Open a representative office in India to explore the market and liaise with partners — no local company required.
A liaison office (also called a representative office) is the lightest way for a foreign company to have a presence in India: it can promote your business, gather market information and act as a communication channel with Indian customers and partners, but it cannot earn any income in India. Permission is granted by the Reserve Bank of India through an Authorised Dealer Category-I bank, after which the office is registered with the Registrar of Companies (ROC). Fastlegal prepares the Form FNC application, coordinates with the bank, completes ROC registration and sets up the annual certifications the office must file.
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 liaison office registration and pay online in INR or by international card; we schedule an eligibility call with your team.
Upload apostilled parent-company documents, audited financials and the representative's KYC to your Fastlegal dashboard.
We prepare Form FNC, submit it through the AD Category-I bank, respond to queries, then file FC-1 with the ROC and obtain PAN and TAN.
Follow each stage in your dashboard and download the approval letter, UIN, ROC certificate and PAN/TAN when issued.
It can represent the parent company, promote exports and imports, promote technical or financial collaboration, and act as a communication channel. It cannot carry on any commercial or industrial activity or earn income in India; all its expenses must be met by inward remittances from the parent.
The RBI expects a profitable track record in the home country and a minimum net worth, as prescribed in its current guidelines for liaison offices. Companies that do not meet these may still be considered if the parent provides a letter of comfort, subject to RBI's discretion.
Plan for 8–12 weeks in total: the AD bank and RBI typically take several weeks to review Form FNC, and ROC registration and tax IDs follow approval. Timelines depend on the regulator and are not guaranteed.
No. Documents are apostilled or attested by the Indian embassy in your country and uploaded to your dashboard. Your authorised representative in India signs locally where a wet signature is needed.
Under current rules a liaison office is generally permitted for three years at a time (shorter for certain sectors), and can apply for renewal through the AD bank before expiry. We remind you ahead of the renewal date.
The office must file an Annual Activity Certificate from a chartered accountant with the AD bank and tax authorities, file annual accounts and Form FC-3 and FC-4 with the ROC, file an income tax return, and keep its activities within the permitted scope. Our foreign company annual compliance package covers these.
Liaison Office Registration in India
8–12 weeks, depending on RBI/AD bank approval and MCA processing