How to Register a Private Limited Company in India (2026): A Step-by-Step Guide

The complete 2026 guide to registering a Pvt Ltd company in India. Learn the SPICe+ process, required documents, costs, timeline, and common mistakes to avoid.

Registering a private limited company in India is one online form. That is the easy part.

The hard part is the string of small decisions inside it: the name you pick, the documents you attach, the clauses you choose. Get them right and your company is live in about a week. Get one wrong and the portal sends you back to the start, days later.

This guide follows the Companies Act, 2013 and the SPICe+ process as currently run on the MCA V3 portal. Here is the exact 2026 process, what you need, what it costs, and where people slip.

Key takeaways

Who can register a Pvt Ltd company?

You need:

• At least 2 directors, and one of them must have lived in India for 182 days or more.
• At least 2 shareholders. They can be the same people as the directors.
• A registered office address in India. A home address is allowed.
• No minimum capital. Start small and raise it later if you need to.

A single founder cannot register a Pvt Ltd alone. If that is you, a One Person Company (OPC) is the route.

Documents you will need

For each director and shareholder

• PAN card
• Aadhaar (passport for foreign nationals)
• Passport-size photo
• Address proof: bank statement or utility bill, within 2 months
• Email ID and mobile number

For the registered office

• Latest utility bill, dated within 2 months
• Rent agreement, if rented
• No-objection letter from the owner
• Ownership proof, if self-owned

One tip that saves a resubmission: make sure every name and date of birth matches your PAN record exactly. The portal cross-checks in real time and rejects mismatches.

The step-by-step process

Step 1: Get a Digital Signature Certificate (1 to 2 days)

Every form is signed electronically, so each director and shareholder needs a DSC.

The only common holdup is video verification, where the applicant records a short clip with original ID. Start this on day one.

Step 2: Reserve your company name (1 to 3 days)

You apply for the name through SPICe+ Part A. You can propose two names in order of preference.

The name must end with “Private Limited” and must not clash with an existing company or a registered trademark. If it does, MCA rejects it, and you find out only after the wait.

This is the single biggest cause of delay. A proper company and trademark check before you apply is what keeps the clock running once instead of twice. Note that the approved name is valid for only 20 days, so the rest has to move quickly.

Step 3: File SPICe+ Part B and the linked forms (1 to 2 days to prepare)

Once the name is approved, you file Part B with its linked forms in a single bundle:

• e-MoA (INC-33) and e-AoA (INC-34): your company’s objects and internal rules.
• AGILE-PRO-S: covers GST, EPFO, ESIC, professional tax and bank account, taken only if you need them.
• DIN: now allotted inside SPICe+ for up to 3 directors, so no separate application.
• PAN and TAN: applied for in the same filing.

The form is short. What takes a day or two is getting the object clause, capital structure and director details right, because these follow the company for life. A weak choice here rarely errors on the portal. It shows up later at your bank or your first funding round.

Step 4: MCA review and your Certificate of Incorporation (1 to 3 days)

The Registrar reviews the filing. If everything is in order, you receive your Certificate of Incorporation, with CIN, PAN and TAN included.

If the Registrar raises a query, you get a resubmission window (usually 15 days) to fix and refile. At that point your company legally exists.

What you get at the end

• Certificate of Incorporation with your CIN
• Company PAN and TAN
• DIN for your directors
• Approved e-MoA and e-AoA
• Any linked registrations you opted for (GST, EPFO, ESIC)

After incorporation, do not skip these

A company is easy to start and easy to default on. The first weeks matter.

• Open a bank account and deposit the subscriber capital.
• File INC-20A within 180 days if you have paid-up capital. Miss it and the company can be struck off. This is the most common first-year default.
• Appoint an auditor within 30 days.
• Register for GST if your turnover or business needs it.
• File annual returns with MCA and your income tax return each year.

Where do-it-yourself attempts stall

Almost none of the delays come from the filing itself. They come from small mistakes the portal will not warn you about until it is too late to fix quickly.

The usual ones: a name too close to a trademark, an object clause that does not fit the business, mismatched director details, address proof older than two months, and forgetting INC-20A. Each rejection means re-paying stamp duty, which is non-refundable, and starting over.

You can legally do all of this yourself. Most founders hand it over anyway, not because the steps are hard, but because they would rather the company be set up correctly, once, by people who file these every week and know where the traps are.

How long does it take, and what does it cost?

In a clean case, 7 working days is achievable. The honest average is 7 to 14 working days once name approval and document checks are counted. We break the timeline down step by step in our guide on how long Pvt Ltd registration takes.

On cost, the government filing fee is nil for authorised capital up to Rs 15 lakh. The real spend is DSC, your state’s stamp duty and the professional fee. Our fees guide shows the full breakdown.

FAQ

Can one person register a Pvt Ltd company?

No. A private limited company needs at least 2 directors and 2 shareholders. A solo founder should look at a One Person Company (OPC).

Is there a minimum capital?

No. There is no minimum paid-up capital. You can start with a small amount.

Can I register the company at my home address?

Yes. A residential address is accepted as the registered office, with a utility bill and a no-objection letter from the owner.

Can a foreign national be a director?

Yes, but at least one director must be resident in India.

Does registration include GST?

GST is optional at incorporation through the AGILE-PRO-S form. Take it only if your business needs it.

Can the whole process be done online?

Yes. From DSC to the Certificate of Incorporation, everything is online. No office visit is needed.

Before you start

The process is public and the steps are knowable. What is not on the screen is whether your name will clear, whether your clauses fit, and whether your documents will pass on the first try.

At Elixir Filings, we check your name against existing companies and trademarks before we file, handle the SPICe+ filing and any MCA query, and show the full cost upfront: the professional fee, GST and the government fees, with nothing hidden. If your papers are ready, a clean registration moves in about 7 working days.

Ready to start? Register your Private Limited Company with Elixir Filings