Incorporating a Private Limited company in India is now almost fully digital - but founders still trip up on the same handful of details every year. This guide unpacks the SPICe+ flow, the documents you actually need, the fees you'll pay, and the post-incorporation compliance that catches first-time founders off-guard.
Why most founders pick Pvt Ltd
Pvt Ltd remains the default for startups raising external capital. Limited liability, perpetual succession, equity issuance and ESOPs all sit naturally inside the Companies Act, 2013 framework. Investors expect it, FEMA recognises it, and almost every SaaS contract template is drafted for it.
LLPs and OPCs have their place - but if you're raising priced equity or hiring a meaningful team, Pvt Ltd is the path of least friction.
The SPICe+ flow in 2025
SPICe+ is now the single web form on the MCA portal that bundles name reservation, incorporation, PAN, TAN, EPFO, ESIC, professional tax (in supported states) and even GSTIN into one filing.
Part A reserves your name (two proposals, up to two retries). Part B covers MOA/AOA, directors, registered office and the linked statutory registrations. Most rejections happen at Part A - usually because the proposed name conflicts with an existing trademark or fails the MCA's similarity check.
Documents you'll actually need
Two directors and at least one Indian resident director. PAN, Aadhaar and address proof (utility bill or bank statement, no older than two months) for each director. A passport-sized photograph and the office address proof - either ownership documents and a NOC, or a registered rent agreement.
If a director is foreign-resident, documents must be apostilled or notarised in the home jurisdiction. We strongly recommend digital scans at 300 DPI - most rejections at the MCA come from blurred or cropped uploads, not from substantive issues.
Timelines and cost
End-to-end, a clean Pvt Ltd incorporation completes in 7-10 working days. DSCs land on day 1-2, name approval on day 3-5, the SPICe+ filing goes in on day 5-6, and the Certificate of Incorporation, PAN and TAN are issued together once approved.
Government fees vary by authorised capital and state stamp duty - typically ₹5,000-₹10,000 for a standard ₹1 lakh authorised capital company. Our professional fee for the entire incorporation is fixed at ₹1,999 - name approval, two DSCs, two DINs, MOA/AOA drafting and the SPICe+ filing included.
The four mistakes we still see in 2025
One - picking a name that clashes with an existing trademark. Always do a TM search before the MCA name search. Two - using a residential address as the registered office without a clean NOC. Three - issuing equity to founders informally before incorporation; you cannot allot shares retroactively. Four - forgetting that GSTIN, EPFO and ESIC are now linked to the SPICe+ filing; you need to think about these before incorporation, not after.
Get these four right and the rest of the process is genuinely uneventful. Get them wrong and you'll spend three weeks fixing what should have taken three days.
About the author
Deepak
Senior Advisor at Regikart. Want to discuss this in the context of your business?
