Why it matters
The company, not you, owns the assets and owes the debts. If the business fails, what you can lose is limited to the money you put into your shares — your house and personal savings sit outside it.
Banks, large customers and government departments treat a registered company differently from an individual. Many tenders and vendor onboarding processes will not accept an unregistered business at all.
It is the only common Indian structure that investors can put money into cleanly. Shares can be issued, transferred and held in escrow; a partnership arrangement cannot do any of that without being rewritten each time.
It continues after you. Directors change, shareholders sell, the company survives — which matters for long contracts, licences and anything with a renewal date attached.
Who needs this
The process, step by step
Digital signatures for the directors
Every director signs the incorporation forms electronically, so each one needs a Class 3 digital signature certificate. This is usually the first thing done, because nothing can be filed until it exists.
Reserve the company name
Two names are proposed in order of preference. The registrar checks them against companies already on the register and against registered trademarks. An approved name is held for 20 days — the incorporation form must be filed inside that window or the reservation lapses.
Draft the constitution
The memorandum sets out what the company is allowed to do; the articles set out how it runs internally. These are drafted around your actual business, not pasted from a template, because the objects clause decides what you can lawfully trade in.
File SPICe+ with everything attached
One integrated form carries the incorporation, the directors' identification numbers, PAN, TAN, and the applications for GST, EPFO, ESIC and a bank account. Declarations and the registered-office proof are attached here.
Certificate of incorporation issued
The registrar issues the certificate carrying your CIN, with PAN and TAN allotted in the same approval. At that point the company legally exists and can open its bank account.
Which structure fits?
A quick way to place yourself before reading further. None of these is better in the abstract — they differ in who can own them and what you can do next.
Documents you will need
Sent to you as one consolidated checklist, not as a trickle of requests across a week.
Typical timeline
5–7 working days for a clean application
WHAT ACTUALLY MOVES IT
These are honest working ranges, not guarantees. Departmental workload, objections and document quality all move the real duration — and where an office is running behind, we say so at the quote stage rather than after you engage us.
Common mistakes
Choosing a name nobody searched
Roughly one application in five is refused for resembling an existing company or a registered trademark. Both registers are searchable in minutes, and checking before filing costs nothing while a refusal costs a week.
Using an address proof that has aged out
The bill must be under two months old on the date of filing, not on the date you collected it. Documents gathered at the start of a slow month often expire mid-process.
Treating the certificate as the finish line
Two obligations start the day the company exists — the first auditor within 30 days and the commencement filing within 180 days. Missing either is expensive and entirely avoidable.
Writing an objects clause that is too narrow
The memorandum decides what the company may lawfully do. A clause drafted around today's single product means an amendment later when the business widens.
What happens after
The certificate is not the end of the matter. These are the obligations that start the day it is issued — and they are on the calendar we hand over, whether or not you engage us for that work.
Questions we are actually asked
Can I use my home as the registered office?
Yes. You need a utility bill for the premises not older than two months and, if you do not own it, a no-objection letter from the owner. We provide the NOC format.
How many people do I need?
Two directors and two shareholders as a minimum, and the same two people can be both. At least one director must have stayed in India for 182 days in the previous financial year.
Is there a minimum capital?
No. There is no prescribed minimum paid-up capital for a private limited company. You state an authorised capital and bring in the subscription money after incorporation.
What if the name is rejected?
We refile at no additional professional fee; the government challan is payable again. It adds three to five working days, which is precisely why we search both registers first.