Nantong Economic and Technological Development Area, Jiangsu province, started to issue a new "three in one" business license to ease registration procedures for enterprises based in the area on Oct 9.

The new license integrates the business license, the certificate of organization code and the certificate of tax registration. The license uses a unified social credit code consisting of 18 numbers. This reform of business registration procedure was first raised in the government work report for 2015, with the idea of improving administrative efficiency while lowering costs.

Four local companies, including the Nantong-based subsidiary of Shanghai Hechen International Travel Agency, became the first beneficiaries of this new mechanism. Chen Gang, manager of the travel agency, said that the reform has brought great convenience to?his company because they no longer have to go to different departments to complete the registration procedures.

Huang Jiayu, director of the local administrative service center, said that the simplified approval process has significantly improved work efficiency.

According to the local government, this new licensing system will gradually be launched in Nantong. By Jan 1, 2018, all the old business licenses will become invalid and be replaced by the new ones.

Representative of a local enterprise receives the "three in one" business license at the Nantong Economic and Technological Development Area in Jiangsu province, Oct 9. [Photo/netda.gov.cn]