Indian Subsidiary Registration Cost and Fees: What a Foreign Parent Actually Pays

Last updated 26 September 2026

How much does Indian subsidiary registration cost?

The cost of registering an Indian subsidiary is Shunya's professional fee of ₹1,999 plus a set of separate costs: MCA filing fee, state stamp duty, DSC issuer charges, and the cost of notarising and apostilling your parent company's documents abroad. Only the first item is fixed. The rest depend on your authorised capital, your state and your parent's country.

Say Emma runs finance for a UK software company that wants a wholly owned subsidiary (WOS) in India with Rs 10 lakh authorised capital. Her MCA filing fee is nil, so her budget is driven by three things: the professional fee, the stamp duty in the state of the registered office, and what her home-country notary and apostille office charge. None of these is a surprise if you list them up front, and the table below does that.

Shunya's fee excludes the DSC issuer's charge, government fees, stamp duty and other third-party or statutory costs. These are billed separately, and your CA walks you through them on your callback.

What does Shunya's professional fee of ₹1,999 cover?

Shunya's professional fee pays for the CA-assisted incorporation and FDI-reporting work described on the Indian subsidiary registration page. A practising Chartered Accountant reviews every filing before it goes to the Registrar of Companies.

Based on what that page lists, the work includes:

• Checking your parent company's documents and the proposed shareholding structure.
• Checking name availability and obtaining a DSC and DIN for directors, with the DSC charge billed separately.
• Preparing a FEMA-compliant SPICe+ filing (Simplified Proforma for Incorporating Company Electronically Plus) with the MOA and AOA.
• Preparing the FC-GPR paperwork and filing Form FC-GPR on the RBI's FIRMS portal after shares are allotted.
• Delivering the Certificate of Incorporation, PAN, TAN and the FC-GPR acknowledgment.

The fee is for professional work, not a bundle that swallows government or third-party charges. If you also need GST registration, a bank account or other services, ask your CA on the free callback; do not assume they are part of the fee.

Which government and statutory fees apply to a subsidiary?

Two government-side costs apply at incorporation: the MCA filing fee and state stamp duty. Both are set by authorities, not by Shunya.

MCA filing fee

As of September 2026, the MCA fee for filing SPICe+ is nil when authorised capital is up to Rs 15 lakh. Above that, a slab-based fee applies that rises with the capital figure. Many subsidiaries start with a modest authorised capital and increase it later, so the nil slab covers a lot of first-year setups. Your CA confirms the exact amount for your capital figure before you pay.

State stamp duty

Stamp duty on the MOA (Memorandum of Association) and AOA (Articles of Association) is set by each state, and the amount can differ widely. It depends on the state of your registered office, so state stamp duty is confirmed by your CA before you pay. For rough state-level context, see our cost guides for Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi, though those cover domestic companies.

Which subsidiary costs are incurred outside India?

The costs that surprise foreign parents most are the ones incurred in the parent's own country. Foreign documents typically need notarisation and then apostille (or consular legalisation if your country is not part of the Apostille Convention) before they can be used for an Indian filing.

• Notary and apostille or legalisation charges: set by your local authorities and vary by country. Budget for every document, not just one.
• Courier costs: originals often travel between countries, so allow for courier charges both ways.
• Foreign directors' documents: if directors are outside India, their identity and address papers may also need notarisation.
• Overseas bank charges: your bank issues a KYC report on the investor and processes the remittance, and each may carry a fee.

Our documents and apostille guide lists each paper in detail. Apostille lead time also affects your timeline, which is covered in the process and timeline guide.

Is the capital you invest a cost of registration?

No. The money your parent invests in the subsidiary is share capital, an asset of the parent, and it is not a registration fee. There is no statutory minimum capital for a private limited company, so Emma's parent can invest what the business plan needs.

Two practical points apply. First, some sectors have their own minimum capitalisation conditions, so check yours. Second, banks often expect a reasonable opening deposit, sometimes around Rs 1 lakh, though this is bank policy, not law.

The investment must arrive through an authorised dealer (AD) Category-I bank, and shares must be issued at or above fair value, supported by a valuation certificate. Those steps have costs, listed in the table above, but the capital itself is not one of them. For the reporting side, read FDI and FEMA reporting requirements.

What does a late or wrong FEMA filing cost you?

A late FC-GPR carries a Late Submission Fee of Rs 7,500 plus 0.025% of the amount involved for each year of delay, capped at 100% of the amount, as reported by several practitioner sources as of September 2026. The bigger risk is having to regularise the filing through compounding, which takes time and attention.

FC-GPR must be filed within 30 days of allotment, so the simplest way to avoid this cost is to have the paperwork ready before the money arrives. A mismatch between the FIRC (Foreign Inward Remittance Certificate), the KYC report and the valuation certificate is a common cause of resubmissions. Whoever files it should check these before filing.

Exact figures and procedures can change, so confirm the current late-fee rules with your CA rather than relying on any article, including this one.

What recurring costs should you budget after incorporation?

Budget for a statutory audit, annual ROC filings, the annual FLA return and possibly transfer-pricing documentation every year, because a subsidiary carries more ongoing compliance than a domestic private limited company. Shunya's page states this trade-off openly.

• Statutory audit: a first auditor is appointed within 30 days of incorporation, and the audit repeats every year. Auditor fees are negotiated with the auditor.
• Annual MCA filings: AOC-4 and MGT-7 each year.
• FLA return: due to the RBI every 15 July.
• Transfer pricing: if the subsidiary transacts with your parent or group, an arm's-length report by a CA may be needed.

The full calendar is in Indian subsidiary compliance after incorporation.

Should you do it yourself or pay a CA?

A foreign parent can file SPICe+ on its own, but the FEMA layer is where paying a CA usually earns its keep. The SPICe+ form itself is the same one any Indian company uses. The risk sits in the cross-border details: document attestation, FIRC and KYC matching, the valuation certificate and the 30-day FC-GPR window.

If you already have a finance team in India with FEMA experience, DIY is realistic. If your team is abroad and this is your first Indian entity, one missed deadline can cost more than the professional fee. Compare the fee with your own time and the late-fee exposure above.

If you are still choosing between structures, see subsidiary vs branch office vs liaison office, or check the ordinary private limited company route if you have no foreign parent. You can also use the company incorporation cost calculator for the domestic side.

This article is for general information only. For your specific situation, consult a practicing CA.