Documents Required to Set Up a Company in India from Europe

If your business is based in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, or anywhere else in Europe and you are setting up a company in India, one practical question comes before everything else: which documents do you actually need, and how must they be prepared?

The paperwork trips up more European companies than the law itself. Documents authenticated the wrong way, translated incorrectly, or filed after a deadline can delay incorporation by weeks — or see it rejected outright by the Registrar. Getting the document trail right the first time is what keeps your India entry smooth.

This guide sets out the documents a European company needs to register in India, and the authentication and translation steps that matter most.

 

Table of Contents

Documents Required To Set Up Your Company In India From Europe

The exact documents you need depend on the structure you choose. A wholly owned subsidiary, a joint venture, an LLP, and a branch or liaison office each follow their own rules and ask for their own papers — a branch office, for instance, needs proof of the parent’s track record and net worth that a subsidiary does not. Choosing the right structure first, and then building the document list around it, is what avoids redone forms and repeated translations.

You will also need some documents specific to the structure you pick — but the list below is required for almost every company registration in India.

  • Passports of every director and individual shareholder — the identity proof that foreign nationals must provide
  • Recent address proof dated within the last two months — a bank statement, utility bill or similar
  • A passport-size photograph, an email address and a mobile number for verification on the MCA portal
  • A Class 3 Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) for each person who signs, obtained in India
  • An Indian registered office address — the lease or rent agreement, a recent utility bill, and a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the property owner
  • The European parent company’s incorporation documents — its certificate of incorporation and charter documents (memorandum and articles or local equivalent)
  • A board resolution approving the Indian investment and naming the authorised signatory
  • A power of attorney for the person who will sign the paperwork in India
  • A Director Identification Number (DIN) for each proposed director — the unique number the MCA requires to appoint a director (it can be applied for within the SPICe+ incorporation form itself).

 

Everything is filed through the SPICe+ form on the MCA V3 portal, bundled with the e-MoA (INC-33), e-AoA (INC-34) and AGILE-PRO-S (INC-35). This single filing also delivers your PAN, TAN, and provisional GST, EPFO and ESIC registration, so the company is ready to operate quickly.

Once you provide these key documents, we handle everything that follows — the drafting, the filings and the back-and-forth with the authorities — so your team can stay focused on the business.

 

Documents Required by Different Business Structures in  India for European Countries

On top of the common documents above, each entry route asks for its own additional papers. Here is what each structure needs.

Wholly Owned Subsidiary or Joint Venture (Private Limited Company)

  • The European parent’s certificate of incorporation and memorandum and articles (or local equivalent) — apostilled and notarized
  • A board resolution authorising the investment and naming the authorised signatory — apostilled and notarized
  • Form DIR-2 (consent to act as director) and Form INC-9 (declaration) from each proposed director. — apostilled and notarized for foreign national
  • PAN and identity proof of at least one director resident in India (present at least 182 days a year)
  • For a joint venture: a shareholders’ or joint-venture agreement setting out ownership shares, board seats and exit terms, plus the Indian partner’s identity and address proof
  • At least two directors and two shareholders are required for a private limited company

Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)

  • Passport and address proof of every designated partner — apostilled and notarized
  • If the European company itself is a partner, its incorporation and charter documents — apostilled and notarized
  • A resolution naming the individual who will represent the European partner — apostilled and notarized
  • Consent to act as designated partner, and the Designated Partner Identification Number (DPIN) applicaion. — apostilled and notarized for a foreign national
  • Proof of the registered office and the owner’s no-objection certificate

Branch Office

  • The parent’s certificate of incorporation and memorandum and articles — apostilled and notarized
  • Audited financial statements for the last five years
  • Evidence of a profit-making track record in the preceding five financial years and a net worth of at least USD 100,000, certified by a Certified Public Accountant
  • A banker’s report from the parent’s bank in its home country
  • Form FNC, filed with the RBI through an Authorised Dealer (AD) Category-I bank
  • A power of attorney for the representative in India

Liaison Office

  • The parent’s certificate of incorporation and charter documents — apostilled and notarized
  • Audited financial statements for the last three years
  • Evidence of a profit-making track record in the preceding three financial years and a net worth of at least USD 50,000, certified by a Certified Public Accountant
  • A banker’s report from the parent’s bank
  • Form FNC, filed with the RBI through an AD Category-I bank
  • A power of attorney for the representative in India. (A liaison office cannot earn income in India and is funded from abroad)

Project Office

  • The signed contract with the Indian client
  • Evidence that the project is funded by inward remittance, or by a bilateral or multilateral funding agency
  • The parent’s incorporation documents — apostilled and notarized
  • Form FNC filed with the RBI through an AD Category-I bank, within the prescribed time

 

Authentication: Apostille For European Companies

This is the step European businesses must plan for early, and the good news is that it is simpler for Europe than for many other regions.

Every EU member state — along with the UK, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland — is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961, and so is India. This means documents issued in a European country need only an apostille from the competent authority in that country (for example, the Foreign Office, the relevant ministry, or a designated court). No attestation from an Indian embassy is required — the apostille alone is accepted. This is a real saving in time and cost compared with the consular route that non-Hague countries must follow.

A few practical points:

  • The apostille must cover all pages of a multi-page document; bind them securely with the certificate
  • Apostilles are issued only by the country where the document originates, so each document is apostilled in its home country
  • Allow one to three weeks for this step, as it is where most delays happen

 

What your company must file after registration?

For a subsidiary, joint venture or LLP, the capital you bring in must be reported to the Reserve Bank of India.

The share capital is remitted through banking channels, and you obtain a Foreign Inward Remittance Certificate (FIRC). Form FC-GPR is then filed with the RBI on the FIRMS portal within 30 days of shares being allotted, supported by the FIRC, the bank’s KYC report on the European investor, and a valuation certificate. Form PAS-3 goes to the MCA within 30 days, and a Foreign Liabilities and Assets (FLA) return follows each year by 15 July. Staying on top of these protects future remittances back to Europe.

 

Common Mistakes European Companies Make

A few avoidable errors cause most delays:

  • Using outdated address proof — bank statements or utility bills older than two months are rejected
  • Mismatched details — the name on the passport must match the board resolution and other documents exactly
  • Incomplete apostille — the apostille must cover every page of a bound document
  • Letting the name reservation lapse — a reserved company name is valid for only 20 days, so apostilled documents should be ready before you file
  • Not appointing a resident director early — finding a qualified Indian-resident director takes time; start well before incorporation
  • Missing the 30-day FC-GPR deadline — the window passes quickly across time zones, so set a reminder from the day of allotment

 

Conclusion

For a European company, India offers a large opportunity with a genuinely smooth entry path — the apostille process instead of embassy attestation, and lower operating costs once you are running. Get your European documents translated into certified English, complete the apostille cleanly the first time, secure an Indian office address early, and appoint your resident director. Do that, and registration itself is usually the easy part.

 

How Mercurius can help European businesses set up in India?

At Mercurius, we help European businesses set up and run their companies in India from start to finish. We confirm the structure that suits your plans, tell you the exact apostille and translation wording to use, draft the board resolution and power of attorney in the form Indian authorities expect, and file your incorporation documents under professional certification. Once you are incorporated, we handle the FC-GPR and PAS-3 filings, along with accounting, audit, tax and payroll — leaving your team free to focus on growing the business in India.

Contact us to set up your company in India with confidence.

Phone: +91 96677 79615 | Email: info@masllp.com | Website: masllp.com 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Which documents does a European company need to register in India? For each director and shareholder: a passport, recent address proof, photo, email and mobile number, and a Class 3 Digital Signature Certificate. For the company: the European parent’s incorporation and charter documents, a board resolution, a power of attorney, and an Indian registered office address with a no-objection certificate.

Do European documents need to be apostilled for India? Yes. Because every EU member state and India are parties to the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961, documents need only an apostille from the home country — no Indian embassy attestation is required. Documents not in English must also be translated by a certified translator.

Do documents in German, French or other languages need translating? Yes. All documents submitted to the MCA must be in English, translated by a certified translator, with the translation notarised and apostilled along with the original.

What documents are needed after the company is registered? Form FC-GPR within 30 days of allotting shares, supported by the FIRC, the bank’s KYC report and a valuation certificate. Form PAS-3 follows, and the FLA return is filed once a year.

How long does the apostille and translation stage take? Allow one to three weeks. It is the step where timelines most often stretch, so start it early.