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Start by choosing the right legal structure, because it determines your liability, taxes, funding, and compliance. Then file the entity and add the registrations your activity needs. The structure decision is the one worth getting right first.

A Private Limited Company is usually preferred for startups planning equity funding, ESOPs and structured ownership under the Companies Act, 2013. An LLP suits partner-led service firms that are not raising equity. Compare them on the business-structure page before deciding.

Yes. A proprietorship can be converted into an OPC, Private Limited Company, or LLP as it grows by incorporating a new entity and transferring the business. Conversion can involve tax, asset-transfer and licence steps, so choose the long-term structure early if funding or limited liability matters.

Choose an LLP for flexible, partner-led operations with lighter routine compliance and no equity-funding plan. Choose a Private Limited Company where structured shareholding, investor entry and scale matter. The trade-off is flexibility versus fundability.

Open a current account, complete tax registrations, set up accounting and invoicing, maintain statutory records, and start your compliance calendar. For a company, file INC-20A to commence business before operations begin.

Yes. Foreign nationals and companies can invest in or set up Indian entities — usually a Private Limited Company or LLP — under the FDI policy and FEMA, subject to sector rules, documentation, and FC-GPR reporting to the RBI. A proprietorship is not available to foreign nationals.

Only on a non-repatriation basis, under Schedule 4 of the FEM (Non-Debt Instruments) Rules, 2019. For repatriable investment, an NRI/OCI is generally better served by a company or LLP.

Yes. Under Section 149(3) of the Companies Act, 2013, at least one director must have stayed in India for not less than 182 days during the financial year. The board can otherwise include foreign nationals.

After a foreign investor subscribes to shares, the Indian company reports the allotment to the RBI in Form FC-GPR within the prescribed time. Setindiabiz handles the FEMA reporting alongside incorporation.

Yes, for companies. Section 12 of the Companies Act, 2013 requires a registered office for statutory communication within 30 days of incorporation. A residential address is acceptable with a utility bill and the owner’s NOC.

No. There has been no minimum paid-up capital requirement for a private company since the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2015. Start with any amount and maintain enough working capital to operate.

Yes, for online MCA filings. A DSC is mandatory for e-filing incorporation forms and is issued by licensed Certifying Authorities. We procure DSCs for all directors as part of the process.

The name must be unique and not identical or deceptively similar to an existing company or trademark, per the Companies (Incorporation) Rules, 2014. We run a name check against the MCA portal and the trademark registry before filing SPICe+ Part A.

About 8–12 working days for a company end-to-end, depending on document readiness, name approval and ROC review. A proprietorship can take from one day to about a week. Each added registration runs on its own short timeline.

SPICe+ is the integrated MCA V3 incorporation form. Part A reserves the name; Part B, filed with e-MOA (INC-33), e-AOA (INC-34) and AGILE-PRO-S, applies for incorporation, DIN, PAN, TAN, GSTIN and EPFO/ESIC in one submission.

Once turnover crosses ₹40 lakh for goods or ₹20 lakh for services (lower in special-category states), and from the first transaction under Section 24 triggers — inter-state supply, e-commerce, or reverse charge. Small taxpayers can opt for Rule 14A simplified registration.

Yes. Voluntary registration is useful for B2B billing, marketplace onboarding, or claiming input tax credit, even below the threshold. [VERIFY: confirm the latest GST portal advisory before publishing.]

Founder KYC (PAN, ID proof, address proof, photo), registered-office proof (utility bill, rent/ownership proof, NOC), and business details (names, objects, capital, ownership). Foreign founders may not need notarised or apostilled documents. [VERIFY: confirm the final list by entity type.]

It is optional but useful. Udyam registration under the MSMED Act, 2006, is free, provides a certificate in the firm’s name accepted by banks, and unlocks government benefits and easier access to credit.

It is the declaration for the commencement of business that a company with share capital must file before starting operations or borrowing. We file it as part of your first compliance steps.

The total is government fee on actuals (ROC fee and state stamp duty for companies; nil for Udyam/GST), third-party costs (DSC, attestation), and the Setindiabiz professional fee quoted upfront. [VERIFY: confirm package prices.]

A DPIIT-recognised Private Limited Company or LLP that obtains a separate IMB Certificate of Eligibility can claim a 100% profit deduction for any three consecutive years in its first ten, under Section 80-IAC, if incorporated before 1 April 2030. DPIIT recognition by itself does not grant the deduction.

No. Section 56(2)(viib) — the angel tax — was abolished with effect from 1 April 2025 (AY 2025-26) for all investor classes by the Finance (No. 2) Act, 2024. New funds that raise above fair market value no longer attract it.

A company is taxed as a separate entity; a proprietorship’s income is added to the proprietor’s personal income at slab rates. Income for FY 2025-26 is assessed under the Income-tax Act, 1961, and for Tax Year 2026-27 onwards under the Income-tax Act, 2025. The effective rate depends on entity type, income and the chosen regime.