Get legal & compliant

Register, get GST-ready, protect your name, and clear the licenses you need to sell.

What founders use for get legal & compliant, ranked by how many answers lean on it.

  1. Focused specifically on the Central License tier that most online food sellers land in, clearer than generic FSSAI overviews... nkgabc.com Article FSSAI Central License for Food Businesses | All-India Compliance nkgabc.com
  2. Useful if you're still single-state and offline-heavy, clarifies the middle State License tier and when you'd need to upgrade... nkgabc.com Article FSSAI State License for Food Businesses | Compliance in India nkgabc.com
  3. Written specifically with D2C brands in mind rather than restaurants/manufacturers, so the examples and edge cases... TheGSTCo Article FSSAI for D2C TheGSTCo
  4. The regulator's own cosmetics page, the authoritative source to confirm current rules before you commit to a formulation or... cdsco.gov.in Tool Cosmetics, CDSCO Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO)
  5. A practical process breakdown for domestic manufacturing specifically, timeline, site inspection, and the five-year retention... Artixio Article CDSCO Manufacturing License for Cosmetics in India Artixio
  6. The official CRS portal itself, the place to check if your specific electronic product SKU is on the mandatory list before you... crsbis.in Tool Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS) Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
  7. BIS's own explanation of the Scheme II registration route, useful to cross-check against a consultant's summary since the exact... bis.gov.in Tool BIS CRS (Scheme II) Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
  8. The government's own page on the Act itself, the source to cite or check against when a labeling rule is disputed or a... consumeraffairs.gov.in Tool The Legal Metrology Act Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India
  9. A friendlier front-end over the same government data, useful if the official portal's interface trips you up, good for a quick... IndiaFilings Tool Online Trademark Search India | Check Brand Name Availability IndiaFilings
  10. Explains how to interpret what the search results actually mean (live vs opposed vs abandoned marks) rather than just how to... IndiaFilings Article IPIndia Trademark Search: Secure Your Brand in India IndiaFilings
  11. A law-firm-authored piece that reads results the way an examiner or opposing counsel would, useful once you're past basic... Lexology Article How to Use IPIndia Public Search for Easy Trademark Checking Lexology
  12. The most direct plain English answer to this exact question, written by a payments company that sees the problem from both... Cashfree Article Do You Need GST to Sell Online in India? Rules, Limits & TCS Explained Cashfree Payments
  13. Covers the one real exception to 'GST from order one': Meesho's Enrolment ID route for specific exempted categories under the... Gonukkad Article How To Sell On Meesho Without GST in 2025 Gonukkad
  14. Answers the practical follow up question a founder hits right after GST: can I even take payments without one. Written by a... PhonePe Business Article Payment Gateway Without GST: Can You Accept Online Payments? PhonePe
  15. Spells out the actual cost of treating GST as optional: the penalty math under Section 122, the 18% interest clock, and the... Masters India Article Penalty for Not Registering or Late Registering Under GST Masters India
  16. A free way to sanity check any GSTIN, your own once issued, or a supplier's before you extend credit, without waiting on a CA. ClearTax Tool GST Number Search Tool - GSTIN Verification Online ClearTax
  17. Written by a payment company that onboards thousands of small sellers, so it frames GST registration around the real founder... Razorpay Learn Article GST Registration for Small Business - Minimum Turnover, New Rules & Benefits Razorpay
  18. Video GST Registration Guide for Ecommerce Sellers YouTube
  19. The clearest global explainer of economic nexus, the international equivalent of India's e-commerce mandate: the idea that... Stripe Article Introduction to US Sales Tax and Economic Nexus Stripe
  20. Shopify's own 2026 guide to US sales tax makes the same core point GST does for India: the platform will not register or remit... Shopify Article Ecommerce Sales Tax: Complete Guide for US Businesses (2026) Shopify
  21. A tax compliance vendor's FAQ that lays out registration timing cleanly: register before you start selling in a jurisdiction,... Avalara Report Sales Tax Registration FAQ Avalara
  22. If a D2C brand ever ships direct to Europe, this explains the EU's equivalent to India's threshold question: a EUR 10,000 cross... amavat Article VAT OSS Threshold Explained: What Happens After EUR 10,000 amavat
  23. A free, self-paced government training module that simulates the actual registration screens, useful if you would rather watch... GST Portal (tutorial.gst.gov.in) Course Applying for GST Registration (Computer Based Training) GSTN
  24. When your application stalls (a stuck ARN, an unresolved OTP, a portal error), this is where you raise a ticket yourself... selfservice.gstsystem.in Tool GST Self Service Grievance Redressal Portal GSTN

Show the next 24

The questions

Registering your business 6

The right entity to sell and to raise.

I'm just starting out, should I register as a proprietorship, LLP, or private limited company? 4 → Once I've decided on Private Limited, what's the actual step-by-step to incorporate it? 4 → Is it worth applying for Startup India / DPIIT recognition, and what does it actually get me? 4 → I'm a solo founder with no co-founder, does an OPC (One Person Company) make more sense than an LLP? 4 → Beyond incorporation, what other registrations do I actually need before I can legally take my first order? 4 → All 6 questions in Registering your business →
GST registration & basics 6

Get GST-ready before your first online sale.

Do I need a GST number before I make my very first sale, or can that wait? 20 → What's the actual step-by-step to register for GST myself, without paying a CA? 18 → What documents do I need lined up before I start the GST application? 16 → I'm a small maker just starting out, does the GST composition scheme make sense for me? 20 → How long does GST registration actually take and what does it cost? 18 → All 6 questions in GST registration & basics →
GST across states & e-commerce 7

Place of supply, TCS, and selling pan-India cleanly.

Do I actually need a GST registration to sell online, or can I start without one? 4 → A customer in another state ordered, do I charge IGST or CGST + SGST? 4 → Why is Amazon/Flipkart holding back a cut of my payout, what is this TCS? 4 → I store stock in a 3PL or Amazon FBA warehouse in another state, do I need a separate GST registration there? 4 → What HSN code and GST rate apply to my product, and where do I look it up? 3 → All 7 questions in GST across states & e-commerce →
Trademark & brand IP 6

Own your name before someone else does.

Should I trademark my brand name before I even launch, or can it wait till I have traction? 4 → How do I check if my brand name is already taken before I fall in love with it? 4 → What trademark class do I actually file under for my D2C brand, just one, or more? 3 → How much does trademark registration actually cost and how long does it take in India? 3 → What's the difference between the ™ I'm already using and getting an actual registered ®? 3 → All 6 questions in Trademark & brand IP →
Product licenses & certifications 6

FSSAI, cosmetics, BIS, drug, legal-metrology, get legal to sell.

I'm selling packaged food/snacks online, what FSSAI license do I need, and does my turnover matter? 4 → I make skincare/cosmetics at home or with a small manufacturer, do I need a CDSCO license before I can sell? 2 → I import or sell gadgets/electronics, what's this BIS CRS mark I keep hearing about? 3 → What exactly has to be on my product label/pack to be legally compliant under Legal Metrology? 3 → How do I even figure out which licenses apply to MY specific product, is there a single checklist? 3 → All 6 questions in Product licenses & certifications →
EPR & sustainability compliance 6

Plastic EPR, packaging rules, and green claims that hold up.

Do I actually need EPR registration for my D2C brand's plastic packaging, and what happens if I skip it? 3 → What's the actual step-by-step to register for EPR on the CPCB portal? 4 → What are the recycled-content and QR code traceability rules I need to hit in 2025-2026? 3 → Can I call my packaging 'eco-friendly' or 'sustainable' on my product page without getting into trouble? 3 → Where do I actually source compostable or plastic-free packaging in India without blowing my per-order cost? 3 → All 6 questions in EPR & sustainability compliance →
Data privacy & the DPDP Act 6

Handle customer data legally under India's DPDP Act.

Do I actually need to worry about DPDP as a small D2C brand, or is this a big-company problem? 3 → What exactly counts as valid consent under DPDP for my checkout and signup forms? 3 → What do I need to put in my privacy policy, and how do I actually draft one? 4 → What tools should I use to get DPDP-compliant without hiring a lawyer for every step? 2 → What actually happens to my brand if I don't comply, what are the real penalties? 3 → All 6 questions in Data privacy & the DPDP Act →
Business insurance & risk 6

Cover product liability, inventory, and shipping risk.

Do I actually need product liability insurance as a small D2C brand, or am I overthinking it? 3 → What does product liability insurance in India actually cost and cover? 3 → My marketplace is asking for liability insurance before I can keep selling, what do I actually need to show them? 3 → How do I insure my inventory against fire, theft, or damage sitting in a warehouse? 3 → What about goods lost or damaged in transit or shipping, is that covered separately from warehouse insurance? 3 → All 6 questions in Business insurance & risk →
Counterfeits & IP enforcement 6

Stop fakes and hijackers on marketplaces and your store.

How do I get my brand onto Amazon Brand Registry and Project Zero to fight counterfeits? 3 → What's Flipkart's equivalent, and how do I actually report a fake or unauthorised listing there? 3 → Someone's hijacked my own product listing and is undercutting my price, what do I do? 3 → Do I need a trademark before I can even start protecting my brand, and how do I register one in India? 2 → My brand is being sold as fake on Instagram and WhatsApp, not just on marketplaces, what do I do? 3 → All 6 questions in Counterfeits & IP enforcement →
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →