Company Registration in India from Australia

Planning to register a company in India from Australia? This guide covers why Australian businesses are entering India now, what the Australia–India Apostille arrangement means for your paperwork, the entry structures available to you, and the practical steps involved in incorporation.

Why Australian businesses are entering India

India–Australia trade has grown rapidly since the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) took effect in December 2022, with two-way trade reaching around US$24.1 billion by 2024–25. From January 2026, all Indian exports have zero-duty access into the Australian market, and the two countries are now negotiating a deeper Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA). Alongside India's scale, talent pool and expanding industrial base, this growing trade and investment relationship makes direct registration of an Indian entity an increasingly practical next step rather than working through intermediaries alone.

Apostille, not embassy legalisation

Both Australia and India are members of the Hague Apostille Convention. In practice, this means documents executed in Australia for Indian company registration — identity documents, board resolutions, powers of attorney — generally only need an apostille from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), rather than the more time-consuming embassy legalisation process required for non-member countries.

Choosing your entry structure

Most Australian companies choose a wholly owned subsidiary — a separate Indian company that gives you full operational control and can trade, hire and generate revenue directly. A Branch Office extends your existing Australian company into India for permitted activities such as consultancy or export/import, without incorporating a new entity. A Liaison Office suits businesses that only need a representative presence, for market research or coordinating with Indian partners, without conducting commercial activity. We help you work through which structure actually fits your plans, rather than defaulting to one.

The registration process, step by step

For a subsidiary, incorporation typically involves obtaining a Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) and Director Identification Number (DIN) for your directors, reserving your company name with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, preparing and apostilling the required Australian director and shareholder documents, filing incorporation documents, and completing post-incorporation steps such as PAN, TAN, a bank account and any applicable GST registration. Branch, Liaison and Project Offices instead go through an RBI-authorised bank rather than the MCA.

Common questions from Australian businesses

Do I need to travel to India to incorporate? No — incorporation can be completed remotely, with documents apostilled in Australia and filings handled by your India-based team.

Can profits be repatriated back to Australia? Yes. Dividends are freely repatriable once withholding tax is deducted, and Australia's tax treaty with India can reduce the applicable rate.