Documents you need, whatever you choose

For company or LLP Registration you need, for each director or partner, a PAN card, Aadhaar, a recent address proof and a photograph, plus a recent utility bill and the owner's No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the registered office. NRIs and foreign nationals use a passport and attested overseas documents instead.

Collecting documents takes longer than filing. The list below covers the LLP Registration documents required as well as those for a company, so start here and the rest of the process moves quickly.

Documents for each Indian director, partner or member

• PAN card
• Aadhaar card
• Address proof — recent bank statement or utility bill (normally not older than two months)
• Passport-size photograph
• Mobile number and email address — used for OTP verification

The same set is needed for every shareholder of a company who is an individual, even if that person will not be a director. In an LLP, every partner who is an individual provides it, not only the designated partners.

Documents for NRI or foreign directors and partners

• Passport
• Address proof from the country of residence
• Documents that are signed or issued abroad usually need notarisation and apostille or consular attestation

An apostille is a certificate that makes a document from one country acceptable in another. It applies to countries that are part of the Hague Apostille Convention. For other countries, the document is attested at the Indian embassy or consulate instead. Build in extra time for this step — it often takes longer than everything else put together.

Documents for the registered office

• Recent utility bill
• NOC from the property owner
• Rent agreement, if rented

The utility bill should be in the owner's name and show the same address you enter in the form, word for word if possible. The NOC is needed even when the owner is you, your parent or your spouse.

What if a shareholder or partner is a company?

Sometimes an existing company or LLP becomes a shareholder or partner in the new entity. In that case, the documents are about that body: its certificate of incorporation, PAN, a board resolution (or partners' resolution) authorising the investment, and the identity documents of the person signing on its behalf. An LLP whose partner is a company also needs an individual nominee to act for that company.

Quick checklist: who provides what?

Person or place	Documents	Common problem to avoid
Indian director, shareholder or partner	PAN, Aadhaar, address proof, photo, mobile and email	Mobile number not linked to Aadhaar, so OTPs fail
NRI or foreign national	Passport, overseas address proof, photo	Documents not apostilled or consularised
Registered office	Utility bill, owner's NOC, rent agreement if rented	Bill older than two months, or address differs from the form
Corporate shareholder or partner	Incorporation certificate, PAN, authorising resolution	Resolution not naming the authorised signatory

Do you need a Digital Signature Certificate?

Yes. Every director or designated partner signing the forms needs a Digital Signature Certificate (DSC). It is issued online after identity verification.

A DSC is the electronic version of your signature. It is issued by licensed Certifying Authorities, usually after an Aadhaar-based or video verification, and is valid for one to three years depending on what you choose. It is also used later for every yearly filing, so keep it safe and note its expiry date.

What documents does the Registration form create for you?

You do not have to draft everything yourself. For a company, the SPICe+ form on the MCA portal produces the Memorandum of Association (MoA) and Articles of Association (AoA) as linked web forms, along with the declarations each director and subscriber signs, such as consent to act as director. For an LLP, the incorporation form is filed first, and the LLP Agreement — the contract between the partners — must be filed within 30 days of incorporation in Form 3.

Read these documents before you sign them. The objects in the MoA and the profit-sharing clauses in an LLP Agreement are hard to change later.

Why names must match on every document

Most delays come from small mismatches — a middle name on PAN but not on Aadhaar, a different spelling of a father's name, a mobile number not linked to Aadhaar. Check these before filing.

A simple test: write down each person's full name, father's name, date of birth and address exactly as they appear on PAN, Aadhaar and the address proof. If any line differs, correct the PAN or Aadhaar record first. Updating PAN or Aadhaar details can take a couple of weeks, so start early.

Common mistakes with Registration documents

• Using an address proof or utility bill that is more than two months old.
• Scanning documents in low resolution, so the Registrar cannot read them.
• Forgetting the NOC because the property belongs to a family member.
• Uploading a rent agreement that has expired, or that is in someone else's name.
• Leaving the apostille for overseas directors until the last week.

Which other documents will you need right after Registration?

The certificate of incorporation shows the entity's PAN and TAN. For a company, the same SPICe+ filing can also apply for GST Registration (if you choose it), EPFO and ESIC Registration and a bank account. Keep the board resolution or partners' resolution for opening the bank account ready, and keep a folder of every signed document — banks, GST officers and investors ask for them again.

Key takeaways

• PAN, Aadhaar, address proof and photo for each person.
• Utility bill and NOC for the office.
• Fix name mismatches across documents before you start.
• Overseas directors need apostilled or consular-attested documents — start them first.
• Every signing director or designated partner needs a DSC.