Business Licences in Meghalaya: Shops Registration, Trade Licence and Sector Approvals

A business in Meghalaya needs the same national registrations as anywhere else, plus several state and municipal licences. This guide covers the ones most businesses here meet, and how the state's single-window clearance system helps with industrial approvals.

For Every Business With Premises

Shops and establishments registration

Meghalaya's shops and establishments law applies to commercial establishments in the state. Register with the Labour Department. It governs working hours, holidays and employee records, and is often used as business proof when opening a bank account.

Trade licence

An office in Shillong or another town may need a trade licence. In many areas, trading licences are issued by the autonomous district councils. It's tied to the premises and is usually renewed every year.

Professional tax

Meghalaya levies professional tax on salaries and on businesses, administered by the state Commercial Taxes or Taxation Department. The company needs an enrolment certificate for its own liability, and a registration certificate once it deducts professional tax from employees' salaries. Check the current slabs with the department, as they're revised from time to time. Register within 30 days of becoming liable, and deduct and pay over the tax from salaries each month once you have staff.

For Manufacturing and Industrial Units

Industrial units need approvals such as building permissions, fire NOCs, consent to establish and consent to operate from the State Pollution Control Board, factory licences under the Factories Act and power connections. In Meghalaya, the state's single-window clearance system brings many of these together, with defined timelines for approvals. Units in government industrial parks or estates also have to follow the park's own allotment conditions.

Sector Licences

• Food: FSSAI registration or licence, with the Commissioner of Food Safety for Meghalaya and district food safety officers handling State licences and inspections.
• Pharma: drug licences from the state drugs control authority for pharmacies, wholesalers and manufacturers.
• Packaged goods: Legal Metrology registration for packers, importers and manufacturers of pre-packaged goods.
• Import and export: the Import Export Code (IEC) from DGFT, which is valid for life with an annual update between April and June.
• Other regulated trades: licences for things such as liquor, explosives, cinemas and private security agencies, from the authority that regulates each.

Also Worth Knowing in Meghalaya

• Sixth Schedule areas: much of Meghalaya is governed by autonomous district councils under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which have their own rules on land and trading. Check the rules that apply to your location before signing a lease or buying property.

A Checklist for Businesses in Meghalaya

1. Register under the shops and establishments law.
2. Get a trade licence from your local body.
3. Register for professional tax.
4. For manufacturing, apply through the state's single-window clearance system.
5. Get sector licences, such as FSSAI, a drug licence or Legal Metrology registration, as they apply.
6. Get an IEC before your first import or export.
7. Keep a renewal calendar for every licence.

Getting Help

Think Filing handles licences and registrations for businesses in Meghalaya, including shops and establishments, trade licences, FSSAI, IEC and industrial approvals.