CompanyStack
App
Illustration of a founder at a desk looking toward a quiet winding path.

Register a private limitedin India.

What’s included in your filing

One onboarding path covers SPICe+ drafting, MCA filing, and the documents you need on day one. Government fees and DSC stay at cost — listed separately in onboarding.

  • Registration in 7–10 business days
  • Company name approval
  • MOA & AOA
  • Director identification numbers (DIN)
  • DSC tokens, digital signatures & shipping
  • Company PAN & TAN
  • Incorporation certificate

What a private limited company is

Abstract ivory square company form with three forest-green nodes linked around it — many owners, one company.

A private limited company is a separate legal person under the Companies Act, 2013. It can own property, hire people, open a current account, and issue shares. Your liability stops at unpaid share capital. You need two directors, two shareholders, and one resident director.

Shareholders are capped at 200. There is no minimum paid-up capital. Incorporation runs on MCA's SPICe+ form: name, DIN, PAN, TAN, and optional GSTIN in one filing. The name ends with Private Limited or Pvt. Ltd. The same two people can be both directors and shareholders.

This is the right structure if

  • Two or more founders who may raise, or who want the option to raise, inside two years.
  • A solo founder who can put a second shareholder on the cap table — often a family member with a nominal share — because investors cannot buy equity in an OPC or an LLP.
  • Anyone planning an ESOP pool. Only a company issues employee equity.
  • A business that will sign customer contracts, take deposits, or carry product liability, and wants that risk to stop at the company.
  • A foreign parent setting up an Indian subsidiary. That is still a private limited, with FEMA work on top.

Choose something else if

  • You are alone and will not raise. An OPC is the one-person company. Add a second partner and an LLP can skip the yearly audit until a turnover trigger.
  • Two professionals who will never issue shares. An LLP keeps limited liability and skips the audit until ₹40 lakh turnover or ₹25 lakh contribution.
  • You only want a cheap CIN and plan to ignore year one. INC-20A, ADT-1, AOC-4 and MGT-7 still arrive. Late AOC-4 and MGT-7 run at ₹100 a day each, with no cap.
  • You do not control the registered-office address. Stamp duty follows that state. A fake cheap-state address becomes an INC-22 problem later.

Documents for SPICe+

MCA wants current scans, not a binder. Most delays are a utility bill older than two months, or a missing NOC from the person whose name is on that bill.

1.Each director and shareholder

  • PAN

    Mandatory for every Indian director and subscriber.

  • Aadhaar, or passport / voter ID / driving licence

    Identity and address. Aadhaar linked to a mobile number speeds DSC video KYC.

  • Passport, for a foreign director

    Apostilled or embassy-attested abroad. That timeline, not MCA, is usually the long pole.

  • Photograph

    A recent colour photograph. The DSC vendor will ask for the same file.

2.Registered office in India

  • Utility bill

    Electricity, water or gas, not older than two months, in the owner's name.

  • NOC from the owner

    If the premises is not in a subscriber's name. A home or a co-working desk is fine if the paper is real.

  • Rent or leave-and-licence agreement

    When you are a tenant. Sale deed or tax receipt if you own it.

3.What we draft with you

  • e-MoA and e-AoA (INC-33 / INC-34)

    Objects, capital clause, and the internal rules. Linked to SPICe+ when there are seven or fewer subscribers.

  • DIR-2 and INC-9

    Consent to act as director, and the subscriber / director declarations. INC-9 is web-generated when everyone has a DIN or PAN.

  • AGILE-PRO-S

    EPFO, ESIC, bank-account request, and GSTIN if you tick it. No extra MCA fee on those ticks.

How incorporation actually runs

The old story (DIN first, then RUN, then a pile of forms) is stale. SPICe+ is one web filing with linked PDFs. DSC still comes first, because nothing on MCA signs without it.

  1. 1.Shape: directors, state, capital

    How many directors, which state the registered office sits in, authorised and subscribed capital. Subscribed capital is money that has to reach the company bank account. Authorised capital is the ceiling you printed on the MoA. Confusing the two is how people miss INC-20A.

    Handled by: You

  2. 2.Class 3 DSC for each director

    Video KYC with a licensed certifying authority. One to three working days. ₹1,500 each at our bulk rate, billed as third party.

    Handled by: Third party

  3. 3.SPICe+ Part A, name

    Two proposed names, NIC codes, the Private Limited suffix. MCA fee ₹1,000. You can file Part A alone or with Part B.

    Handled by: CompanyStack

  4. 4.SPICe+ Part B and linked forms

    Directors, subscribers, registered office, e-MoA, e-AoA, AGILE-PRO-S, INC-9. DIN for new directors is allotted here. Professional certification on the form is part of the filing.

    Handled by: CompanyStack

  5. 5.Challan: government and stamp

    SPICe+ filing is nil at or under ₹15 lakh authorised capital. Stamp duty is the state formula. PAN and TAN sit on the same MCA challan if they still print.

    Handled by: MCA

  6. 6.Certificate of Incorporation

    CIN, PAN and TAN on the same PDF. The company exists from that date. The workspace is already on while this is incoming.

    Handled by: MCA

  7. 7.The first 180 days

    First board meeting and first auditor within 30 days. ADT-1 shortly after. Subscribed capital into the bank, then INC-20A within 180 days. That last one is the strike-off trap.

    Handled by: You

How long it takes

With papers in order, most Indian-director filings finish in about 7 to 12 working days. MCA review is not a clock we own. Name rejection or a resubmission adds a few days. A foreign subscriber adds apostille time, often weeks.

  • DSC

    Video KYC. Token shipping if the vendor still posts one.

    1–3 working days

  • Name, SPICe+ Part A

    Longer if the name is too close to a trademark or an existing CIN.

    1–3 working days

  • SPICe+ Part B to CoI

    CRC queries are the usual delay. Answer them; do not wait them out.

    3–7 working days

  • PAN / TAN on the CoI

    No separate income-tax queue for a clean SPICe+ approval.

    Same PDF

  • INC-20A window

    Not a registration step. Still the deadline that bites.

    180 days from incorporation

Time, cost, and fees

MCA name reservation, SPICe+ filing, stamp duty, DSC, and our filing fee stay on separate lines. Onboarding shows a labelled slip for your state before you pay.

Specimen · Karnataka · ₹1 lakh authorised · 2 directors

Sample

Day-one fees, labelled

Government fees

Name reservation, SPICe+ Part A

MCA. One application, two proposed names. Charged again if you file a fresh Part A after a rejection.

₹1,000

SPICe+ incorporation filing

MCA: nil filing fee where authorised capital is at or under ₹15 lakh. Above that slab the product quotes ₹500–₹2,000 pending the live challan. Stamp duty is a separate line.

Nil up to ₹15 lakh capital; confirm above

DIN, PAN and TAN

DIN for the directors named in SPICe+ is allotted in the same filing. PAN and TAN come with the Certificate of Incorporation. MCA's SPICe+ FAQ still lists PAN ₹66 and TAN ₹65 on the same challan; the quote slip groups the bundle as included. At cost if the challan shows them.

Nil

AGILE-PRO-S (EPFO, ESIC, optional GSTIN)

MCA / EPFO / ESIC / GSTN. Linked form with SPICe+. EPFO and ESIC registration carry no extra MCA fee. GSTIN, if you tick it, is also nil at GSTN. Profession tax is bundled only in some states.

Nil

Stamp duty on the form, MoA and AoA

State stamp schedule, at cost. Follows the registered-office state and authorised capital. Worked examples below. Pick the state in the quote and the number is exact for states we have sourced.

State formula

Third-party services

DSC Class 3, per director

₹1,500 each, our bulk rate with the certifying authority, passed straight through. Two directors on a Pvt Ltd is ₹3,000. One director on an OPC is ₹1,500. Street prices run higher.

₹1,500

CompanyStack

CompanyStack fee, private limited

Our work: drafts, SPICe+ filing, the labelled slip, the calendar. GST at 18% sits on this line, not on government fees.

₹2,999

MCA and DSC stay at cost. This is the only line that is ours.

GST at 18% applies to the CompanyStack line. MCA fees and stamp duty are government collections. DSC is a certifying-authority product. Government and third-party lines pass through at cost.

Stamp duty follows the state

Registered office state sets stamp on the charter. You need a real address there — not a cheap-state shortcut that becomes an INC-22 problem later.

State₹1 lakh₹10 lakh
Delhi₹10 on the form, ₹200 on the MoA, 0.15% of authorised capital on the AoA, capped at ₹25 lakh.₹360₹1,710
Maharashtra₹100 on the form, ₹200 on the MoA, ₹1,000 per ₹5 lakh of authorised capital or part thereof on the AoA, capped at ₹50 lakh.₹1,300₹2,300
Karnataka₹20 on the form, ₹1,000 on the MoA, ₹500 per ₹10 lakh of authorised capital or part thereof on the AoA.₹1,520₹1,520
Gujarat₹20 on the form, ₹100 on the MoA, 0.5% of authorised capital on the AoA, capped at ₹5 lakh.₹620₹5,120
Kerala₹25 on the form, ₹1,000 on the MoA, and on the AoA ₹2,000 up to ₹10 lakh of capital, ₹5,000 to ₹25 lakh, then 0.5%.₹3,025₹3,025
See how fees work on the register hub

Against the other two

Same limited liability in all three. The differences that matter are equity, audit, and how many people you need on day one.

Versus an LLP

  • A Pvt Ltd can issue shares and run an ESOP. An LLP cannot. Venture money buys equity, not a partnership interest.
  • A company is audited every year at any revenue. An LLP is audited only above ₹40 lakh turnover or ₹25 lakh contribution.
  • Converting an LLP into a company later is a separate, slow project. If raise is even a maybe, start here.
  • Two directors / two shareholders versus two partners. Headcount on day one is similar. The running cost is not.
LLP guide

Versus an OPC

  • A Pvt Ltd needs a second shareholder. An OPC does not, but it cannot take equity investment either.
  • Both need a statutory audit every year. The OPC saving is no AGM and MGT-7A instead of MGT-7. Smaller than most people expect.
  • Since 2021 you can convert an OPC to a Pvt Ltd without the old ₹50 lakh / ₹2 crore triggers. Conversion still costs time and fees.
  • If you already know you will raise, skip the OPC and find the second shareholder now.
OPC guide

Common questions before you file

Short answers tied to the quote engine and MCA rules as of September 2026.

LLP registration · OPC registration · Fee split on this page · Not sure which form

How much does private limited company registration cost in India?

Split the bill. MCA name reservation is ₹1,000. SPICe+ filing is nil at or under ₹15 lakh authorised capital. Stamp duty is the state formula (a few hundred rupees in Delhi at ₹1 lakh capital, over ₹3,000 in Kerala). Two Class 3 DSCs are ₹3,000 at our pass-through. CompanyStack is ₹2,999, waived if you take 12 months of a plan. Anyone quoting one lump number has buried the government line in their fee.

How long does it take to register a private limited company?

About 7 to 12 working days when directors are in India and the office proof is clean. MCA approval is outside that clock. Foreign papers add apostille time.

What is the minimum capital for a private limited company?

None, since 2015. People still print ₹1 lakh authorised capital because it is a round number and it stays inside the SPICe+ nil-fee band. Subscribed capital is the amount you must actually deposit. Set that as money you will put in the bank within 180 days.

How many directors and shareholders do I need?

Two of each. The same two people can be both. One director must be resident in India (182 days in the previous calendar year). Maximum 200 shareholders.

Can a private limited company have one owner?

Not as a Pvt Ltd. One member is an OPC. If you want to raise later and you are alone today, either find a second shareholder now, or start as an OPC and convert. Investors will not buy OPC or LLP interests.

What is SPICe+?

MCA's web form for incorporation. Part A is the name. Part B is the company, DIN, PAN, TAN, and the linked e-MoA, e-AoA and AGILE-PRO-S. It replaced the old multi-form pile.

Do I need GST to incorporate?

No. You can tick GSTIN on AGILE-PRO-S if you already know you need it (inter-state supply, or you are over the threshold). GST registration itself is nil at GSTN. Compulsory GST is a different question from incorporation.

What happens after I get the Certificate of Incorporation?

A current account, subscribed capital in, INC-20A within 180 days, first auditor within 30 days, then the annual calendar: audit, AGM, AOC-4, MGT-7, DIR-3 KYC, income tax. The incorporation fee is the smallest number in that year.

Can NRIs or foreign nationals be directors?

Yes, on a Pvt Ltd. You still need one resident director. Foreign papers are apostilled. A foreign citizen cannot form an OPC at all.

Is the statutory audit optional in the first year if I have no revenue?

No. A company is audited every year from year one. An LLP is the form that waits for a turnover or contribution trigger.

What we do on this filing

Start onboarding. We take directors, state and capital, show a labelled slip, file SPICe+, and turn the workspace on for seven days if we file. Books, invoices, and ROC dates — not a CIN PDF and a goodbye.

  • Government and DSC at cost. Our filing fee is ₹2,999, or waived on 12 months of Growth or Enterprise.
  • MoA, AoA and SPICe+ drafted against the objects you named, not a generic trading clause.
  • INC-20A, ADT-1, AOC-4 and MGT-7 already on the calendar from incorporation day.
  • If this is the wrong structure, onboarding will say so and point you to LLP or OPC.

Start onboarding

₹2,999 filing fee · government & DSC at cost

Start onboarding

Pvt Ltd registration

Ready to file this structure?

₹2,999 filing fee · government & DSC at cost

Wrong structure? Read LLP or OPC, or start at the hub. Back to register hub.

Start onboardingCompare all three structures
Start onboarding

Account in under a minute. Pick a structure, then the labelled slip before you pay.