Starting an Office in a Small Village: How Do I Get the Necessary Licenses and Registrations?

Hi,

I want to start an office in a village address and need to obtain a Service Tax Number, TIN, and PF/ESI number as we have more than 10 employees. My village is very small and it falls under Gram Panchayat jurisdiction in Gujarat.

Can anyone suggest how to obtain all the necessary licenses and registrations? Please advise.

Thanks and regards,
Jayanti

Starting an Office in a Village

The processes for starting an office do not change just because you are in a village. You will not be covered under the Shop and Establishment Act, but you will need a license from the gram panchayat. You need to ask them what procedure you need to follow. Many gram panchayats have only registration for record-keeping purposes and property tax.

For service tax, you need to register online and send proof by courier with the firm. For PF, again, you have online registration, which can be done and activated in a single day. For ESIC, you need to check whether the village you are in is covered under ESIC. Many places are not covered, especially where they don't have ESIC hospitals or facilities. If not, I would suggest you take a workman insurance cover.