• Application form — Municipality-specific; downloadable from city portal
• Aadhaar of applicant — Identity
• PAN of business / individual — Tax ID
• Property tax receipt — For owned premises — proves municipal record
• Rent agreement (registered) — For rented premises
• NOC from premises owner — For rented premises
• Photographs of premises — Inside + outside view
• Photograph of applicant — Recent, passport-size
• Bank statement / passbook — Business account preferred
• Establishment year proof — Original incorporation, partnership deed, or proprietorship affidavit

• Fire NOC — Mandatory for high-risk businesses (chemicals, restaurants, hotels)
• Pollution Control Board NOC — For polluting industries (red, orange, green categories)
• Health Department NOC — For food establishments, salons, clinics
• FSSAI licence — For food businesses
• Trade Mark certificate — For brand-using businesses
• Liquor licence — For establishments serving alcohol
• Municipality's Building OC/CC — For occupancy compliance

• Annual renewal required — typically by 31 March each year.
• Fee categories: Petty (small shops Rs. 200-1,000), Small (Rs. 1,000-5,000), Medium (Rs. 5,000-20,000), Large/industrial (Rs. 20,000-Rs. 5 lakh).
• Display the licence at premises mandatorily — non-display attracts penalty.
• Online application in major cities (Mumbai BMC, Bengaluru BBMP, Delhi MCD, Chennai GCC) — speeds processing.
• SLA: 15-30 days typical; extends to 60 days for inspection-required categories.
• Without trade licence, your business is illegal — can be sealed by municipal enforcement.

Municipal Corporation / Council office OR online via city portal.

→ Official source: https://services.india.gov.in/service/listing?cat_id=2&ln=en

If trade licence is delayed beyond 30 days, file RTI to Municipal Health Officer / Trade Licence Officer for application status + inspection report + projected issuance.

→ Use our 🪄 AI RTI Drafter to generate a free §6(1) application asking for the rejection reason in 60 seconds.

• Q: Need trade licence for online business with no physical shop? — Generally no — trade licence is for physical commercial premises. But Shop & Establishment registration is mandatory.
• Q: Renewal — when? — Annually, typically by 31 March. Late renewal: penalty 10-50% of fee.
• Q: Multiple business types from same shop? — Multiple sub-licences within one trade licence (e.g., shop + restaurant + repair = 3 categories).
• Q: Inter-city expansion — separate licences? — Yes — each municipality requires its own trade licence.
• Q: Penalties for operating without licence? — Rs. 5,000-Rs. 50,000 + sealing of premises + criminal prosecution under Municipal Acts.

1. Gather mandatory documents above before applying — saves a re-visit
2. Apply via official portal (link above) — no agent needed
3. Track status: see our status-check guides
4. If rejected for “documents inadequate”: request specific deficiency under §4(1)(d) RTI Act
5. For state-specific guidance: see state portals directory

• 🪄 AI RTI Drafter — type problem, get §6 application
• 🎤 AwaazRTI — voice-to-RTI in 11 Indian languages
• 🔮 Outcome Predictor — score draft win-likelihood
• ⚖️ First Appeal Generator — §19(1) draft on Day 31
• 📅 Timeline Calculator — track 30-day window

• If rejected, file RTI: Full RTI guide
• Citizen RTI playbook: All 100+ scenarios
• All documents checklists: All 30 checklists

• Statutory references: as cited in Specifications above
• Official portal: linked in “Where to apply” above
• RTI Act 2005 §§4, 6, 7, 19

Last reviewed: 25 April 2026.