Answer 4 questions. We'll tell you exactly which structure — and which ones to avoid. Real compliance costs, cited to MCA and Income Tax Act.
Takes 4 minutes · Free · No sales call
Harini
Brutally honest. No upselling. No generic disclaimers.
For directional guidance. Complex and institutional situations require a professional advisor.
Foreign Individual Investment
FDI routes, sectoral caps, and the compliance obligations that apply to foreign individuals investing in Indian entities.
Press Note 3 (2020): Bordering country screening
Any FDI from or beneficially owned by entities in China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan, or Afghanistan requires mandatory prior government approval — regardless of sector, route, or investment size. This applies even if the investor is a citizen of these countries holding a third-country passport.
Harini knows FEMA
The Entity Matrix — A → U · 21 structures
We start with the trade-offs, not just the upsides.
Showing 16 structures
Set up a wholly-owned subsidiary (WOS) as a Pvt Ltd. This is the standard FDI route for foreign individuals.
Use Pvt Ltd (WOS) instead →Zero paperwork. Zero protection. Zero drama.
Use an LLP with an Indian-resident designated partner. Fully FDI-eligible under automatic route in most sectors.
Use LLP instead →A proprietorship, but with friends. And all of their liabilities.
A tax-planning vehicle dressed up as a business entity.
Asset protection without the corporate audit nightmare.
Use a Pvt Ltd with a single foreign shareholder (100% FDI subsidiary). Functionally identical for a solo founder.
Use Pvt Ltd instead →The compliance trap for solo founders who want to sound corporate.
The only VC-ready structure. Also a compliance monster from Day 1.
For when you're listing on the NSE/BSE. Not for startups.
A non-profit wearing a corporate suit. MCA-registered, audited, CSR-eligible.
A Pvt Ltd with a cooperative soul. Exclusively for primary producers.
A community savings pool. Not a fintech or startup vehicle.
Non-profit without the MCA overhead. Faster, simpler, and state-governed.
The democratic non-profit. Best for membership organizations and NGOs.
Member-owned, profit-sharing, and fundamentally democratic. The original startup model.
Not a legal entity — a strategy. Usually a Pvt Ltd with a shareholder agreement.
The only legal vehicle for corporate political donations after electoral bonds died.
An India presence for a foreign parent. Not a local founder shortcut.
Found your structure?
Answer 4 questions and get a personalised recommendation with compliance costs — before you register.
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Each item is reviewed by our team. Updates are sourced from MCA, Income Tax, and state notifications.
Loading latest regulatory updates...
Illustrative policy watchlist item. If a small-company audit exemption proposal is active, it would change the compliance math for early-stage Pvt Ltd entities. Verify the latest Gazette, MCA notifications, and a professional before relying on it.
Illustrative policy watchlist item. If board-meeting requirements are relaxed for OPCs or small companies, the ongoing compliance burden changes materially. Verify the current rules before using this in a filing decision.
SPICe+ is the integrated incorporation workflow, but the exact bundled services, timelines, and state-wise turnaround can vary by filing path and jurisdiction. Verify the current MCA journey before promising 24-hour incorporation.
Illustrative state-duty reminder. Stamp duty varies by state and can change through state notifications, so treat any percentage claim as a starting point only.
Regulations change. Your structure shouldn't catch you off guard.
Get the right entity from the start — the one that fits your compliance budget.
Our transparency standard
This guide is built to behave like a good advisor: no referral fees, no fuzzy answers, and no pretending that every situation needs a complex structure. When the topic gets legally sensitive, the app points you to the source and hands off to a human expert.
No referral fees
We do not earn commissions from incorporation agents. The recommendation is meant to save you money, not sell you paperwork.
Linked sources
Key claims point back to MCA, India Code, or Income Tax references so you can verify the legal basis yourself.
Human review when needed
When the question gets complex, the app escalates to a professional instead of pretending to know everything.
Freshness visible
Every major advice block carries a last-reviewed date so you can see how current the guidance is.
Do nothing when needed
If the right move is to wait, we say wait. Not every founder needs to register a company on day one.
What we do not do
How the recommendation works
01
Stage first
We start with where you are now: pre-revenue, bootstrapped, or actively raising capital.
02
People second
Then we check whether you are solo, have co-founders, or need an institutional ownership structure.
03
Capital last
Only then do we decide whether limited liability, investor readiness, or special regulation actually matters.
In their words
“I spent ₹60,000 on a Pvt Ltd in Year 1. Zero revenue. Mandatory audit anyway. Switched to LLP in Year 2 and saved real money. MakeItLegit helped me compare the trade-offs clearly.
Rohit M.
SaaS founder, Bangalore
“The NRI filter alone saved me weeks. I'm building from Singapore — half the structures I was considering aren't even available to me. Nobody else explains this.
Priya S.
Fintech founder, Singapore
“I was considering Pvt Ltd too early. MakeItLegit showed me the compliance burden at zero revenue, so I started simpler and upgraded later when it made sense.
Ankit D.
D2C brand founder, Mumbai
“The conversion paths section is what sold me. I was about to register an LLP planning to 'convert to Pvt Ltd later for funding.' Turns out that's not a real conversion — it's a full dissolution. Started with Pvt Ltd instead. Saved myself a ₹80K mistake.
Meera K.
EdTech founder, Delhi
“I didn't even know Udyam registration existed until I found this site. Free registration, took 10 minutes, and now we qualify for government tender preference.
Vikram T.
IT services, Pune
“Running a cloud kitchen from home. MakeItLegit showed me a proprietorship with FSSAI is all I need at this stage. The cost calculator alone justified the 20 minutes I spent here.
Deepa R.
Cloud kitchen founder, Chennai
Free tools
Cost estimates, tax drag, ESOP math, compliance calendars — all cited to statute, no email required.
Cost Calculator
Setup & annual compliance
Break-even Analyzer
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Compliance Calendar
Never miss a deadline
Tax Drag Calculator
After-tax returns by structure
Structure Health Check
Is your entity still right?
ESOP Tax Visualizer
Options, vesting & tax
GST Checker
Registration & threshold
FDI Checker
Foreign investment rules
Term Sheet Decoder
Plain-English clauses
Startup India Checker
DPIIT eligibility
Cofounder Equity Split
Fair equity calculator
+ 18 more tools
Salary optimiser, NPO compare, ArchSandbox…
Why We Built This
MakeItLegit is built by a CA firm that has seen firsthand what happens when founders choose a structure based on perception rather than fit.
We don't make money when you incorporate. We make money when you need real expertise — for tax planning, audits, or complex structures. So we have every incentive to tell you to start simple.
No Affiliate Fees
We don't get paid by incorporation agents. Our advice is structurally unconflicted.
Full Transparency
Every hidden cost, every compliance deadline, every trap — in plain language.
Human When It Counts
The AI knows its limits. Complex situations get escalated to our team immediately.
Brutally Honest
We will actively talk you out of structures you don't need. That's the whole point.
Still not sure?
Free 20-minute consultation. Our CA team will tell you exactly what you need — even if the answer is 'do nothing yet.'
Book a free consultation →calendly.com/harunraaj
Sources / Verify independently
This product is a directional guide, not legal advice. Rules, thresholds, and fees can change — verify any decision against the latest MCA, India Code, and Income Tax sources.
Last reviewed: May 24, 2026