How to Register a Private Limited Company in India: Step-by-Step

Incorporating a private limited company in India is largely a single-window process today, run through the Ministry of Corporate Affairs’ SPICe+ (Simplified Proforma for Incorporating Company Electronically Plus) form. Most straightforward incorporations are approved within 7 to 15 working days of a complete filing.

Before you file

• Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) for every proposed director
• At least 2 directors and 2 shareholders (can be the same people), with at least one resident Indian director
• A registered office address with proof (utility bill + NOC from the owner, or lease deed)
• Two to four proposed company names, in order of preference

The SPICe+ filing itself

SPICe+ Part A reserves your company name. Part B covers the actual incorporation — director and shareholder details, registered office, and share capital — filed along with the eMOA (Memorandum) and eAOA (Articles of Association) in linked forms INC-33 and INC-34. PAN and TAN are generated automatically as part of the same filing, so you don’t need to apply for them separately.

The first 30 days after incorporation

Getting the certificate of incorporation isn’t the finish line. Within 30 days you’re expected to open a current bank account in the company’s name, and the first board meeting must be held within 30 days of incorporation. An auditor must be appointed within 30 days as well (extendable to the first AGM in some cases), and GST registration should be applied for separately if your business will be liable to register.

A company that skips these early formalities often ends up scrambling to reconstruct paperwork a year later when the first annual filing comes due. If you’re incorporating, it’s worth setting up the compliance calendar on day one rather than after the fact.