India is open for business. We make sure you enter it correctly.

In most sectors, yes. India permits 100% foreign ownership through the automatic FDI route for the majority of industries. Some sectors, including defence, retail and financial services, have specific conditions or caps. We review the FDI rules that apply to your sector before any filing begins.

Once all required documents are ready, a Certificate of Incorporation typically takes around three to four weeks, and preparing apostilled documents for foreign directors usually adds a further two to three weeks. Timelines vary with the authorities' own processing, and we start the preparation the day your engagement begins.

Significant. Indian companies have overlapping filing obligations to the Registrar of Companies, the RBI, GST authorities and sector-specific regulators. For manufacturing clients, factory inspectors, pollution control boards and labour authorities add further layers. We manage the complete compliance calendar through our annual retainer service.

Yes. Many of our clients are from the US, UAE, Singapore, Australia, Japan and Europe. Our UK, Canada and US offices are our western anchor points, and our India advisory serves international businesses from every jurisdiction.

Most Indian companies require at least one director who is resident in India. We advise on the requirement for your entity type and can help you meet it as part of setup.

State selection is the first and most consequential decision. Different states offer different incentives: capital subsidies, power tariff concessions and single-window clearances. We begin with a state comparison calibrated to your sector and supply chain, then manage land acquisition, factory registration, environmental clearances and every operating licence through to first production.

India's Production Linked Incentive scheme offers cash incentives, typically a percentage of incremental sales, to manufacturers who commit to production targets over a set period. Current rates vary by sector and change over time. We assess your eligibility as part of our pre-investment advisory and manage the application and annual claims if you qualify.

It varies by state and sector, but many clients move from land acquisition to first production in roughly six to fourteen months. Environmental and factory licensing usually set the pace, and we run these in parallel with construction wherever the state allows it.

This depends on the tax treaty between India and your home country. India has Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements with the US, Canada, UK, UAE, Singapore and Australia, among others, which set reduced withholding tax rates on dividends, royalties and management fees. We confirm the current position for your case.

Yes. We look at your entity structure, transfer pricing position and applicable treaty benefits together, rather than treating tax as an afterthought. Getting this right from the outset is usually worth more than any relief we could claim later.

Not through an inventory-based model. India's FDI policy restricts this for 100% foreign-owned entities. The compliant structure is a B2B wholesale model, where your Indian entity sells to an Indian-owned distributor. Direct-to-consumer capability is available through the Single Brand Retail Trading route, which has specific conditions we manage for you.

Marketplace selling has its own registration and compliance requirements, separate from setting up a direct e-commerce operation. We advise on the route that fits your business model, including where a marketplace-only approach may let you enter faster.