Article · 12 min read

Legal and Regulatory Checklist for Startups in India

Startup India (DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry) · Startup India Free Beginner India

This is the government's own checklist, so it settles the entity question straight: Pvt Ltd if you plan to raise (investors cannot hold shares in an LLP), LLP or OPC if you are bootstrapping services. It walks the same first-weeks moves the answer names (MCA incorporation, DPIIT recognition to unlock tax and IP benefits, GST once you cross the threshold, sector licenses) from the source that defines them, not a reseller's blog.

• Pick Pvt Ltd only if you intend to raise, because equity funds cannot take shares in an LLP and converting later costs time, fees, and stamp duty.
• DPIIT recognition is the gate to the 80-IAC tax holiday, faster IP filing, and angel-tax relief, so file for it early.
• GST is not day-one paperwork: register when you cross the turnover threshold or start interstate B2B supply, not before you must.