Company Registration in India: How to Incorporate a Private Limited Company (and LLP) on the MCA Portal (2026)

How-To Guide · Company Registration

Updated for 2026 · Claw Editorial

Registering a company in India is mostly a paperwork problem: the right forms, in the right order, with names and documents that the Registrar of Companies will accept the first time. To register a private limited company in India, get a Digital Signature Certificate and Director Identification Number, reserve the name through SPICe+ Part A, file SPICe+ Part B with the e-MOA and e-AOA, add the AGILE-PRO form for GST, EPFO, ESIC and bank account, and receive the Certificate of Incorporation with PAN and TAN. This guide walks through each step on the MCA portal, compares a company with an LLP, and gives a rough timeline and cost.

01Why company registration goes wrong

Most delays in company incorporation come from small, avoidable errors, not from the process itself. A few causes show up again and again.

The name is rejected

The proposed name may be too close to an existing company or trademark, or it may break the naming rules. A rejection sends you back to the start of the name step and adds days.

The documents do not match

The name on a PAN card, the address on a utility bill and the details typed in the form must agree. A mismatch in a director’s name or address is a common reason for the Registrar to raise a query.

The objects clause is badly drafted

The main objects in the Memorandum of Association decide what the company can legally do. If they are too narrow, you may need to amend them later. If they are vague, the Registrar may ask for changes.

A company is not formed when you pay the fee. It is formed when the Registrar issues the Certificate of Incorporation.

Everything below is arranged to avoid these problems. The forms and rules here are those used on the MCA V3 portal. Always check the live portal before you file, because forms and fees are revised from time to time.

02Company or LLP: which should you register?

The choice between a private limited company and a Limited Liability Partnership depends on how you plan to raise money, how many owners you have and how much compliance you can handle.

If you expect to raise venture or angel funding, a private limited company is the usual choice. If you are a small professional practice with no plan to issue shares, an LLP can be simpler to run.

03Documents you need before you start

Keep these ready before you open the form. It saves the most time.

• PAN card of every director and subscriber (Indian nationals).
• Identity proof such as Aadhaar, passport or voter ID, and recent photographs.
• Address proof such as a bank statement, mobile or electricity bill (recent).
• Registered office proof: a rent agreement or ownership document, a no-objection certificate from the owner, and a recent utility bill for that address.
• Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) for each director and subscriber who will sign.
• Proposed company names and the main objects of the business.
• Foreign directors or shareholders: passport and address proof, usually notarised or apostilled.

04Step-by-step: how to register a private limited company

The steps below follow the integrated SPICe+ route on the MCA portal at mca.gov.in.

1. Get a Digital Signature Certificate (DSC). Every person who signs the incorporation forms needs a Class 3 DSC, issued by a licensed certifying authority. Ask for a DSC that works with the MCA portal.
2. Apply for a Director Identification Number (DIN). Each proposed director needs a DIN. For new directors, the DIN can be applied for within the SPICe+ form, so a separate DIN application is often not needed.
3. Reserve the company name (SPICe+ Part A). Enter up to the allowed number of proposed names in order of preference, with the main objects. The Registrar approves or rejects the name. A name can also be reserved earlier using the RUN (Reserve Unique Name) service.
4. File SPICe+ Part B. This is the main incorporation part. It collects director and shareholder details, share capital, registered office address and the subscribers.
5. Attach the e-MOA (INC-33) and e-AOA (INC-34). These are the electronic Memorandum and Articles of Association. They are filled in on the portal and signed with DSC by the subscribers and witnesses. You can adopt the standard Table F articles or draft your own.
6. Pay stamp duty and the registration fee. Stamp duty on the MOA and AOA depends on the state of the registered office. The filing fee depends on the authorised share capital.
7. File AGILE-PRO (INC-35 / AGILE-PRO-S). This linked form is used to apply for GST registration, EPFO and ESIC registration, and to open the company bank account in the same filing.
8. Receive the Certificate of Incorporation. Once the Registrar approves, the Certificate of Incorporation is issued with the Corporate Identity Number (CIN). PAN and TAN are allotted along with it.

05The LLP route: FiLLiP

An LLP is registered through a different form. The process is shorter, but the legal structure is different.

1. Get a DSC for each designated partner.
2. Reserve the LLP name (the RUN-LLP service or the name field in the form).
3. File FiLLiP, the Form for Incorporation of a Limited Liability Partnership, with partner and registered office details.
4. Receive the Certificate of Incorporation with the LLPIN.
5. Execute and file the LLP agreement within the time allowed after incorporation.

The LLP agreement sets how the partners share profits and run the business. Without a signed and filed agreement, the default rules of the LLP Act apply.

06Rough timeline and cost

With clean documents and an approved name, incorporation usually takes around one to two weeks. Name rejections, Registrar queries and document errors push it longer.

Total cost varies widely by state, share capital and whether you use a professional. We do not quote a single number, because government fees and state stamp duty change. Check the fee table on the MCA portal and your state stamp duty rules before you budget.

07What to do after incorporation

Incorporation is the start of your compliance duties, not the end. Within the time the law allows, a new company must usually do the following.

• Open the bank account and deposit the subscribers’ share capital.
• File the declaration for commencement of business (the form for commencement of business), before starting operations.
• Appoint the first auditor.
• Hold the first board meeting and maintain statutory registers.

For yearly returns and event-based filings, see MCA and ROC filing: company compliance in India. When you deal with a new vendor or partner company, a proper check is covered in the vendor due diligence checklist.

08Where Claw fits

Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.

Registration is the start of a company life, not the end of its risk. Disputes, strike-off and insolvency are decided in court. Claw tracks cases, orders and hearings across 9,102 courts, benches and forums, with 30 crore+ judgments and results in under 5 seconds, covering the Supreme Court from 1950 and the High Courts from 1990. So once a company is on the register, you can follow any matter it is drawn into by company name.

Claw does not use customer documents to train AI models. Create a FREE Claw account to track a company and its directors across the courts. To search the wider body of law, see case search across Indian courts.

09Sources and further reading

• Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA V3 portal): mca.gov.in
• Claw: clawlaw.in

Information here is accurate as of October 2026. Forms, fees and timelines are revised by the Ministry from time to time, so confirm the current position on the MCA portal before you file. This guide is general information, not legal or professional advice.

10Frequently asked questions