Licences & registrations

Halal certification through an accredited certification body — audit of ingredients, process and premises, for food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic exporters.

Bureau of Indian Standards certification — the ISI mark under the standard scheme and CRS registration for notified electronic goods.

NITI Aayog NGO-Darpan registration and the unique ID required to apply for central government grants and for FCRA registration.

Registration of a real estate agent with the state RERA authority — compulsory before facilitating the sale of any unit in a registered project.

Legal change of name for an individual — affidavit, newspaper publication and Gazette of India notification, with the downstream record updates.

Food and water testing at NABL-accredited laboratories — the reports FSSAI licensing requires and that export buyers and retail chains ask for.

A certificate of incumbency setting out the current directors, officers and shareholders of a company, certified for use by banks and foreign counterparties.

Registration under section 12A/12AB in Form 10A or 10AB — income tax exemption for a trust, society or Section 8 company applying its income to charitable objects.

Registration under section 80G so donors can claim a deduction — with the Form 10BD reporting obligation that now makes the deduction conditional on the NGO filing.

Form 10BD statement of donations and Form 10BE donor certificates — the annual filing that makes an 80G deduction claimable.

Fire department no-objection certificate — provisional NOC on the building plans and the final NOC before occupation, renewed annually in most states.

Drug licence under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act — retail, wholesale, manufacturing or import, with the qualified person and premises requirements met.

APEDA registration-cum-membership certificate — compulsory for exporters of scheduled agricultural and processed food products.

Registration of an apartment owners association or RWA under the state apartment ownership or societies Act, with PAN, bye-laws and the tax position.

Municipal trade licence renewal — filed before expiry, with any change of premises, activity or ownership recorded at the same time.

FSSAI food licence — basic registration, state licence or central licence, with the correct tier chosen for your turnover and the product categories listed.

IEC registration from the DGFT — a lifetime code required for any import or export, with the mandatory annual update handled.

Udyam registration for micro, small and medium enterprises — priority sector lending, the 45-day payment protection and reduced government fees.

Shop and establishment registration under your state Act — required for almost any commercial premises and usually needed to open a current account.

Professional tax registration — PTEC for the entity and PTRC for deducting from salaries, in the states that levy it.

EPFO registration — compulsory once you employ twenty or more, with the monthly ECR filing and UAN generation set up.

ESIC registration — compulsory at ten or more employees, covering those earning up to ₹21,000 a month, with monthly contributions set up.

ISO certification — gap analysis, documentation, internal audit and certification through an accredited body, valid three years.

Class 3 digital signature certificate on a FIPS-compliant USB token, for MCA, GST, income tax, EPFO and e-tender filings.

Municipal trade licence — permission from the local body to carry on your trade at the premises, renewed annually.

GS1 India barcode registration — the EAN-13 numbers organised retail and e-commerce marketplaces require on every product.

FSSAI licence renewal, applied for before expiry, plus the FORM D-1 annual return due by 31 May from manufacturers and importers.

IEC modification and the mandatory annual electronic update between April and June, without which the code is deactivated and consignments stop.

ICEGATE registration for electronic filing of bills of entry and shipping bills, duty payment and refund tracking on the customs portal.

Legal Entity Identifier registration through LEIL — required by the RBI for large-value payments, borrowings above ₹5 crore and non-derivative markets.

Factory licence under the Factories Act — plan approval, registration with the state factory inspectorate, and the annual return.

State Pollution Control Board consent — Consent to Establish before construction and Consent to Operate before production, by industry category.

Registration-cum-Membership Certificate from the relevant Export Promotion Council — required to claim benefits under the Foreign Trade Policy.

Registration under sections 12A and 80G in Form 10A or 10AB — income tax exemption for the organisation and a 50% deduction for its donors.

FCRA registration or prior permission for receiving foreign contributions, including the mandatory SBI New Delhi Main Branch account.

Annual compliance for trusts, societies and Section 8 companies — ITR-7, audit in Form 10B or 10BB, the 10BD donation statement and FC-4 where FCRA applies.