The deadline that matters most: Professional Account registration

A Professional Account (专业号) is the verified brand account that unlocks advertising, lead generation, and business tools on the platform. Here is how the timeline works:

• Until September 30: Overseas brands can register or upgrade through the current process.

• September 30 to October 30: New registrations will only be open to accounts with a +86 phone number.

• November: Registration for non-+86 accounts is expected to reopen gradually. But there is no firm date.

Brands that already have a Professional Account are not affected. The pause applies only to new registrations, so an account you set up before September 30 stays in place and keeps working through the transition.

That makes the next 13 days a real dividing line.

The cost of missing the deadline

Brands without a mainland China phone number that miss the deadline could be waiting until sometime in November, or later.

That wait would cover the months when Chinese travelers plan and book their winter holidays and Chinese New Year trips.

Register before September 30 and you’re locked in. Wait, and you may still be in a queue when Q4 demand peaks.

What this means for hospitality and tourism

Hotels, resorts, and travel companies will feel this upgrade more than most.

The timing hits peak planning season for Chinese New Year trips on Xiaohongshu. A brand that can’t register until November may miss that window.

Bookings start in conversations. Luxury stays move from a note to a private message to WeChat or WeCom. Those channels keep working, but more inquiries may not show up in Juguang. Track leads on your own side instead of judging campaigns by the dashboard alone.

Audience reports will also get thinner for overseas Chinese travelers, students, and expats who use non-+86 numbers. First-party data will matter more

Why now? Our take

The official notice frames this as a compliance upgrade. However, it failed to provide any deeper rationale. From where we sit, this inevitably points to the “TikTok refugee” exodus of early 2025.

When a possible US TikTok ban loomed in January 2025, a wave of American and other overseas users joined Xiaohongshu almost overnight.

For a short time, the platform became a place where Chinese and American users could talk to each other directly, without the usual filters—a sight that has been rare since around 2008 when the Great Fire Wall was erected. Many people on both sides found it eye-opening.

Up till this day, Xiaohongshu is one of very few social apps that allow international users to register new accounts with phone numbers from their home countries, and still have an identical user experience as Chinese natives.

It has long been rumored, however, that Chinese authorities viewed that openness with caution because of its potential effect on public opinion. This upgrade looks like the platform catching up on that influx by bringing overseas accounts under a tighter, more structured framework.

For brands, the lesson is simple. Access for overseas accounts is shaped by forces well beyond marketing, and rules can tighten with little notice. The best protection is to have your account established before they do.

What else is changing

These changes apply to all brands reaching overseas users, including those with existing accounts.

1. Lead tracking will look weaker than it really is. Notes (posts) and direct messages will still reach overseas users. Personal WeChat and WeCom business cards will also keep working as the main ways to capture leads. Some lead-collection features will be restricted, though. Inquiries from overseas users may also not fully sync back to Juguang, Xiaohongshu’s ad platform. As a result, your dashboard may show fewer leads and a temporarily higher cost per lead, even when real inquiries haven’t dropped. Brands that know this in advance won’t cut campaigns that are actually working.

2. Some reporting on overseas users will be less detailed. Sensitive data about overseas users, such as region, search terms, and audience breakdowns, will be shown only in aggregated form. Some of it may be delayed, incomplete, or hidden. Core metrics like impressions and clicks are not affected.

3. Audience targeting still works, with less visibility. You can still build and target overseas audiences through DMP. For non-+86 users, estimated reach and some detailed breakdowns will be limited. Actual ad delivery is not affected.

What this means for your brand

The platform is not closing to international brands. The easiest path in, however, closes in less than two weeks. Brands already registered will carry on as normal. Brands that aren’t will face a registration pause on top of less visible data, which makes getting started much harder.

Our recommendation: If you don’t yet have a Xiaohongshu Professional Account, start registration this week so your account is secured before September 30. If you already have one, your account is safe, but brief your team now on the reporting changes so that a dip on the dashboard doesn’t lead to the wrong decisions.

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Need help moving quickly?

Brands Without Borders helps luxury hospitality, travel, and fintech brands set up and grow on Xiaohongshu and WeChat, from account registration to content strategy and lead capture. Reply to this email and we’ll help you get set up before the September 30 deadline.