Private Limited Company Registration: Complete Process, Documents, Cost and Timeline

Private limited company registration in India is a single online filing through the SPICe+ form on the MCA portal. You need two directors, two shareholders, digital signatures, an approved name and proof of a registered office. A complete application is usually processed in 7 to 15 working days. There is no minimum paid-up capital, so your real spend is digital signatures, state stamp duty and professional fees. This guide covers the whole journey, from name reservation to the compliance that starts the day your company is incorporated.

What you are actually registering

A private limited company is a separate legal person. It owns its own assets, signs its own contracts and continues even if a founder leaves. Liability of the shareholders is limited to the amount they agreed to put in.

This structure suits founders who plan to raise investment, add partners, bid for larger contracts or build something they may one day sell. It carries a fixed annual compliance load, so it is a poor fit for a small local business with no plans to raise capital.

Eligibility at a glance

• Two directors and two shareholders minimum. The same two people can be both.

• At least one director must have stayed in India for 182 days or more in the previous financial year.

• Maximum 200 members.

• A registered office in India with valid proof. A home address is acceptable.

• A name that does not clash with an existing company or a registered trademark.

The registration process

  1. Digital Signature Certificates. Each proposed director and subscriber needs a DSC with video verification before any form can be signed.

  2. Name reservation. SPICe+ Part A accepts up to two name options. Search the MCA master data and the trademark registry before you apply.

  3. SPICe+ Part B. The incorporation application itself, covering DIN allotment for new directors, PAN and TAN in the same form.

  4. eMOA and eAOA. The memorandum states what the company may do. The articles set the internal rules.

  5. AGILE-PRO-S. A linked form covering EPFO, ESIC, a bank account and, where applicable, GST and professional tax.

  6. Certificate of Incorporation. Issued with your CIN, along with PAN and TAN.

Documents you will need

For every director and shareholder: PAN, Aadhaar, a passport-size photograph and an address proof such as a bank statement or utility bill not older than two months. Foreign nationals need a notarised and apostilled passport.

For the registered office: a recent utility bill, plus a rent agreement and a no-objection letter from the owner if the premises are rented.

Realistic cost breakdown

The MCA has waived the form filing fee for companies with authorised capital up to 15 lakh rupees. What you still pay is:

• Digital signature for each director and subscriber.

• Name reservation fee on SPICe+ Part A.

• Stamp duty on the MOA and AOA, which is a state charge and varies widely.

• Professional fees for drafting, filing and follow-up.

Typical timeline

Timelines below assume complete documents and a name that is approved on the first attempt.

Stage

Typical time

Digital signatures

1 to 2 working days

Name approval

1 to 3 working days

Drafting and filing SPICe+

1 to 2 working days

MCA processing

3 to 7 working days

Total

About 7 to 15 working days

What happens after incorporation

Incorporation is the start of your compliance calendar, not the end of the exercise.

• Open the company bank account and deposit the subscribed capital.

• Appoint the first auditor within 30 days and file Form ADT-1.

• File Form INC-20A declaring commencement of business within 180 days. You cannot legally begin operations or borrow before this.

• Maintain statutory registers and minutes from the first board meeting onward.

• File the annual return and financial statements every year, and get the accounts audited regardless of turnover.

How Northrop LLP can help

Our private limited company registration service covers name search and reservation, DSC arrangement, drafting of the MOA and AOA, SPICe+ filing and follow-up with the MCA until your Certificate of Incorporation is issued. You share your documents once and we handle the filings and departmental queries.

We separate our professional fee from government and state charges in writing, so you know what is ours and what is not.

Price: exclusive of stamp duty and government fees, which vary by state and by authorised capital.