Register a Pvt Ltd Company Online via MCA

Every private limited company in India is born on one website: the MCA portal. Run by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, this is the official online system, now on its “V3” version, where founders reserve a company name, file incorporation forms, and receive their Certificate of Incorporation. Unlike some other countries where a separate registrar website handles company records, India routes the entire process, and years of compliance afterward, through this single portal. This guide walks through what founders actually see and do on the MCA portal when registering a private limited company, from the first name-reservation screen to the final certificate.

Before You Log In: Getting a Digital Signature Certificate

Nothing can be filed on the MCA portal until every proposed director and subscriber has a Class 3 Digital Signature Certificate, or DSC. This is the electronic equivalent of a signature and is used to sign each form on the portal. Founders typically apply for their DSC through a licensed certifying agency before starting the incorporation workflow, since the portal will reject form submissions that are not digitally signed by the correct individuals.

Step 1: Reserving a Name Through SPICe+ Part A

Incorporation begins with SPICe+ (form INC-32), an integrated web form built into the MCA portal. On first opening SPICe+, founders see two parts: Part A and Part B. Part A is used purely for name reservation. Here, you enter up to two proposed company names in order of preference, along with the objects or nature of the proposed business. A government fee of roughly 1,000 rupees applies at this stage. Once submitted, the application is queued for review by the Central Registration Centre, a centralised office under the MCA that processes name applications regardless of which state the company will be registered in. Approval or rejection typically appears in the founder’s portal dashboard within one to two working days. If a name is rejected, usually for being too similar to an existing company or trademark, founders can resubmit with new names.

Step 2: Filing SPICe+ Part B and the Linked Forms

Once a name is approved, the clock starts: Part B of SPICe+ must be filed within 20 days. Part B is considerably more detailed than Part A. On the portal, this section captures the registered office address, details of directors and subscribers, the proposed authorised and paid-up capital, and applications for the company’s Director Identification Numbers, PAN, and TAN, all within the same form.

Part B is not filed alone. The MCA portal bundles it with several linked e-forms that open alongside it in the same filing set:

• SPICe-MOA, the Memorandum of Association, which defines the company’s objects and scope
• SPICe-AOA, the Articles of Association, which sets out internal governance rules
• AGILE-PRO-S (INC-35), which applies for GSTIN, EPFO, ESIC registration, Profession Tax registration in states where it applies, and opening of the company’s bank account
• INC-9, a declaration by first directors and subscribers

Each of these forms must be filled in on-screen, attached with the required scanned documents such as identity proof, address proof, and proof of the registered office, and digitally signed using the DSC of the relevant director or subscriber before the complete set is uploaded to the portal.

Step 3: Paying Government Fees and Stamp Duty

Before submission, the portal calculates fees based on the company’s authorised capital. As a rough guide, capital of up to 1 lakh rupees attracts a fee of around 500 rupees, capital between 1 lakh and 5 lakh rupees around 2,000 rupees, and capital between 5 lakh and 10 lakh rupees around 5,000 rupees, with higher slabs for larger capital. On top of this, state-wise stamp duty applies, generally ranging from about 1,300 to over 10,000 rupees depending on the state of the registered office. The portal displays these amounts before payment, and fees are settled online as part of the filing process.

Step 4: Certificate of Incorporation

Once the complete SPICe+ Part B filing, along with its linked forms, is submitted, it moves to the Registrar of Companies, or RoC, the MCA authority with jurisdiction over the registered office location. If the forms and attached documents are in order, the RoC approves the application and issues the Certificate of Incorporation, bearing the company’s unique Corporate Identification Number, or CIN. PAN and TAN are issued automatically as part of the same certificate, so founders do not need to apply for these separately. When everything filed is complete and accurate, this entire process from Part B submission to certificate typically takes five to seven working days.

The Portal Does Not End at Incorporation

It is worth remembering that the MCA login created during incorporation is not a one-time-use account. The same portal is where companies later file annual returns, financial statements, and director KYC updates, among other ongoing compliance filings. Keeping login credentials, DSCs, and document records organised from day one makes these later filings considerably smoother.

The MCA portal is thorough by design, and small errors in name selection, capital structure, or attached documents can lead to resubmissions and delays. Founders who prefer not to navigate SPICe+ Part A, Part B, and the linked forms on their own can use a CA-assisted service such as Shunya to handle the filings correctly the first time.