Guides/Central vs State vs Local licences in India

Central vs State vs Local licences in India

By Pramod A G · July 2026 · Informational only — not legal advice

Indian compliance feels chaotic until you sort permissions by who issues them. LicenseHub tags every entry as Central, State, Local or Regulator for this reason.

Authority levels

Central filings include GST, IEC and many MCA/national systems. State filings include Shop & Establishment, many labour and pollution consents. Local filings include municipal trade licence, health trade licence and fire NOC. Regulator tracks cover specialised sectors and should not be assumed covered by a municipal licence.

Example stacks

A neighbourhood retail shop often needs PAN/bank, Shop Act (State), trade licence (Local) and GST if required (Central). A cloud kitchen adds FSSAI and often health/fire triggers. An online-only consultant may need GST without a municipal trade licence if there is no shop.

Next: browse the licence catalogue or more guides.