Starting a business in India or Nepal doesn't require an MBA or a massive investment. What it does require is getting the paperwork right from day one, so you can focus on building your business instead of dealing with compliance issues later.
This guide covers the practical steps for both countries, side by side. If you are trading in Australia instead, start with registering an ABN as a sole trader.
Business Registration
India
India offers several business structures, each with different compliance requirements:
Sole Proprietorship
- No formal registration required (though GST registration may be needed)
- Operate under your own PAN (Permanent Account Number)
- Simplest structure, just start trading
- No limited liability protection
One Person Company (OPC)
- Introduced in 2013 for single entrepreneurs who want limited liability
- Register through the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) portal
- Requires a minimum of 1 director and 1 nominee
- Annual compliance: financial statements, annual return, income tax return
Private Limited Company (Pvt Ltd)
- Most popular structure for funded startups
- Minimum 2 directors, 2 shareholders
- Register through MCA, typical cost ₹7,000 to ₹15,000 including government fees
- Limited liability protection
- Can raise equity funding
LLP (Limited Liability Partnership)
- Hybrid of partnership and company
- Lower compliance than Pvt Ltd
- Good for professional services (consultants, agencies)
Nepal
Nepal's business registration process:
Sole Proprietorship (Ekal Swamitva)
- Register at your local District Administration Office or Department of Industry
- Cost: NPR 1,000 to 5,000 depending on the district
- Simplest structure
- Must renew annually
Partnership
- Register at the Department of Industry
- Partnership deed required
- Joint and several liability (similar to Australia)
Private Limited Company (Pvt Ltd)
- Register at the Office of the Company Registrar (OCR)
- Minimum 1 director, minimum share capital NPR 100
- Annual compliance: AGM, financial statements, tax returns
Key requirement: All businesses in Nepal need a PAN (Permanent Account Number) from the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) for tax purposes.
Tax Registration & Compliance
India: GST
India's Goods and Services Tax replaced multiple indirect taxes in 2017. It's a destination-based tax with multiple rate slabs.
GST Registration is mandatory if:
- Annual turnover exceeds ₹40 lakh (₹20 lakh for special category states)
- You sell across state lines (inter-state supply)
- You sell on e-commerce platforms
- You're a casual taxable person
GST Rates:
| Rate | Typical Items |
|---|---|
| 0% | Essential food items, healthcare, education |
| 5% | Packaged food, transport, small restaurants |
| 12% | Processed food, business class air tickets |
| 18% | Most services, electronics, restaurant dining |
| 28% | Luxury items, automobiles, tobacco |
GST Return Filing:
- GSTR-1: Monthly/quarterly return of outward supplies (sales)
- GSTR-3B: Monthly summary return with tax payment
- Annual return (GSTR-9): Due by 31 December
Composition Scheme: For small businesses with turnover up to ₹1.5 crore, pay GST at a flat rate (1% to 6% depending on business type) with simplified quarterly returns.
Nepal: VAT
Nepal uses a Value Added Tax (VAT) system.
VAT Registration is mandatory if:
- Annual turnover exceeds NPR 50 lakh for goods
- Annual turnover exceeds NPR 20 lakh for services
VAT Rate: 13% (single rate, much simpler than India's multiple slabs)
Filing: Monthly VAT returns due by the 25th of the following month.
Invoice Requirements
India
A GST tax invoice must include:
- Supplier's name, address, and GSTIN (15-digit GST number)
- Invoice number (unique, sequential, max 16 characters)
- Date of issue
- Recipient's name, address, and GSTIN (for B2B)
- HSN code (for goods) or SAC code (for services)
- Description, quantity, unit price
- Tax rate and amount (CGST + SGST for intra-state, or IGST for inter-state)
- Total amount
- Place of supply
- Signature or digital signature
E-invoicing: Mandatory for businesses with turnover above ₹5 crore, invoices must be registered on the Invoice Registration Portal (IRP) and include a QR code.
Nepal
A VAT invoice must include:
- Seller's name, PAN, and VAT registration number
- Invoice number (sequential)
- Date
- Buyer's name and PAN (for B2B over NPR 10,000)
- Description of goods/services
- Quantity and rate
- VAT amount (13%)
- Total
Managing Your Business Digitally
Gone are the days of ledger books and carbon-copy invoices. Digital tools save time, reduce errors, and keep you compliant.
What You Need
- Invoicing software, create professional invoices, track payments, send reminders
- Expense tracking, log business expenses with receipt photos for tax claims
- Contact management, keep all client information in one place
- Bank reconciliation, match your bank transactions to your records
- Tax reports, GST/VAT summaries ready for filing
Why Cloud-Based Software Wins
- Access from anywhere, phone, tablet, or computer
- Data is backed up automatically
- Share with your accountant without sending files
- Real-time view of your business finances
- Scales as your business grows
Where OneBookPlus is sold
This guide is research, not a sales page for our own software, and it is worth reading whether or not you ever open a OneBookPlus account.
OneBookPlus is built and sold for Australian businesses only. The tax rate, the tax-invoice wording and the payout rails in the product are Australian, card payments settle through an Australian Stripe account, and we hold no price list for India or Nepal. An earlier version of this page closed with a feature list and two monthly plan prices in rupees. Neither country was ever something you could buy, so those prices are deleted rather than re-sourced.
If you trade in Australia, or you are moving there, see what the OneBookPlus plans cost in AUD. Everything above about Indian and Nepali registration, GST, VAT and invoice content stands on its own and is unchanged.
Before you register anything
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