GST Registration Documents for a Partnership Firm: Full Checklist

A partnership firm needs seven things for GST registration: the firm's PAN, the partnership deed, PAN and Aadhaar of the partners, their photographs, a letter authorising one person to sign, proof of the place of business and proof of the firm's bank account. A firm does not need a digital signature. Aadhaar OTP is enough.

What does a partnership firm need?

A firm has its own PAN, separate from yours. The GSTIN is built on the firm's PAN, not on a partner's. So the department wants to see three things: that the firm exists, who stands behind it, and who is allowed to sign for it. Each paper below answers one of those questions.

Is the office rented or owned by one partner? Then the papers for the premises change. Our guide to GST registration on rented premises lists them case by case.

Does the partnership deed have to be registered?

This is the question I hear most from partners. The list in Form GST REG-01 says "Partnership Deed" and nothing more. CBIC Instruction 03/2025-GST repeats it: for a firm, the deed is to be uploaded, and no extra paper such as a Udyam or MSME certificate, a shop and establishment certificate or a trade licence should be asked for.

I did not find any official GST page that asks for a certificate from the Registrar of Firms. So an unregistered deed, signed by all partners, is what goes up in practice. If your firm is registered, add the certificate to the same PDF. It answers a question before it is asked.

Before you scan the deed, check three things:

• The firm's name in the deed matches the name on the PAN, letter for letter.
• Every partner you will enter on the portal is in the deed, and nobody extra.
• All pages are in one readable file, signature page included. Secondary guides put the limit for this upload at 1 MB, so scan in black and white.

Who signs, and what goes in the authorisation letter?

A firm cannot sign by itself, so the form asks who will. Under the instructions to Form GST REG-01, a firm's application is signed by a managing or authorised partner. The signatory cannot be a minor. The form's instructions ask for a declaration signed by all partners, and the portal takes it as "proof of appointment of authorised signatory".

One page on the firm's letterhead is enough. It should name the person, say that they may sign the GST application and act for the firm in GST matters, and carry the signatures of all partners along with the signatory's acceptance.

If the signatory is one of the partners, switch on "Also Authorized Signatory" in the Promoter / Partners tab and the portal copies the details across. Upload the letter anyway. Mark one person as the primary authorised signatory, because every OTP and notice goes to that person's mobile and email.

How does Aadhaar authentication work for a firm?

1. In the Aadhaar Authentication tab, choose Yes.
2. After you submit, the portal sends a link to one partner and to the primary authorised signatory.
3. Each of them opens the link and completes the OTP check. The link stays valid for 15 days.
4. Some applicants are asked instead to book a slot at a GST Suvidha Kendra for a biometric check, a photograph and a look at the original documents.

If you choose No, the portal asks for e-KYC documents (up to 2 MB) for the signatory and at least one partner, and the officer can take up to 30 days after visiting your premises. So choose Yes unless you have a strong reason not to.

A worked example

Asha and Imran run Saheli Home Decor, a partnership firm in Pune. They expect online sales of Rs 6,00,000 a month. Their deed is from 2022 and names three partners: Asha, Imran and Kavita. Kavita retired in 2024 through a separate retirement deed.

They enter two partners on the portal and upload only the 2022 deed. The officer sees three names in the deed and two in the application, and issues a notice in Form GST REG-03 for an incomplete document. The firm now has 7 working days to reply in Form GST REG-04, and the officer has 7 working days after that.

The fix is simple: one PDF with the 2022 deed followed by the retirement deed. But the delay has a price. Rs 6,00,000 a month is Rs 20,000 a day, so each lost week is about Rs 1,40,000 of sales they could not bill.

What is the mistake people usually make?

The deed and the application tell two different stories. The officer compares them line by line, and any gap becomes a notice. The three gaps I see most:

• An old deed that still shows a retired partner, or misses a new one.
• A firm name spelt one way in the deed and another way on the PAN.
• An authorisation letter signed by one partner only, or signed by the signatory alone.

Read the deed once against the PAN card and your partner list before you upload. It takes ten minutes.

How long does it take, and can you do it yourself?

A complete application with Aadhaar authentication is to be approved within 7 working days. From 1 November 2025, Rule 14A offers registration within three working days if your monthly tax on sales to registered buyers stays within Rs 2,50,000. Our note on how long GST registration takes explains both routes.

You can file this yourself. The portal charges no fee. Pay someone if your deed has changed over the years, or if you would rather not learn the form for a one-time job.

Frequently asked questions

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