Trade licence
The civic body's permission to run your trade at your premises, checked before you open rather than after.
What the fee covers
- Category assessment for your trade
- Premises document preparation
- Municipal application and fee payment
- Replies to civic queries
- Licence handover with a renewal reminder
Professional fee
2,999
professional fee, municipal charges at actuals
- Timeline
- 10 to 20 working days
- Filed with
- Municipal corporation of your city
Permission for this trade, at this address
A trade licence is the municipal corporation permitting a specific trade at a specific premises. It is not the same as shop and establishment registration, which is state labour law, and needing one does not remove the need for the other.
The category decides everything: the fee, the documents, whether a fire clearance or neighbour consent is required. Most delays come from applying under the wrong category and being sent back after the file has already sat with the corporation for a fortnight.
Best suited to
- Shops, restaurants and salons opening a physical premises
- Small manufacturing and workshop units
- Businesses that have had a civic inspection notice
- Anyone renewing a licence that has lapsed
Documents you need
- PAN and Aadhaar of the proprietor, partners or directors
- Proof of the premises with a rent agreement or ownership document
- Latest property tax receipt for the premises
- No objection letter from the owner and from neighbours where the category needs it
- Layout plan of the premises
- Fire safety clearance for the categories that require it
Scanned copies are enough to begin. We check every document against the department's current format before filing, because a rejected form costs more time than a resubmitted scan.
How the filing runs
Get free consultationCategory and civic body
The category decides the fee and the documents, and the civic body differs by city, so both are settled before filing.
Premises documentation
Property tax status, ownership proof and the layout are assembled in the format the corporation accepts.
Application and fee
The application is filed with the corporation and the licence fee is paid at the notified slab.
Licence and display
You receive the licence with a note on renewal and on what has to be displayed at the premises.
What it costs
2,999
professional fee, municipal charges at actuals
Typical timeline: 10 to 20 working days
Get free consultationTen percent below any comparable quote
Send us a written quote from another online filing platform for the same scope of work. We do the same filing for ten percent less, and the difference is shown in your quote before you pay anything.
- Applies to professional fees on like for like scope and turnaround
- Government fees and stamp duty are statutory and are charged at actuals by everyone
- The quote you send has to be current and in writing
Trade licence by city
Local rules, jurisdiction and fee slabs for the city your office sits in.
North
South
Trade licence questions
Is a trade licence the same as shop and establishment registration?
No, and businesses often need both. Shop and establishment registration is state labour law covering employment conditions. A trade licence is the civic body permitting that particular trade at that particular address.
When should I apply?
Before you start trading. Most corporations expect the application within thirty days of commencing, and several treat operating without one as grounds for sealing the premises.
Does a trade licence need renewal?
In most cities yes, annually, with a renewal window that usually runs in the first quarter of the financial year. Letting it lapse attracts a penalty on top of the renewal fee.
Do home based businesses need one?
It depends on the trade and the city. A consultant working from home usually does not. Anything involving food, manufacturing, storage or customers visiting the premises usually does.
Talk to a CA about trade licence
Send your details and a chartered accountant calls you back with the document checklist, the timeline and the exact cost for trade licence.
Reach us directly
22-1-3 Rajapangal Road, 7th Line, Ongole, Andhra Pradesh 523001. The office is open 10am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday, and WhatsApp and phone are answered around the clock.