How to Register a Company / Startup Online In India

There’s good news around the corner! An entrepreneur in India has the flexibility to register his company online in India. The process is quite straightforward and very much simplified after the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) decided to make it over the online channel.

Steps to Register a Startup Company In India (2017)

Here’s a quick sneak peek into the process of registering a company –

• Get a Director Identification Number (DIN) for each of the director of the company which will be registered.
• Get a Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) for all of the documents that will be submitted electronically during the registration process.
• Register the company online with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) – this process involves creating an account with MCA portal and then applying for the registration of the company under purview.

Let’s get into the details of each process now step wise!

Step 1 – Process of getting a Director Identification Number (DIN)

Based on the type of company that is considered for registration, the board of directors has to be formed so as to adhere to the norms in the industry. Irrespective of the count of members in this board, each director is expected to have a unique number identifying them, namely the Director Identification Number (DIN).

Here are the steps to get a DIN.

• Every director needs to create an account for themselves with the MCA website (http://www.mca.gov.in/mcafoportal/login.do).
• In this portal, the DIR-3 form can be downloaded from the repository of e-forms, duly filled and uploaded back again.
• With the remittance of the applicable fees required for procuring a DIN, every director gets a DIN assigned to them.
• The other three key DIN forms that are available on the repository of e-forms
  • DIR-12 for notifying the appointment of Directors and Key Personnel to the company.
  • DIR-9 for intimating the Registrar of Corporates (ROC) about all of the directors’ DIN.
  • DIR-6 for applying for any changes to the Director’s information like the Address, Personal Details, etc.

Step 2 – Process of getting a Digital Signature Certificate (DSC)

The next important step in the registration process of the company is getting a Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) that belongs to you and your company. Every document that is uploaded in this registration process will require an attestation using this DSC and thus the authenticity of the document is established.

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Please note the below points with respect to a Digital Signature Certificate (DSC).

• All Digital Signature Certificates (DSC) shall be procured through certified agencies for a nominal fee. The agencies are appointed and certified by the Controller of Certification Agencies (CCA). Some of the certified agencies include IDBRT, NIC, Safe Scrypt and eMudhra etc. (http://www.mca.gov.in/MinistryV2/certifyingauthorities.html)
• It will be illegal to use a DSC that has been assigned to or procured by someone else.
• Every DSC has a validity assigned to it, mostly a one year or two year validity. The validity of a DSC is also renewable on expiry by paying the renewing charges.

Step 3 – Registration process – the Last Mile

The most crucial and important step in the registration of the company is performing the actual registration online on the MCA portal. It is a straightforward process that can be done from your living room!

Here’s what you need to do using the following simple steps –

• Login to the MCA portal. If you do not have a login, you can create yourself one by clicking on the Register option.
• There are forms that are required to be filled and e-filed for the company’s registration process to be completed. All the forms are available in http://www.mca.gov.in/MinistryV2/companyformsdownload.html and based on the type of the company that is to be registered, you can opt to download the e-form.
• Each form may require you to attach the necessary documents needed for the registration to be completed. The supporting documents are uploaded as attachments.
• The forms and the documents are to be digitally signed using the DSC that is procured in the previous process.
• The form, the attachments are checked for the completeness and also scrutinized for any inadequacies. The gaps are duly notified to the company owner for rectifying.
• The process is complete only after the payment is duly made either online through the electronic payment gateways or offline using a prefilled & auto-generated challan that can be remitted in a bank.

Once all filing formalities are completed, the applicant receives an acknowledgement through email. Rejected applications are also notified with necessary remedial tips.

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Isn’t this a simple and self-doable process? Get started and be the entrepreneur with a company of your own! 🙂