Commerce has specially created a practice area, allowing you to thoroughly rehearse the change business scope process operation before actual application, avoiding unnecessary hassle due to improper handling. The practice area interface is almost identical to the official platform. When practising, just click “Start Online Application” and then follow the webpage instructions, selecting the options that fit your company and filling in your company information step-by-step.

Method Two: In-Person or Mail Application

If you’re still unfamiliar with platform operations or prefer traditional submission methods, opting for paper documents in person or by mail, you can find the required documents below. Once all necessary documents are prepared, submit them in person or mail them to the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Department of Commerce or the relevant county/city government unit. 

For the greater Taipei area, Taipei City Government’s processing department is the Department of Commerce’s Registration Service Section, while New Taipei City’s processing department is the Economic Development Department’s Company Registration Section.

3. Four Essential Documents for the Process of Changing Business Scope

Regardless of your chosen application method, it’s advisable to prepare these four documents beforehand. After completing and thoroughly checking them, upload them to the system for online applications, or print them for submission to the relevant unit.

• Application form (if an accountant or lawyer is acting as agent, a power of attorney should also be attached)
• Copy of the company’s articles of association
• Copy of the shareholder meeting minutes
• Two copies of the change registration form
• Copy of approval letter from other authorities (submit only if applicable)

A quick note on document item 5: This refers to companies involving foreign investment, which should attach an Investment Commission approval letter. If it concerns investment activities in Taiwan by mainland Chinese individuals, legal entities, groups, other organisations, or their companies invested in third regions, a copy of the Investment Commission’s investment permit letter should be attached. 

If your company operates licensed businesses, a copy of the competent authority’s permit document for the specific business should be provided. If your situation doesn’t fall under these descriptions, you only need to prepare the first four documents.

Finally, you await the notification of the review result. Processing times may vary by authority. For Taipei City Government, postal and online applications take approximately 8 days, while New Taipei City Government’s in-person and postal applications take about 3 days.

4. Business Premises Considerations for Change Business Scope Process!

The variety of business activities across different industries is vast. For some business activities, the competent authorities have very clear regulations regarding their corresponding business premises. It’s crucial that before your company expands or changes its business scope, you meticulously confirm whether it falls within the explicitly regulated items, to avoid inadvertently breaking the law. Here, we’ll use Taipei City Government’s “Taipei City Business Premises Assistance Query Service Operations Guide” as a reference.

Based on the contents of Articles 4 and 5 of the aforementioned guide, a summary is provided below: 

If your company’s business activities include:

• Dance halls
• Dance venues
• Hostess bars
• Pubs
• Special coffee/tea rooms
• Audio-visual karaoke establishments
• Saunas
• Nightclubs
• Electronic game arcades
• Information leisure businesses
• Adult product retail
• Drinking establishments
• Restaurants
• Other catering services;

• Massage services (excluding visually impaired masseurs)
• Foot massage services
• Traditional remedial manipulation services
• Slimming and beauty services
• Competitive and recreational sports venues
• Sports training services;

• Car repair
• Motorcycle repair
• Car/motorcycle parts and accessories retail
• Other car services;

• Amusement parks
• Interactive experiential services
• Real-time sensory experience application services
• Pet grooming services
• Pet food and supplies retail
• Self-storage
• Recreational activity venues,

then when your company applies for a change scope process, the city government will proactively conduct a query service alongside your application. 

This means Taipei City Government’s Department of Urban Development and Building Management Office will jointly assist in checking if the business premises comply with land use zoning controls and building management regulations. 

This is to help you, as the company director, understand if your company’s business premises comply with urban planning and building management laws. If they do not comply, the city government will first issue a promotional letter, advising you to select another legal business premises for operation.

If the new business scope involves the eight types of industries: 

1. Dance halls
2. Dance venues
3. Hostess bars
4. Pubs
5. Special coffee/tea rooms
6. Nightclubs
7. Audio-visual karaoke establishments
8. Saunas,

and you wish to apply to add new business scope for these, the business premises should apply for a permit from the Taipei City Government’s Department of Commerce Management Section in accordance with the “Taipei City Dance Hall, Dance Venue, Hostess Bar, Pub, and Special Coffee/Tea Room Management Autonomous Ordinance.”

If the new business scope involves electronic game arcades or information leisure businesses, it needs to be processed separately according to the “Electronic Game Arcade Industry Management Ordinance,” “Taipei City Electronic Game Arcade Industry Establishment and Management Autonomous Ordinance,” and “Taipei City Information Leisure Industry Management Autonomous Ordinance.”

All these regulations, large and small, are to ensure that as an entrepreneur, you meticulously select legally compliant business premises for your operations, safeguarding your company’s business security.