SPICe+ Form Explained Step-by-Step (2026 Guide)

SPICe+ Form Explained Step-by-Step

SPICe+ (Simplified Proforma for Incorporating Company Electronically Plus) is the single web-based form on the MCA portal that incorporates every new company in India. It runs in two parts: Part A reserves the company name, and Part B handles the actual incorporation, bundled with three linked forms, e-MOA, e-AOA, and AGILE-PRO-S, that together apply for up to ten government registrations in one filing: incorporation, DIN, PAN, TAN, GSTIN, EPFO, ESIC, profession tax, and bank account opening.

The Private Limited Company Registration guide covers the full journey from choosing a structure to getting your Certificate of Incorporation. This page zooms into one piece of that journey: exactly what happens inside the SPICe+ form itself, section by section, so you know what you're filling in before you sit down at the MCA portal.

Quick Answer: What SPICe+ Actually Does

• Part A reserves your company name (governed by the naming rules covered in our Company Name Approval Rules guide).
• Part B captures the company's registered office, share capital, directors, and subscribers, and applies for the Certificate of Incorporation itself.
• Linked forms filed alongside Part B: e-MOA (INC-33), e-AOA (INC-34), AGILE-PRO-S (INC-35), and INC-9, which is auto-generated.
• Filing can be done as Part A only (name reservation), Part B only (if a name is already reserved), or Part A and B together (the route most new companies take).
• Government filing fee is nil for authorised capital up to Rs. 15 lakh, after which it scales in slabs.
• Certificate of Incorporation typically arrives within 7 to 10 working days when the form and documents are correct the first time.

Before You Open the Form

Two things have to exist before SPICe+ can be filed at all:

1. A Class 3 Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) for every proposed director, since forms are signed electronically, not on paper.
2. A business user account on the MCA V3 portal, created with a valid email and mobile number.

If you haven't sorted your director and shareholder paperwork yet, our documents checklist for private limited company registration lists exactly what to collect before you start.

Step 1: File SPICe+ Part A (Name Reservation)

Log into the MCA V3 portal, go to MCA Services → Company e-Filing → Incorporation Services, and open SPICe+. Choose "Part A" if you're reserving a name only, or select the combined "Part A and Part B" option to move straight into incorporation once the name clears.

In Part A, you enter:

• Up to two proposed names, in order of preference.
• The type of company (private, public, OPC, Section 8, and so on) and its category (limited by shares, guarantee, etc.).
• The main division of industrial activity and a short description of the business.
• A significance section explaining what each proposed name means and why it fits the business.

The Central Registration Centre (CRC) checks these names against the tests covered in detail in our Company Name Approval Rules guide, Rule 8 for similarity, Rule 8A for restricted words. Approval usually comes back within one to three working days. Once approved, the name is reserved for 20 days, within which Part B has to be filed.

Step 2: Fill SPICe+ Part B (Incorporation Details)

This is the core of the form, and where most of the actual company information gets entered. Part B is organised into linked sections:

Registered office address Enter the proposed office address and mark whether it's the company's correspondence address at incorporation. If you're not finalising the registered office yet, you can proceed without it, but you'll then need to intimate the actual address within 30 days of incorporation using a separate form.

Directors and subscribers Enter the details of every director and subscriber (shareholder), including PAN, DIN if already allotted, and their shareholding pattern. SPICe+ allows up to three Director Identification Numbers (DINs) to be applied for directly within the form for first-time directors. If your company will have more than three directors at incorporation, the rest apply for DIN separately after the company is registered.

Share capital structure Authorised capital (the maximum value of shares the company can issue) and paid-up capital (what's actually being invested at incorporation) are entered here. These figures must match exactly what's written in the e-MOA, since a mismatch between the two is one of the more common reasons the form gets sent back.

Principal business activity Selected using the relevant NIC (National Industrial Classification) code, which determines how the company's activity is categorised for statistical and regulatory purposes.

Stamp duty Auto-calculated by the portal based on your authorised capital and the state of your registered office, since stamp duty rates vary by state.

PAN and TAN Applied for directly within Part B; no separate application is needed.

Step 3: Complete the Linked Forms

Part B doesn't stand alone. It has to be filed together with a set of linked forms, and the whole filing is treated as incomplete without them.

e-MOA (Form INC-33) The electronic Memorandum of Association: the company's objects, liability clause, and capital structure. Mandatory for companies with up to seven subscribers; beyond that, a physical MOA has to be attached instead.

e-AOA (Form INC-34) The electronic Articles of Association, laying out the company's internal governance rules. Same seven-subscriber threshold applies.

AGILE-PRO-S (Form INC-35) Handles GSTIN, EPFO, ESIC, profession tax (in states where it applies), and bank account opening requests, all through one linked form. You're not required to opt into every registration it offers; select only what your business actually needs at incorporation, most companies opt into GST and the bank account request.

INC-9 A declaration by every subscriber and first director confirming they aren't disqualified from being appointed under the Companies Act. This form is auto-generated by the portal in most cases and doesn't need a separate physical signature, except where there are more than 20 subscribers or directors, or where someone lacks both a DIN and a PAN.

URC-1 Only relevant if an existing entity, such as a partnership firm, is being converted into a company. Most fresh incorporations won't need this.

Step 4: Attach Documents

Each section of the form has a matching attachment requirement: identity and address proof for directors and subscribers, registered office proof and the NOC from the property owner, and the drafted MOA/AOA where physical copies apply. Files are typically capped around 6 MB each and need to be in PDF format. This is also the stage where the small mismatches, an address on the utility bill that doesn't match the NOC, a name spelled differently across two documents, tend to surface. Reviewing everything against the checklist before uploading saves a resubmission cycle later.

Step 5: Affix Digital Signatures

Once the form is complete, it's downloaded, and every proposed director and subscriber affixes their DSC to it. Directors who don't yet hold a DIN sign as an "authorised representative" using their PAN; the signature gets linked to their DIN automatically once it's allotted.

Step 6: Pay Fees and Submit

The combined government filing fee and stamp duty are calculated by the portal and paid online through net banking, debit card, or credit card. Government filing fees follow a slab structure based on authorised capital:

Stamp duty is separate from this and varies by state, since it's charged on the MOA and AOA under each state's stamp act. Once payment clears, the form is submitted to the CRC for processing.

Step 7: CRC Review and Certificate of Incorporation

The CRC processes SPICe+ Part B in non-STP (non-straight-through-processing) mode, meaning an officer reviews the filing rather than it clearing automatically. If everything checks out, the company receives its Certificate of Incorporation, along with its Corporate Identification Number (CIN), PAN, and TAN, sent to the email address specified in the application. With documents in order, this typically takes 7 to 10 working days from submission.

If the CRC finds an issue, the form is sent back for resubmission rather than outright rejected in most cases, and there's a defined window to correct and refile it before it lapses entirely.

Common Reasons SPICe+ Part B Gets Sent Back

Separate from name-related issues (covered in our naming rules guide), the form-filling stage has its own set of repeat mistakes:

• Capital mismatch between the figure entered in Part B and the figure written in the e-MOA.
• DSC and DIN not properly linked, especially when a director signs as an authorised representative and the DIN allotted afterward doesn't get updated against that signature.
• Missing business visa proof for foreign subscribers filing with eMOA/eAOA, which causes the form to be marked invalid rather than sent for resubmission, so there's no second chance on this specific error.
• Registered office proof that doesn't match the address entered in the form, or a utility bill that's crossed the two-month freshness window by the time of filing.
• NIC code mismatch with the actual business activity described elsewhere in the form.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I file SPICe+ Part A and Part B separately?

Yes. You can file Part A alone to reserve a name first, then come back and file Part B once you're ready, as long as it's within the 20-day reservation window. Most founders file them together to save a step.

How long does the whole SPICe+ process take, start to finish?

Name approval through Part A usually takes 1 to 3 working days. Once Part B and the linked forms are submitted with clean documents, the Certificate of Incorporation typically follows within 7 to 10 working days.

Do I need a separate GST registration application after incorporation?

Not if you apply for it through AGILE-PRO-S at the time of SPICe+ filing. GST registration is optional within that form and can be applied for later separately if you skip it at incorporation.

What happens if my share capital figures don't match between Part B and the e-MOA?

The filing gets flagged and sent back for correction, adding several working days. Double-check that the authorised and paid-up capital entered in Part B is identical to what's written in the e-MOA before submitting.

Can foreign nationals be subscribers through SPICe+?

Yes, but individual foreign subscribers need a valid business visa, and this proof has to be attached wherever eMOA and eAOA are used. Missing this specific attachment causes the form to be marked invalid outright, without a resubmission opportunity, so it's worth checking twice.

Is INC-9 something I need to draft myself?

No, in almost all cases. INC-9 is auto-generated by the SPICe+ portal from the details already entered and is submitted electronically. It only needs manual handling in unusual cases involving very large numbers of subscribers or directors without a DIN or PAN.

Let Us Handle the Filing

SPICe+ bundles ten registrations into one form, which is exactly why a single mismatched field can hold up all ten at once. LegalDev's team fills, cross-checks, and files Part A, Part B, and every linked form on your behalf, and tracks the SRN until your Certificate of Incorporation actually lands in your inbox. Talk to a LegalDev expert or see the full Private Limited Company Registration process and pricing to get started.