Incorporated properly — and told what falls due in the first ninety days.
Incorporation is the easy part. What catches new founders is the compliance that starts the moment the certificate is issued — a declaration before you can commence business, an auditor to appoint within a month, and annual filings whether or not you have traded. We handle the incorporation and tell you exactly what falls due afterwards.
Choosing the structure
Structure
Suits
Trade-off
Private Limited Company
Businesses raising external investment, hiring, or needing credibility with large customers
Highest compliance burden of the three
Limited Liability Partnership
Professional firms and businesses wanting limited liability with lighter compliance
Harder to raise equity investment
One Person Company
Single founders wanting a corporate structure
Restrictions on turnover and capital, with mandatory conversion beyond them
If you intend to raise funding, a private limited company is effectively the only structure investors will subscribe to. If you do not, the lighter structures are often the better economic choice. We will tell you which applies to you before you commit.
What you need to provide
PAN and Aadhaar for every proposed director and subscriber
Identity proof — passport, voter ID or driving licence
Address proof in the director's own name, generally not older than two months — bank statement or utility bill
Passport-size photographs
Registered office proof — latest electricity bill, plus rent agreement and owner's No Objection Certificate where the premises are rented
Two or three proposed company names in order of preference, with the intended business activity
Name rejection is the usual cause of delay. Names too similar to an existing company or a registered trademark are refused. We run a similarity and trademark check before filing rather than after a rejection has cost you a week.
The incorporation process
Digital Signature Certificates obtained for all proposed directors and subscribers.
Name reservation through SPICe+ Part A, with the business activity and object clause drafted to fit.
SPICe+ Part B filed — the integrated form covering incorporation, Director Identification Numbers, PAN, TAN, and the linked applications for provident fund, ESI, professional tax and a bank account.
MOA and AOA drafted and filed in eMOA and eAOA, with the object clause written for what you actually intend to do.
Certificate of Incorporation issued by the Registrar of Companies, carrying the Corporate Identity Number, along with PAN and TAN.
Where documents are complete and the name is approved on first attempt, incorporation typically completes within one to two weeks. Name rejections and document deficiencies are what extend it.
What falls due immediately after
Open the company bank account and bring in the subscribed capital
File the declaration of commencement of business within the prescribed period — the company cannot legally commence operations or borrow until this is filed
Appoint the first statutory auditor within thirty days of incorporation and file the intimation
Maintain statutory registers and hold the first board meeting within the prescribed window
A minimum of two directors and two shareholders, and the same person can be both. At least one director must be resident in India. There is no minimum paid-up capital requirement, though the capital you subscribe should be realistic for your operations.
Yes. A residential address can serve as the registered office provided you have valid proof — the latest utility bill, and a No Objection Certificate from the owner if the property is not yours. The registered office can be changed later by filing the prescribed form.
Annual financial statement and annual return filings with the Registrar, annual director KYC, statutory audit regardless of turnover, income tax return, board and general meetings with minutes, and maintenance of statutory registers. This continues even in a year with no business activity, which surprises many founders.
It depends on whether you intend to raise external equity. Investors will generally only subscribe to a private limited company. If you are not raising funding, an LLP carries meaningfully lighter compliance and is often the better economic choice — we will walk you through both before you decide.