GST registration for foreign providers of SaaS, streaming, cloud, e-books and online ads selling to consumers in India.
India taxes Online Information Database Access and Retrieval (OIDAR) services, meaning digital services delivered over the internet with minimal human involvement, such as software subscriptions, streaming, cloud storage, e-books, online gaming and online advertising. A foreign supplier selling these services to consumers or other unregistered persons in India must register for GST, charge 18% IGST and file a monthly return, even without any office or staff in India. Fastlegal registers your business through the simplified form for foreign OIDAR providers and can act as your representative in India.
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. No government fee for registration; 18% IGST on supplies is payable to the government with each monthly return.
Order OIDAR registration and pay online in INR or by international card; we confirm the scope of your services on a short call.
Upload your business registration, signatory passport and service description to your Fastlegal dashboard.
We submit the simplified OIDAR application, set up the representative in India if required, and handle any clarification sought by the officer.
Track approval in your dashboard, download your GSTIN certificate, and move to our monthly OIDAR return service for GSTR-5A.
Services delivered over the internet that are essentially automated and need minimal human involvement: software-as-a-service, streaming of music, video and games, cloud storage, e-books and digital content, online advertising, and similar. Services delivered by people over the internet, such as live tutoring or consulting, are generally not OIDAR.
If the Indian customer is GST-registered, the customer pays the tax under reverse charge and you generally do not need to register for that supply. Registration is mandatory when you supply to consumers or other unregistered persons in India, which is the position for most B2C subscription and app businesses.
No. Unlike Indian businesses, a foreign OIDAR supplier must register from the first supply to an unregistered person in India; the usual GST threshold does not apply.
No office, employee or visit is required. Registration is through a simplified online form meant for foreign suppliers. You may appoint a representative in India to handle compliance, which Fastlegal can do for you.
Usually 7–10 working days after we receive your documents, though the GST officer may seek clarifications which can extend this. Timelines are set by the department and are not guaranteed.
You must charge 18% IGST on supplies to unregistered persons in India, file a monthly return in GSTR-5A and pay the tax each month. Our separate monthly OIDAR return filing service handles this for you.