The GST Council is exploring a common registration route for businesses operating across multiple states, aiming to simplify compliance and reduce application delays without creating a centralised GST system.
India’s GST Council is set to examine a common registration route for businesses operating in more than one state when it meets on 7 October, in a move that could cut duplication and ease compliance for larger companies. According to the material circulated ahead of the meeting, the plan would let applicants submit common details once and carry them across multiple state registrations, while still preserving the requirement for separate state-wise GST registrations.
The proposed changes would go beyond a single application form. Officials are understood to be considering uniform document lists, clearer instructions built into the form itself and separate guidance for tax officers on what additional papers can be asked for, and when. The aim is to reduce the uneven handling of applications across states, which has long been a complaint among businesses navigating India’s indirect tax system.
A separate development suggests the council is also weighing faster treatment for routine updates to existing registrations, with automatic approval for some amendment requests. The proposal could cover about 10.5 lakh applications a year, potentially reducing delays in a system where even small changes can require repeated submissions and scrutiny. That would build on a new multistate registration facility already available on the GST Common Portal, which allows eligible normal taxpayers to begin applications for multiple states or union territories under the same permanent account number and reuse core details through a master temporary reference number.
Even if the council backs the plan, the reform would stop short of creating a single nationwide GST registration. Each state would still issue its own registration and GST identification number, preserving the federal structure of the tax. But by standardising the application process and cutting repetitive data entry, the changes could make compliance less cumbersome for firms that sell across state lines or are expanding into new markets.
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