Company Registration in India from Japan

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

Why Japanese businesses are entering India

Japan and India have operated under a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) since 2011, and bilateral trade has continued to grow, reaching around US$27.47 billion in FY 2025–26. During Prime Minister Modi's August 2025 visit to Tokyo, Japan announced a private investment target of JPY 10 trillion (around US$67.6 billion) into India over the next decade, building on an existing JPY 5 trillion (2022–2026) target. Major Japanese companies continue to expand their India footprint — from automotive to financial services — making direct incorporation an established, well-supported route rather than an unusual one.

Apostille, not embassy legalisation

Japan has been a member of the Hague Apostille Convention since 1970, and India joined in 2005. In practice, this means documents executed in Japan for Indian company registration — director and shareholder documents, board resolutions, powers of attorney — generally only need an apostille from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), rather than the more time-consuming embassy legalisation process required for non-member countries.

Choosing your entry structure

Most Japanese 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 Japanese company into India for permitted activities such as consultancy, export/import or technical support, 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 Japanese 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 Japanese businesses

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

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