Planning & Budgeting
Company Registration Cost, Fees & Timeline in India
What company registration in India actually costs a foreign parent — the government fees, stamp duty and DSC, plus the SPICe+ clock and the annual maintenance stack that most budgets forget. Pvt Ltd (private limited) company registration is the usual route.
Last reviewed: July 2026 · Reviewed by CA Regi Tom Antony, Regi Tom Antony & Associates.
India setup cost & timeline estimator
Indicative only. Choose your situation to see the timeline, cost components and compliance stack that apply.
Your indicative estimate
Complexity: Straightforward
Estimated timeline: SPICe+ typically about 7–15 working days once documents are apostilled or legalised, plus apostille and bank-account lead time.
Estimated government and statutory costs (professional fees are quoted separately after scoping)
- DSC per director / designated partner
- Name reservation
- Stamp duty — varies by Maharashtra (on MoA/AoA and authorised capital)
- PAN & TAN
- FC-GPR within 30 days of share allotment (repatriable foreign investment)
Your annual compliance stack
- Statutory audit
- AOC-4 (financial statements)
- MGT-7 (annual return)
- Income-tax return
- TDS returns
- GST where registered
- FLA return by 15 July
- FC-GPR on each fresh share allotment
- transfer-pricing report under the Income-tax Act, 2025 (formerly Form 3CEB) where there are intra-group transactions
For your exact fixed fee in INR and USD, enter your email below — we send a written breakdown within one working day.
How long does it take to register a company in India?
Registration through SPICe+ typically takes about 7 to 15 working days from the point at which every document is in hand. The MCA itself is fast; the real timeline driver is legalisation abroad — apostille or notarisation and consularisation of the parent's board resolution, incorporation certificate and each director's passport and address proof.
What are the company registration fees in India? (step by step)
One-off incorporation cost is a mix of fixed statutory charges and variable professional fees. Statutory items are the Digital Signature Certificate per director, MCA name reservation and filing fees, and state stamp duty on the MoA, AoA and authorised share capital. Professional fees cover drafting, apostille coordination, filing and post-incorporation FEMA reporting.
| Step | What it is | Typical timeline | Cost nature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) | Class 3 DSC for each proposed director and subscriber | 1-3 working days | Government-approved CA vendor fee, per director |
| Name reservation (SPICe+ Part A) | Reserve the proposed company name with the MCA | 1-2 working days | MCA statutory fee |
| Apostille / notarisation of parent documents | Board resolution, charter documents, director KYC legalised abroad | 3-10 working days | Foreign notary, apostille and courier cost |
| MoA, AoA and stamp duty | Charter documents stamped on authorised share capital | 1-2 working days | State stamp duty — varies materially by state |
| SPICe+ Part B filing | Incorporation, DIN, PAN, TAN, EPFO/ESIC, optional GST and bank account in one form | 3-7 working days | MCA statutory fee plus professional fee |
| Certificate of Incorporation, PAN & TAN | CIN issued; PAN and TAN allotted with the certificate | Issued with approval | Statutory — included in SPICe+ |
| Bank account & FDI inward remittance | AD Category-I account opened, share subscription money received | 5-15 working days | Bank charges; professional coordination |
| FC-GPR reporting to RBI | Report share allotment on the FIRMS portal within 30 days | Within 30 days of allotment | Professional and valuation certification fee |
Timelines are typical as of 2026 and assume complete, correctly legalised documents. Stamp duty is levied by the state in which the registered office is located and can differ significantly between, for example, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi.
What are the ongoing annual costs of an Indian subsidiary?
An Indian subsidiary carries a fixed annual compliance stack regardless of turnover: bookkeeping, a statutory audit under the Companies Act, 2013, ROC filings in Forms AOC-4 and MGT-7, an income-tax return, quarterly TDS returns, GST returns per registration state, the FEMA annual FLA return, and company-secretarial and registered-office support. Cost scales with transaction volume, headcount and the number of states.
| Annual item | What drives the cost | Cost nature |
|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeping & monthly accounting | Scales with transaction volume and number of bank accounts | Professional fee — quoted after scoping |
| Statutory audit (Companies Act, 2013) | Mandatory every year regardless of turnover | Professional fee — quoted after scoping |
| ROC annual filings (AOC-4, MGT-7) | MCA filing fee by authorised capital plus preparation | Government fee + professional fee |
| Income-tax return & tax audit if applicable | Tax audit under the Income-tax Act, 2025 (formerly section 44AB of the 1961 Act) where thresholds are crossed | Professional fee — quoted after scoping |
| Quarterly TDS returns (24Q, 26Q, 27Q) | Four cycles a year; 27Q for non-resident payments | Professional fee — quoted after scoping |
| GST returns (GSTR-1, GSTR-3B, GSTR-9) | Monthly or quarterly plus annual return, per registration state | Professional fee — quoted after scoping |
| FEMA annual FLA return | Filed with RBI by 15 July each year where FDI is held | Professional fee — quoted after scoping |
| Company secretarial & registered office | Board meetings, minutes, statutory registers, address services | Professional fee — quoted after scoping |
| Resident director (Section 149(3)) | Only where the group has no eligible resident individual | Professional fee — quoted after scoping |
Disclaimer: Professional fees are not published. They depend on transaction volume, payroll size, number of GST registrations and state; after an initial discussion we send a written engagement letter setting out the scope, deliverables, timelines and fee. Discuss your requirements.
Which costs do foreign budgets most often miss?
The four items that most often break a foreign parent's India budget are state stamp duty on authorised share capital, apostille and consularisation costs abroad, the first-year statutory audit even on a nil-turnover company, and the fee for a resident director where the group has nobody meeting the Section 149(3) residence test.
Stamp duty by state
Charged on the MoA, AoA and authorised share capital under the relevant State Stamp Act — we compute it before you fix the capital structure.
Legalisation abroad
Apostille under the Hague Convention, or notarisation and consularisation where the parent's country is not a signatory, plus courier time.
Resident director
Section 149(3) requires one director resident in India for 182 days or more in the previous financial year — an annual cost if the group has no such person.
Year-one compliance floor
Audit, AOC-4, MGT-7, the income-tax return and the FLA return all fall due even if the company has not yet traded.
How we scope and quote an India setup
- 1
Confirm the vehicle and FDI route
Wholly owned subsidiary, joint venture, LLP or branch — and whether your sector sits on the automatic or government route under the FEMA (NDI) Rules, 2019.
- 2
Fix the capital structure and state
Authorised capital drives stamp duty; the registered-office state drives stamp duty, professional tax and RoC jurisdiction.
- 3
Map the document and legalisation plan
We issue a checklist of parent and director documents with the exact apostille or consularisation route for your country.
- 4
Issue a fixed written quote
Statutory components at cost, professional scope defined line by line, with year-one compliance priced separately so there is no surprise in month twelve.
- 5
File SPICe+ and open banking
Incorporation, PAN, TAN, EPFO/ESIC and the AD Category-I bank account, followed by inward remittance of subscription money.
- 6
Close out FEMA reporting
FC-GPR on the RBI FIRMS portal within 30 days of allotment, with the valuation certificate where required.
Plan the money out before you put money in
Budget the exit alongside the entry. The capital and debt mix you choose here decides what profit repatriation from India costs later, and every intra-group charge will be tested under section 393 of the Income-tax Act, 2025 (formerly section 195 of the 1961 Act) withholding tax. For the structure itself see wholly owned subsidiary and foreign company formation in India; for the running stack see post-entry support, payroll & HR compliance and virtual CFO services.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to set up a company in India as a foreigner?
How long does company registration take in India?
What are the ongoing annual costs of an Indian subsidiary?
Are there hidden or government fees I should budget for?
Is a resident director an added cost?
What are the fees for company registration in India?
What are the fees for Pvt Ltd (private limited) company registration in India?
Reviewed by CA Regi Tom Antony, Regi Tom Antony & Associates. Last reviewed: July 2026. Costs and timelines described are as of 2026 and are indicative general guidance, not a quotation.
India Entry Checklist (PDF)
The documents and steps to register a company in India — for foreign companies, founders and NRIs. One page, no fluff.
What's inside: Documents for the parent company and directors, the SPICe+ registration steps, FC-GPR/RBI reporting and the year-one compliance list.
Budget your India entry properly
Statutory components at cost, professional scope defined line by line, year-one compliance priced upfront.