How to Register a Company in India in 2026: SPICe+ Step by Step, Costs, and Timeline

Company registration in India runs through one online form, SPICe+, on the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) portal. Filed cleanly, a Private Limited company is incorporated in about 7 to 15 working days for roughly ₹5,000 to ₹9,000 in government, stamp, and certificate costs if you do it yourself, or ₹8,000 to ₹20,000 through a CA, CS, or online filing service. This is the working checklist as of September 2026: what to decide first, each step in order with cost and days, and what you must do in the first month after the certificate arrives.

For the background on what the MCA and SPICe+ are, read our overview of company registration in India; this post is the exact sequence.

Step 0: Pick the structure before you touch the form

SPICe+ handles companies only (Private Limited, One Person Company, Section 8, Public). An LLP uses a different form, FiLLiP, and a sole proprietorship has no central registration at all. Choosing wrong here costs weeks.

• Sole proprietorship: no MCA filing, near-zero cost, unlimited personal liability. Right for freelancers, single-owner shops, and anyone testing an idea.
• One Person Company (OPC): a Private Limited with one shareholder plus a nominee, filed through SPICe+. Limited liability, but no co-founder equity without converting. Right for solo founders.
• LLP: two or more partners, limited liability, lighter compliance (no board meetings, audit only above ₹40 lakh turnover or ₹25 lakh contribution). Filed through FiLLiP. Cannot issue shares, so investors avoid it. Right for agencies, professional firms, and family businesses.
• Private Limited Company: two to two hundred shareholders, at least two directors (one resident in India for 182 days or more in the year), can issue shares and ESOPs. Heaviest compliance. Right for anything that will hire, raise money, or sell to large companies.

Our comparison of business structures in India covers the tax and compliance differences. The rest of this post follows the Private Limited path.

Step 1: Documents checklist

For each director and shareholder: PAN (name must match Aadhaar exactly), Aadhaar, a passport-size photo, one identity proof (passport, voter ID, or driving licence), one address proof under two months old in their own name (bank statement, electricity or mobile bill), plus a personal email and mobile for OTPs. Foreign nationals substitute a notarised and apostilled passport and address proof for Aadhaar.

For the registered office: a utility bill for the premises under two months old, a No Objection Certificate from the owner if rented or family-owned, and the rent agreement if rented. A home address or a coworking virtual office is fine if you can produce the bill and NOC.

For the company: two proposed names in order of preference, a one-line description of the main activity with its NIC code, the authorised and paid-up capital (₹1 lakh and ₹10,000 is a common minimum-cost choice; there is no legal minimum), and the shareholding split.

Check the name against the MCA database, the Trade Marks registry, and domain availability before filing; an MCA-approved name can still be a trademark conflict or a domain nobody can buy. The business name generator gives you options and the domain checker confirms the matching domain is free.

Step 2: Digital Signature Certificates (Day 1)

Every proposed director and subscriber needs a Class 3 DSC because SPICe+, the e-MoA, and the e-AoA are signed digitally. Get a two-year certificate from a licensed certifying authority (eMudhra, Sify, and others) with same-day video KYC. Cost: approx. ₹1,000 to ₹2,000 per person including the USB token.

Step 3: SPICe+ Part A, name reservation (Days 1 to 3)

Register as a business user on the MCA V3 portal and file Part A with up to two names, company type, and main activity. The Central Registration Centre approves one name, asks for a single resubmission, or rejects. Cost: approx. ₹1,000. Timeline: one to three working days. An approved name is held for 20 days, which is why the documents should be ready before you file Part A; if it lapses you pay again.

Step 4: SPICe+ Part B and the linked forms (Days 3 to 5)

Part B is the incorporation itself and bundles several applications:

• SPICe+ Part B: director and subscriber details, registered office, capital, and DIN allotment for up to three directors who do not already have one (free within incorporation).
• e-MoA (INC-33) and e-AoA (INC-34): Memorandum and Articles filled in online. Write the object clause carefully: what the business will actually do plus reasonable adjacent activities.
• AGILE-PRO-S (INC-35): applies for GSTIN (optional now), EPFO and ESIC (mandatory to apply, dormant until you cross employee thresholds), Profession Tax in states that levy it (Maharashtra, Karnataka, and others), a current account with a partner bank, and Shops and Establishment registration in some states.
• INC-9: the auto-generated declaration by subscribers and first directors.

Attach the documents, sign with the DSCs, and pay. A practising CA, CS, or CMA must certify the form; if you have prepared everything else yourself, certification alone typically costs approx. ₹2,000 to ₹5,000.

Step 5: What it costs, and why stamp duty is the wild card

Under current MCA fee rules the government filing fee for SPICe+, e-MoA, and e-AoA is nil for authorised capital up to ₹15 lakh. What you still pay:

• Stamp duty on the MoA, AoA, and SPICe+ form: set by the state of the registered office and collected through the portal. For a ₹1 lakh capital company it runs from roughly ₹400 to ₹1,500 in Delhi and Maharashtra to well over ₹10,000 in higher-duty states such as Punjab, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh. The portal shows the exact figure before payment; treat these as ballparks.
• PAN and TAN: issued with incorporation, approx. ₹130 to ₹150 combined.
• Name reservation: approx. ₹1,000.
• DSCs: approx. ₹1,000 to ₹2,000 per person.
• DIN: free for up to three directors.

Two directors, ₹1 lakh capital, low-duty state, self-filed with professional certification: approx. ₹5,000 to ₹9,000 all in. End to end through a CA, CS, or online service: approx. ₹8,000 to ₹20,000. Fees change; confirm on the MCA portal before budgeting.

Step 6: Certificate of Incorporation (Days 5 to 12)

The Registrar approves, asks for resubmission (usually a document mismatch or an over-broad object clause), or rejects. Clean filings are typically approved in three to seven working days. You receive the Certificate of Incorporation with the CIN, plus the company PAN and TAN, by email. Realistic total from DSC to certificate: 7 to 15 working days. Anything longer almost always traces to a name resubmission or a registered office document.

Step 7: The first 30 to 180 days, in order

1. Open the current account (week 1) via the AGILE-PRO-S application or any bank, with the certificate, MoA, AoA, PAN, and a board resolution.
2. Deposit the subscribed capital: each shareholder transfers their share of the paid-up capital from their own account into the company account.
3. File INC-20A, Declaration of Commencement of Business, within 180 days, attaching the bank proof of capital. Without it the company cannot operate or borrow and directors face daily penalties. File it the week the money lands.
4. Appoint the first auditor within 30 days by board resolution and file ADT-1. Every Private Limited is audited from year one regardless of turnover.
5. Register for GST if turnover will cross the threshold (₹40 lakh for goods and ₹20 lakh for services in most states, lower in special category states), if you sell inter-state, or if you sell through online marketplaces. Many companies register on day one to claim input credit and look invoice-ready to B2B clients.
6. Register on Udyam. Free, 20 minutes, and it unlocks MSME benefits including delayed-payment protection. Our Udyam registration guide walks through it.
7. Get the domain and website live. The Companies Act requires your company name, CIN, and registered address on letterheads, invoices, and your website. Register the matching domain the same week the certificate arrives, before a squatter spots the new CIN in the public MCA database, and put the site up with the same details in the footer.

Frequently asked questions

Can I register a company in India entirely online?

Yes. Everything from DSC to GST is online; the only physical pieces are the couriered DSC tokens and, at some banks, account KYC.

Is a CA or CS mandatory for company registration?

A practising CA, CS, or CMA must digitally certify SPICe+. You can prepare everything yourself and pay only for certification.

What is the minimum capital to register a Private Limited company in 2026?

There is no statutory minimum. ₹1 lakh authorised and ₹10,000 paid-up is a common low-cost setup. Government filing fees are nil up to ₹15 lakh authorised capital; only state stamp duty applies.

Can I use my home as the registered office?

Yes, with a utility bill under two months old for the address and an NOC from the owner, including a parent or spouse. Rented flats need the landlord's NOC.

What happens if I skip INC-20A?

The company cannot commence business or borrow, faces a ₹50,000 penalty plus ₹1,000 per day per defaulting officer, and the Registrar can strike it off. It is the most commonly missed post-incorporation filing.