Quick facts
- Day 1: verify the certificate, order stamps and Signboard.
- Within 30 days: appoint the first auditor.
- Within 180 days: file INC-20A.
- Every year: MGT-7 / MGT-7A with a photo of the registered office.
Your Certificate of Incorporation has arrived — but incorporation is only the starting point. Here's exactly what to do next, in the order that avoids delays with your bank, your compliance deadlines, and your day-to-day paperwork.
1. Verify Your Certificate Details
Check your Certificate of Incorporation carefully: Company Name, Corporate Identity Number (CIN), date of incorporation, and registered office address. These details must match exactly across every document you create from here on — your stamp, your signboard, your bank account, and your GST application.
2. Get Your Company Stamps Made
Order your Company stamp set as soon as your certificate details are confirmed. Most PVT. LTD. Companies need a DIRECTOR stamp, an Authorised Signatory stamp, and a Round Company Seal stamp — used for signing letters, invoices, and bank paperwork before and after your account is opened. See our PVT. LTD. stamp sets.
3. Display Your Registered Office Signboard
Section 12(3)(a) of the Companies Act, 2013 requires every Company to display its Company Name and registered office address outside its office, in the local language too where its script differs. Most Companies also add the CIN and, once registered, the GSTIN. This is a legal requirement, not optional, and should be put up within days of incorporation. See our compliance signboards.
Steps 2 and 3 in one order
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4. Open a Current Bank Account
Banks typically ask for your Certificate of Incorporation, MOA/AOA, Company PAN, a board resolution, and your Company stamp on the account-opening form. Having your stamp ready from step 2 avoids a second trip to the bank.
5. Decide on a Common Seal
A Common Seal has been optional since the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2015. Check your Articles of Association — if they don't specifically require one, most Companies rely on their Authorised Signatory stamp instead. If you do need one, see our Common Seal options.
6. Appoint Your First Auditor
The board must appoint the Company's first statutory auditor within 30 days of incorporation.
7. Deposit Subscribed Share Capital & File INC-20A
Subscribers must bring in their subscribed share capital, after which the Company files Form INC-20A (declaration of commencement of business) within 180 days of incorporation.
8. Register for GST
Required if your turnover is expected to cross the applicable threshold, or if you want to claim input tax credit from day one.
9. Set Up Statutory Registers
Maintain the statutory registers required under the Companies Act — registers of members, directors, and charges — from the start, rather than reconstructing them later.
10. Apply for Business Licenses
Depending on your industry and location, you may need additional registrations or licenses — such as Shop & Establishment, MSME (Udyam), or industry-specific approvals — before you begin operating.
Frequently asked questions
How soon after incorporation should I put up the registered office signboard?
As soon as possible — Section 12(3)(a) of the Companies Act, 2013 requires it from the time your registered office is established, and the annual return (MGT-7) asks for a photograph of it.
Is a Company stamp legally mandatory for a PVT. LTD. Company?
No, there's no law requiring a Company stamp. In practice, though, most banks and vendors still expect one on documents, cheques, and account-opening forms.
Do I need a Common Seal if my AOA doesn't mention one?
No. Since the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2015, a Common Seal is only needed if a Company's Articles of Association specifically call for one.
Related: PVT. LTD. stamp sets, compliance signboards, and Common Seal.