The Ministry of Finance on Wednesday published an application by PwC China to set up a special-general partnership.
The application by China's largest accounting firm in terms of revenue means it is the last of the "Big Four" accounting firms to launch a localization program
PwC's license as a joint venture will expire in 2017.
PwC Asia-Pacific Assurance Lead Partner Raymund Chao said the conversion of PwC China will hopefully be completed by January 2013.
"And we'll continue to be the No 1 accounting firm in China," he said.
Most of the 148 partners at PwC China, or 60 percent, are qualified in China as certified public accountants.