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    A recognition, not money

    DPIIT Certificate of Recognition for Startups

    Startup India Recognition

    A government-issued status certifying an entity as a 'Startup' under the Startup India initiative. It is not money; it is the gateway credential that makes an entity eligible to apply for Startup India tax reliefs, funding schemes (e.g. SISFS, CGSS), IPR benefits and procurement relaxations.

    Issued by
    Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India
    Cost
    Free (the Ministry of Commerce & Industry charges no fee for the Certificate of Recognition; no authorised agents exist)
    Typical timeline
    Usually a few days to ~2 weeks; many applications are approved within ~72 hours. There is no fixed statutory SLA.
    Valid until
    Valid until the entity reaches 10 years from its date of incorporation OR crosses INR 200 crore turnover in a financial year, whichever is earlier (20 years / INR 300 crore for recognised DeepTech startups), after which startup status lapses.

    Official portal

    What to have ready

    • Certificate of Incorporation / Registration (from MCA for companies/LLPs; from the Registrar for partnership firms)
    • PAN of the entity
    • Brief write-up (max ~2 pages) describing how the startup is innovative / how its business model is scalable
    • Details of directors / partners and the authorised representative (incl. Aadhaar of the authorised signatory for OTP)
    • Website, pitch deck, or a short product/demo video (optional but strengthens the application)
    • Proof of funding, if any (e.g. angel/incubation funding documents)
    • IP details, if any (patents published, trademarks) and any awards/recognitions received

    How it runs

    1. Ensure the entity is incorporated as a Private Limited Company, LLP, Registered Partnership Firm, or Co-operative Society (sole proprietorships and HUFs are not eligible).
    2. Create an account on the National Single Window System (nsws.gov.in) — DPIIT startup recognition applications are now processed through NSWS.
    3. On the NSWS dashboard choose 'Add Approvals' > 'Central Approvals' and add the 'Registration as a Startup' application.
    4. Fill the application (entity details, nature/industry/sector, incorporation number & date, directors/partners, innovation write-up) and upload the required documents.
    5. Submit; DPIIT examines the application and, if satisfied, issues the Certificate of Recognition with a unique recognition number (downloadable from the Startup India portal).

    What holding it unlocks

    • 3-year income-tax holiday under Section 80-IAC (100% deduction for 3 consecutive FYs out of the first 10 years) — a separate application to the Inter-Ministerial Board is required; only Pvt Ltd / LLP incorporated after 01-Apr-2016 qualify
    • Angel-tax exemption under Section 56(2)(viib) on investments received above fair market value
    • Self-certification of compliance under 6 labour laws and 3 environment laws
    • IPR benefits: 80% rebate on patent filing fees, ~50% rebate on trademark fees, fast-tracked patent examination, and government-borne facilitator costs
    • Public-procurement relaxations: exemption from prior turnover / experience criteria in government tenders, Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) exemption, and listing eligibility on Government e-Marketplace (GeM)
    • Faster winding up — eligible startups can be wound up within 90 days under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016

    Worth knowing

    • TURNOVER CEILING UPDATED: the live notification (G.S.R. 108(E), Gazette dated 06-Feb-2026, linked from the official recognition page) sets the turnover limit at INR 200 crore (2000000000) — INR 300 crore for DeepTech. The brief's anchor value of INR 100 crore reflects the older G.S.R. 127(E)/2019 definition and is now stale; obtain_eligibility uses the current 200-crore figure.
    • DEEPTECH TRACK (not structurally modelled): recognised DeepTech startups get an extended runway — up to 20 years from incorporation and INR 300 crore turnover. There is no canon fact-field for DeepTech status, so this more-generous alternate track is left out of obtain_eligibility and captured in gap_analysis. It is an extension, not a required criterion, so it is non-blocking.
    • INNOVATION / SCALABILITY CLAUSE (subjective): the notification also requires the entity to be 'working towards innovation, development or improvement of products/processes/services, or a scalable business model with high potential for employment generation or wealth creation.' This is a subjective DPIIT reviewer assessment (a common rejection ground) and is NOT client-self-determinable, so it is intentionally not hard-gated in the tree. If a stricter pre-screen is desired, the app may optionally surface it as an innovation_level gte High soft check or a 'confirm you are working on innovation/scalability' prompt.
    • APPLICATION ROUTE: recognition is now filed through the National Single Window System (nsws.gov.in), not directly on the Startup India portal. Sole proprietorships and HUFs are not eligible. A sole proprietorship that later converts to an eligible entity may count recognition from the date of commencement (per office memorandum dated 30-06-2021).

    Sources

    Every fact above is traceable to a government page. Terms change — if this page and the source disagree, the source is right.

    Recognised, and now what?

    Recognition opens doors rather than paying out. Tell us the business and we will say which of the programmes it now qualifies for are worth the paperwork.

    Talk to usSee what it unlocks on the register

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