A foreign passport being addressed in professional-account verification does not mean it is accepted at the corporate-verification stage of overseas advertising onboarding. Brands preparing paid campaigns need to check these two processes separately.
Latest official update from Xiaohongshu: the professional-account and KOS changes are confirmed, with phased rollout from 30 September to 30 October 2026. Requirements will apply progressively; check your account status and the relevant application step.
Prepare two document checklists
The professional-account list establishes whether the account and operator can enter business verification. The advertising list must also establish which real-name document the relevant verification step accepts. Existing business verification does not justify promising that advertising will require no further operator checks. The official policy does not explain every historical entity-reuse route and how it interacts with the new requirement.
Check the operator separately
The official policy specifies a CN-attributed operator and says an identity card can support admission. It separately describes conditions for a foreign operator: being in mainland China, providing a +86 phone number and signing the platform's compliance undertaking. Confirm which route applies rather than reducing this to ‘any passport is accepted’. Personal information of an operator using a foreign passport is masked across the system; the company's own posts and exposure data are a separate matter.
Operator identification during advertising onboarding
For overseas-user advertising onboarding, the official policy says the operator's real-name information at the corporate-verification stage must use a mainland Chinese second-generation resident identity card. Passports and Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan travel permits are not accepted there. Keep this statement tied to that process: it is not a blanket ban on overseas companies, and it is not a suggestion to borrow another person's identity. Check the actual advertising verification step even after business-account approval.
What to prepare before asking for an assessment
- Whether the professional account is verified and the ad account is new.
- The exact corporate-verification step involved.
- Document eligibility for that step, not for a different service.
Frequently asked question
Do Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan documents work for ads because they display normally in professional accounts?
That conclusion does not follow. The professional-account section describes their treatment there, whereas advertising onboarding specifies a mainland second-generation resident ID card and excludes passports and Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan travel permits at the stated stage.
Discuss your account with Muxiang
Planning to advertise after verification? Tell us the professional account status, advertiser entity, operator document type and the exact verification stage involved. Muxiang can help separate business-account requirements from advertising onboarding requirements. Please do not send full identity documents for the initial enquiry.
Overseas advertising account setup
Read the guide for your next step
- Xiaohongshu Blue V for overseas companies: account, entity and operator requirements
- Can a foreign national operate a Xiaohongshu business account? Verification requirements
Source: Xiaohongshu’s official “【930合规版】专业号&kos改造” policy. Confirmed phased rollout: 30 September–30 October 2026.
