Business Registration Guide — Every Licence for Every Business Type (India 2026)

Pick your business type and get the COMPLETE registration stack for it – every licence with its government fee, the issuing portal, validity, the right order to apply, and a printable document checklist. Compiled and maintained by a practising Chartered Accountant, datestamped, and linked to official sources – not a sales page.

Updated July 2026. Major 2026 changes are reflected: the new FSSAI slabs (Basic registration up to Rs 1.5 crore, perpetual validity), the GST simplified registration scheme, and the Labour Codes transition.

Choose your business type

Trading / Retail-Wholesale

GST, S and E, Udyam, trade licence – the lean base stack for buying and selling.

See the full stack –

Restaurant / Cloud Kitchen

FSSAI under the new 1.5-crore slab, 5 percent GST, trade licence, fire NOC, music licence.

See the full stack –

Food Manufacturing

FSSAI by capacity, factory licence, pollution consents, Legal Metrology, mandatory BIS lines.

See the full stack –

Import-Export (General)

IEC, AD Code, LUT, e-BRC – and when an RCMC is actually needed.

See the full stack –

Fruits and Vegetables Export

APEDA RCMC, Central FSSAI, phytosanitary certificates, EU/UK packhouse rules.

See the full stack –

Spices Export

The mandatory Spices Board CRES, Central FSSAI and destination testing.

See the full stack –

Software / IT Services

No licence at all – but GST, LUT and the SOFTEX filing exporters miss.

See the full stack –

E-commerce / Dropshipping

The real GST position for marketplace sellers, listing rules, own-site obligations.

See the full stack –

Manufacturing Unit

Factory licence, pollution categories, expanding BIS QCOs, EPR, EPF/ESI.

See the full stack –

Consultancy / Professional Services

The lightest stack – and why service exporters do not need an IEC.

See the full stack –

How this library works

Every page follows the same discipline: registrations split into MANDATORY, IF APPLICABLE (with the exact threshold) and OPTIONAL; the government fee for each; a link to the official portal; the validity and renewal position; the practical order to apply in; and a document checklist you can tick and print. Each page is datestamped and re-verified periodically – where a rule recently changed (like the April 2026 FSSAI slabs) the change and its effective date are called out in-line. State-subject items (Shops and Establishment, professional tax, trade licences) link to our state-wise guides instead of pretending one answer fits all.

Want it done end to end? Facile Corporate Services handles company registration, GST, FSSAI, IEC and every licence on this page – so you can focus on the business, not the paperwork.
Talk to Facile

Frequently asked questions

Which registrations does EVERY business in India need?
A surprisingly short list: PAN, a bank account, and – in most states – Shops and Establishment registration. Everything else is conditional: GST only past the threshold (or for inter-state goods and marketplace sales), Udyam is optional-but-valuable, and sector licences (FSSAI, factory, pollution, IEC) depend entirely on what the business does. Pick your business type above for the exact list.
How much does it cost to register a business in India?
Less than most founders expect: SPICe+ company incorporation carries NIL MCA fee up to Rs 15 lakh authorised capital (state stamp duty extra), GST registration is free, Udyam is free, and an IEC is Rs 500. The paid items are sector licences – FSSAI, factory licence, pollution consents, CRES – each listed with its fee on the type pages.
Do these pages replace professional advice?
No – they are the map, not the journey. Each page lists what is commonly required with official links to confirm, but thresholds turn on facts (turnover, workers, capacity, state) and rules change by notification. For execution or edge cases, take professional help.
How current is the information?
Every page carries an Updated date and the library is re-verified periodically against official portals. Recent changes are called out with effective dates – for example the FSSAI slab rewrite effective 1 April 2026 and the perpetual-validity reform of March 2026.

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This page lists the registrations COMMONLY required for this type of business – sector-, product- and state-specific requirements may also apply, and thresholds change by notification. It is general information, not professional advice; confirm your specific case with the official portals linked above or a professional before acting. See our full disclaimer.
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