I Got My GST Registration Done for Free — Here's Exactly How

A real, step-by-step guide from someone who did it himself — twice.

So I was planning to start an E-Commerce Business, and the first step was to get a GST number. And I came to know that it will cost around 1500-2000INR for the procedure. So I decided to give it a shot. Continue reading, and you will see the step-by-step process to apply for a GST and some of my personal experiences with some tips, so that you will get the approval on your first try itself

I'm a Proprietor running an e-commerce business from home. The house is in my father's name — not mine. I did the whole registration myself, spent exactly ₹0, and got my GST certificate in my inbox the next morning after filing at midnight.

This is that story. And your complete guide.

First — What is a Proprietor?

A Proprietor is the sole owner of a business who is personally responsible for everything — profits, losses, taxes, the works.

In simple terms: If you're running a business in your own name, and the building you're using isn't in your name (maybe it's your parents' house), you are the Proprietor. The registration will be in your name, at that address.

In my case, it was for e-commerce purposes (Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, etc...) and I was the proprietor, and the building I'm gonna take the GST in is my father's house and is also owned by my father)

Before You Open the Portal — Get These Ready

Renewed Tax Receipt of your building — Must be current. Outdated = rejection risk
Latest Electricity Bill— A 2-3 month old bill will be perfect
NOC from property owner — Needed if the building isn't in your name
Passport-size photo of yourself — Just photograph it with your phone; JPEG works
PAN Card — Don't upload it. Keep it beside you to fill in the details accurately
Tax Receipt saved as JPEG or PDF — Portal only accepts these two formats
Active email ID + phone number — Every OTP, TRN, ARN will land here

I renewed the tax receipt of the house (as that's the building I'm gonna take the GST), downloaded the KSEB bill from https://wss.kseb.in/selfservices/quickpay,

wrote an NOC on white paper, and asked my father to sign it. And got the other details, such as the photo, the renewed tax receipt and the electricity bill, as a PDF file.

NOTE: THE APPLICATION WILL ONLY ASK FOR EITHER A TAX RECEIPT OR AN ELECTRICITY BILL. HENCE I GAVE THE ELECTRICITY BILL INITIALLY, AND AFTER SOME DAYS I WAS ASKED TO SUBMIT A CLARIFICATION WITH A TAX RECEIPT. SO IT WOULD BE BETTER TO HAVE BOTH OF THEM RENEWED IN YOUR HAND.

The NOC — What It Is and the Format I Used

Since the house is in my father's name, I needed a No Objection Certificate (NOC) — a simple letter stating that he has no problem with me running my business from his property.

CONSENT LETTER / NOC
I, [Father's Full Name], S/o [Grandfather's Name], residing at [Full Address as per electricity bill], am the owner of the above-mentioned property.
I hereby give my consent to my son, [Your Full Name], to use my residential premises located at [Same Full Address] as the principal place of business for the purpose of obtaining GST registration and conducting e-commerce business activities.
I confirm that I have no objection for using this address for GST registration purposes.
Place: [City]
Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]
Signature of Owner: __________
Name: [Father's Full Name]
Mobile Number: [Father's Number]

PART A — Starting the Application

Step 1 — Go to the GST Portal

gst.gov.in → Services → Registration → New Registration

📸

Step 2 — Fill in the Basic Details

Select "New Registration" at the top (not TRN — that comes later).

→ "I am a" — Select Taxpayer → State / UT — Your state → District — Your district

Step 3 — The Field That Trips Most People Up ⚠️

"Legal Name of the Business (As mentioned in PAN)"

This is NOT asking for your brand name or shop name. It wants your name — exactly as it appears on your PAN card.

❌ Don't type your business/brand name
❌ No extra space, comma, or dot that isn't on your PAN
✅ Copy it letter by letter from your PAN card

Even one tiny mismatch = rejection. Keep your PAN in front of you.

Step 4 — PAN, Email & Mobile

→ PAN Number — Enter carefully → Email Address — Use the one you check every day → Mobile Number — Your primary number

ℹ️ Both your email and phone will get OTPs. Your TRN, ARN, and every GST update will come to these. Don't use a random one.

Click PROCEED.

Step 5 — Two OTPs

You'll receive one OTP on your phone and a separate one on your email. Enter both.

Step 6 — Your TRN. Screenshot This Now.

After verification, the portal generates a Temporary Reference Number (TRN).

Screenshot it. Paste it in your notes app. Write it down. From this point, this TRN is how you log back into your application.

Your Temporary Reference Number (TRN) is 000000000000TRN-(A 12 Digit number). Using this TRN, you can access the application from My saved Applications and submit on the GST Portal. Part B of the application form needs to be completed within 15 days, i.e. by ' DD/MM/YYYY' using this TRN.

Step 7 — Log Back In Using TRN

Services → Registration → New Registration → Select "Temporary Reference Number (TRN)"

Enter TRN → Verify OTP → Land on "My Saved Application"

Click the blue pen icon to continue filling your application.

⏳ You have 15 days from TRN generation to complete and submit. If you miss it, the application gets auto-cancelled.

PART B — The Full Application Form

Once you click the pen icon, you'll see 10 tabs across the top. Go through each one.

Tab 1 — Business Details

→ Trade Name — This is your brand/shop name (different from your legal name) → Constitution of Business — Select Proprietorship → District — Your district → Option for Composition — Select No (unless you specifically want Composition Levy) → Date of commencement of Business — When your business actually started → Date on which liability to register arises — Usually the same date or when your turnover crossed the threshold → Casual taxable person? — Select No → Option for registration under Rule 14A — Select based on your monthly output tax (Yes if ≤ ₹2.5 lakhs/month) → Reason to obtain registration — Select the reason that applies to you

Click SAVE & CONTINUE.

! Are you applying for registration as a casual taxable person - NO (Casual taxable person sells temporarily in exhibition/fairs/events.)

! Option for Composition - NO (this is a type of scheme, as far as I know, there are many limitations and restrictions. Also, you cannot normally sell through E-commerce platforms like Amazon/Flipkart, etc.)

! Option for registration under Rule 14A - I chose YES because Rule 14A gives faster GST approval through Aadhar authentication.

If you choose NO - You may need physical document verification/GST Suvidha Kendra visit

! Reason to Obtain Registration - Voluntary basis ( if your turnover has NOT crossed the GST limit, which is 40 lakh for most goods business in many states)

! Date of commencement of Business - If you remember the date you started, then that's okay. The thing is, it has to be a date before the GST application date. For example, if you are applying for GST on 24-5-26, the Date of commencement of Business should be a date before 24-5-26, which can be 23/22/or earlier.

! Date on which liability to register arises - You can give the same date as the Date of commencement of Business - this simply means the exact calendar date on which your business legally became required to register for Goods and Services Tax

! Indicate Existing Registration - This is only for those who already have a registration, maybe for another company or purpose. As I am a proprietor starting a business for the first time, it won't affect me. If you have a GST registration already, then you will have to upload some files related to that registration.

! Document Upload - at the end of the page, there will be an option to upload documents, where you can upload a document that supports your trade name. It can be the board with a shop board photo with the business name in it/ logo banner, or something with the trade name. BUT IN MY CASE, I DIDN'T HAVE A SHOP AS MY PURPOSE WAS E-COMMERCE, SO WHAT I DID WAS UPLOAD MY PASSBOOK PHOTO. ( It would be better if the account is a current account and the account holder's name same as the trade name, MY CASE I HAD A SAVINGS ACCOUNT AND IT WAS ALSO UNDER MY NAME. Still, after some clarifications, I GOT THE APPROVAL.

Tab 2 — Promoter / Partners

This is where you fill in your personal details as the Proprietor.

→ Personal Information — Name, date of birth, address, mobile, email, gender → Designation / Status — Enter "Proprietor" → DIN Number — Not required for Proprietorship, skip it → Citizen of India — Select Yes → PAN — Your PAN number → Aadhaar Number — Enter your Aadhaar

Residential Address: You can either type your address or pin your location on the map.

⚠️ Bug I Found — The Map Pincode Mismatch When I pinned my location on the map, it showed the wrong pincode — it was showing the old pincode of my area, not the current one.

What to do: Don't rely on the map to auto-fill your pin code. Enter your pincode manually and double-check it.

→ Document Upload — Upload your passport-size photo here (JPEG, max 1 MB) → Also Authorised Signatory — Select Yes if you are also the authorized signatory (as a Proprietor, you likely are)

Click SAVE & CONTINUE.

! GIVE THE ADDRESS AS ACCURATELY AS YOU CAN, AND WHEN DOING IT, TRY TO MATCH IT WITH YOUR TAX RECEIPT OR WHATEVER THE DOCUMENTS YOU'RE PLANNING TO UPLOAD. I MATCHED IT WITH MY ELECTRICITY BILL BECAUSE I UPLOADED THE ELECTRICITY BILL AS THE PROOF OF AUTHORISED SIGNATORY. I HAD DIFFERENT SPELLINGS IN MY DIFFERENT DOCUMENTS SO DONT MIND IT IF YOU HAVE THE SAME ISSUE TOO MATCH YOUR ADDRESS WITH THE DOCUMENT YOUR GONNA UPLOAD AS THE PROOF OF AUTHORISED SIGNATORY.

Tab 3 — Authorised Signatory

Since I'm the Proprietor and also the authorised signatory, most details here were auto-filled from Tab 2.

→ Check "Primary Authorized Signatory" → Verify personal details are correctly filled → Document Upload — Upload proof of appointment + your photo

Click SAVE & CONTINUE.

Here, the first thing that confused me was the date of birth after the father's name; you need to enter your date of birth, not your father's date of birth, and you should match it with your PAN card.
Designation: I am a proprietor, so I gave my designation/status as proprietor
Then you should pinpoint your location on the map or just enter it manually (which I prefer, because sometimes even if we pinpoint the exact place, there can be some issues with the pincode and all, so try to enter it manually and match it with your PAN card)
It is better to add your ward number when you give your location; I added it with the name of premises/ building (eg; AAAA HOUSE, WARD NO.12)
For the last part, upload the documents
Proof of details of authorised signatory: here you can upload any of your documents that prove your identity, e.g.: Aadhaar card (recommended), PAN card, driving licence, voter ID, etc...
Upload photograph: take a photo of yourself and upload it (I had a passport-size photo, so I just took a photo of that and uploaded it)

Click SAVE & CONTINUE.

Tab 4 — Authorised Representative

This is for if you have a GST Practitioner or someone else representing you.

→ Do you have an Authorised Representative? — Select No if you're handling it yourself

An authorised representative is someone else(such as a CA, tax practitioner or another person) who helps you to apply for GST and act on it. As we are doing ourselves, choose NO

Click SAVE & CONTINUE.

Tab 5 — Principal Place of Business ⚠️

This is one of the most important tabs. This is where you enter the address where your business operates.

→ Address — Enter your full address, district, pincode → Commissionerate / Division / Range Code — Select from dropdown based on your jurisdiction

ℹ️ If you don't know your jurisdiction, there's a link on the page to look it up. Use it. (https://youtu.be/oYeeGNjrH6g?si=7_Xr4nrotgiiCix9 Refer to this video too-https://youtu.be/VQGrjc6Lmu4?si=47AZkEC9Xll_BFef&t=285 this will also be helpfull)

→ Contact Information — Email, mobile number for your business address → Nature of Possession of Premises — Since the house is in my father's name, I selected "Consent basis"

→ Document Upload — This is where you upload:

Your renewed Tax Receipt (JPEG or PDF, max 1 MB)
Your NOC (JPEG or PDF, max 1 MB)

ℹ️ For premises not in your name — upload a Consent Letter (NOC) along with any ownership proof (Tax Receipt, Electricity Bill, etc.)

→ Nature of Business activities — Check all that apply to your business

Click SAVE & CONTINUE.

When you upload the NOC, please upload your father's (or the building owners') Aadhaar card with it. Like, make a PDF merging the NOC and Aadhaar card. First, the NOC and then the Aadhaar card (not mandatory, but it might help, because for clarification they asked me to upload my father's Aadhaar card, so if you upload it initially itself, then you might not get a clarification. Same goes with the tax receipt or electricity bill; even if you can upload only either one of them. Consider merging both of them as a PDF and upload it. Make sure the selected one always comes on the first page (e.g: If you select the electricity bill as the proof, then merge the electricity bill and tax receipt as a PDF below 1MB and upload it)

Tab 6 — Additional Places of Business

If your business operates from only one location, select No for additional place of business.

Later, when you expand your business, it can be updated

Skip and SAVE & CONTINUE.

Tab 7 — Goods and Services

Here you mention what you sell.

For Goods — Enter your HSN Code For Services — Enter your Service Classification Code

ℹ️ If you don't know your HSN code, just type the name of your product in the search bar — it'll suggest options. Pick the most relevant one.

You can add a maximum of 5 goods and 5 services. If you deal with more, add the top 5.

Initially, I started with plants, so I added some general HSN codes for live plants.

Click SAVE & CONTINUE.

Tab 8 — State Specific Information

This varies by state. For Kerala:

→ Fill in any electricity board/consumer number details if prompted → Professional Tax details if applicable

In my case, it was KSEB, and if you are asked for a consumer number, you can find it on the electricity bill (there will be a 13-digit number under the barcode after C#)

Click SAVE & CONTINUE.

Tab 9 — Aadhaar Authentication

→ Do you want to opt for Aadhaar Authentication? — Select Yes (recommended — it speeds up the process)

The portal will send an Aadhaar OTP authentication link to your registered mobile and email. Complete that.

ℹ️ If you select Yes here, you won't need a DSC (Digital Signature) and can submit using EVC (OTP) instead.

Click SAVE & CONTINUE.

Tab 10 — Verification & Final Submission

→ Check the Verification checkbox → Select your name as Authorised Signatory → Enter the Place (city/town where you're filing from)

To submit, you have 3 options:

Submit with DSC — For companies/LLPs (not needed for Proprietors)
Submit with E-Signature — Aadhaar-based, free
Submit with EVC — OTP to your registered mobile/email ✅ This is what I used

Click SUBMIT WITH EVC → Enter OTP → Done.

You'll get an ARN (Application Reference Number) on your email and phone. This is your tracking number.

🐛 Bugs & Issues on the GST Portal

The portal works, but it has its quirks. Here are the ones I ran into:

Bug #1 — The Map Pincode Mismatch

In the address section, there's an option to pin your location on the map. When I did this, the pincode it auto-filled was wrong — it was showing the old pincode of my area.

Fix: Skip the map for pincode. Enter your pincode manually.

Bug #2 —Site not responding- So sometimes the site gets stuck and won't respond. Leave it for some time and then come back. When you leave the site, make sure you have saved the changes or details you have filled because if not, then you will have to re-enter everything

My First Application — The Clarification & Rejection

My first application didn't go through. Here's what happened.

The Clarification Notice

Before rejecting it, the GST officer raised a clarification request.

In the clarification, I was asked for my father's Aadhaar card, and also the ward number of my house. I have already mentioned above the place you can add both of these so you might not go through a clarification

I submitted my response with the documents they asked for.

The Rejection

Despite my clarification, the application was rejected.

The reason for rejection was because of a silly mistake. Initially, I only uploaded the electricity bill, and the clarification was about uploading Tax reciept and my fathers Aadhar card and also mentioning the ward number of the building in the address details. So i uploaded everything, and when I uploaded Tax reciept i accidentally uploaded the land tax instead of the building tax, which is required

Here's what a rejection looks like on the GST portal, in case you haven't seen one:

The Midnight Reapplication — And the Morning I Got Approved

By the time I found out about the rejection, I was out of town. I came to know a day late.

The moment I got home and opened my laptop, I filed a fresh application. It was 12:00 midnight.

I went through every tab carefully this time. Double-checked every single field. Made sure the documents were right. Submitted.

Then I went to sleep.

The next morning, I had an email.

One of the best feels I have ever had, actually, and I was very relieved, to be honest

I believe I’ve explained the process as clearly as I can. Writing is not my strongest skill, but I’ve done my best to share my experience and make this guide useful. My final advice is simple: don’t hesitate to start your business because of GST registration or paperwork. If I was able to complete the GST registration process on my own without hiring a CA or paying unnecessary fees, you can do it too. Take the first step with confidence, and best of luck with your business journey.

Got questions or ran into something I didn't cover? Drop them in the comments — I'll answer from my own experience.

Tags: GST Registration India, E-Commerce GST, Proprietor GST, GST Portal Guide, Zero Cost GST, Small Business India