Businesses may soon apply for GST registrations across states together
Businesses may soon be able to apply for GST registrations in multiple states through a single application process, with the GST Council likely to consider the proposal at its October 7 meeting.
The proposed changes are aimed at simplifying the Goods and Services Tax registration process, particularly for large businesses. The council is also likely to consider a uniform set of guidelines specifying the documents tax officers can seek from applicants and the circumstances in which they may be required.
There are currently more than 1.68 crore businesses registered under GST.
Under the proposed redesigned registration system, businesses would be able to fill out a simpler application with guidance provided at each stage. The form would also specify the documents required to be uploaded.
According to sources, details submitted by a business would be carried forward when it applies for GST registration in other states. Businesses seeking registrations in multiple states could also submit the applications together.
The GST system would determine the appropriate tax jurisdiction based on the location details provided in the application, sources said.
The GST Council is also likely to approve guidelines for tax officers specifying which documents can be sought, the purpose for which they may be required and when the documents would be considered sufficient.
"This would bring about consistency across states for GST registration. An applicant in one state will be asked for the same things as an applicant in another," a source said.
The proposed changes would cover businesses that were not included in the simplified GST registration scheme approved by the council in September 2025 and implemented from November 1 that year.
Under that scheme, small and low-risk businesses can receive GST registration within three days. The scheme is available to applicants identified as low-risk through data analysis or those who self-assess that their monthly output tax liability does not exceed Rs 2.5 lakh, including CGST and SGST/UTGST.
The scheme covers around 61 per cent of the approximately 1.68 crore GST registrations.
AMRG Global Managing Partner Rajat Mohan said allowing businesses to seek registrations in several states through a single application would simplify the registration framework.
He, however, clarified that the proposal would not create a single pan-India GST registration, as separate state-wise registrations would continue.
"The ability to apply for registrations across multiple states together, with the system carrying forward existing details and determining the appropriate jurisdiction, represents a clear move towards a more centralised and seamless registration architecture," Mohan said.
He added that while the legal framework of state-wise GST registrations would remain unchanged, the administrative process was increasingly being moved onto a common technology-driven platform.
Mohan said that if the approach is expanded further, it could eventually lead to a more integrated national registration framework with less duplication, delays and interaction with tax officers.
The GST Council is also likely to consider streamlining changes to key fields in GST registrations and allowing automatic approvals for certain modifications.
According to GST backend technology analysis, around 66 per cent of applications seeking changes to GST registrations relate to a company's name, change in director, partner or 'karta', and change in the address of an additional place of business.
Of the roughly 16 lakh applications filed annually for changes to GST registration details, about 10.5 lakh relate to these fields.
Only changes to the main place of business would require approval from the concerned tax officer.
For businesses that received GST registration through the three-day automatic route, requests for such changes would also be eligible for automatic approval.
With inputs from PTI
