Operate in India as a branch of your foreign company — export/import, consultancy or IT services, with RBI approval.
A branch office lets a foreign company carry on business in India directly, without forming a separate Indian company, in activities permitted by the Reserve Bank of India such as export and import of goods, professional or consultancy services, research, technical support and IT or software services. The branch is taxed in India at the rates applicable to foreign companies and can remit its post-tax profits to the parent. Fastlegal manages the RBI application through an Authorised Dealer bank, registration with the Registrar of Companies, tax registrations and the annual filings the branch must make.
One fixed professional fee, inclusive of GST, agreed with you before any work starts — no hourly billing, no surprises, and nothing charged until you approve it. AD bank processing charges, RBI/ROC fees and apostille or consularisation costs extra, at actuals.
Order branch office registration and pay online in INR or by international card; we confirm that your planned activities are permitted for a branch.
Upload apostilled parent-company documents, audited financials and representative KYC to your Fastlegal dashboard.
We prepare and submit Form FNC through the bank, handle queries, then complete FC-1 registration, PAN, TAN and GST for the branch.
Monitor progress in your dashboard and download the RBI approval, UIN, ROC certificate and tax registrations as issued.
Under current RBI guidelines a branch may export or import goods, render professional or consultancy services, carry out research in which the parent is engaged, promote technical or financial collaborations, represent the parent as a buying or selling agent, provide IT and software services, and provide technical support for products supplied by the parent. Manufacturing and retail trading are not permitted for a branch.
A branch is treated as a foreign company and its Indian profits are taxed at the rate applicable to foreign companies, which under current rules is higher than the rate for Indian companies. There is no further tax on remitting post-tax profits to the parent. A subsidiary is taxed as a domestic company, but dividends paid to the parent are subject to withholding tax. We can compare the two for your situation.
Yes. After paying Indian taxes, the branch can remit its profits to the parent through its AD bank, supported by a chartered accountant's certificate and the prescribed forms.
No. The application, ROC registration and tax registrations are handled remotely with apostilled or embassy-attested documents. Your authorised representative in India signs locally where required.
Typically 8–12 weeks, driven mainly by the AD bank and RBI review of Form FNC. ROC registration and tax IDs follow within a couple of weeks of approval. We cannot guarantee regulator timelines.
Audited accounts of the Indian branch, Form FC-3 (annual accounts) and FC-4 (annual return) with the ROC, an income tax return as a foreign company, an Annual Activity Certificate with the AD bank, GST returns and, where transactions with the parent exist, transfer pricing documentation.