Beyond incorporation, what other registrations do I actually need before I can legally take my first order?
The short answer
Incorporation alone doesn't let you sell, you'll also need GST registration (near-mandatory for any marketplace or serious D2C store), a current bank account in the company's name, and depending on your product, category-specific licenses like FSSAI (food), CDSCO (cosmetics/drugs), or BIS (electronics). SPICe+ now bundles PAN, TAN and GSTIN into the incorporation filing itself, which saves a separate trip to the GST portal for most new companies. Treat 'incorporated' and 'ready to sell' as two different milestones, plan a few extra weeks if you're in a regulated product category.
A quick summary to orient you. The real value is below: the resources worth your time, from people who've actually done it, not us.
Here are the resources
Hand-picked from around the web, each with a note on why it earns your time. India-specific ones carry a badge.
4 resources4 India-specific4 link-checked
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📄 Article
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Why we picked it
The rare guide written specifically for D2C founders rather than generic startups, it walks through incorporation, GST, trademark and product licenses as one connected checklist instead of siloed topics.
Why we picked it
Gives realistic timeline and cost ranges instead of vague 'varies' language, useful for actually budgeting the incorporation before you commit.
Why we picked it
Zooms out beyond just incorporation to the full 'ready to sell' checklist, GST, current account, licenses, which is exactly the sequencing question new founders actually have.
Why we picked it
Answers the exact questions founders get stuck on mid-filing, name rejections, DIN issues, linked forms, written by a team that files these routinely.
