Subsidiary Company Setup
A subsidiary is a separate company with its own board, its own filings and its own liability — and a group that runs several entities has to keep each one compliant on its own clock. We set up subsidiary and child companies, structure holding-and-subsidiary groups, and run the ongoing secretarial work for each entity, so a growing group does not accumulate quiet compliance gaps across its companies.
What we handle
Subsidiary incorporation
Setting up a new company as a subsidiary or wholly-owned subsidiary of an existing parent.
Holding-subsidiary structuring
Designing a clean group structure, including the Indian subsidiary of a foreign parent.
Subsidiary compliance
Running the annual ROC filings, board processes and registers for each entity in the group.
Downstream investment
The indirect-foreign-investment reporting that applies when a company with foreign investment invests in another Indian company.
Group governance
Keeping board records, related-party transactions and inter-company arrangements clean across the entities.
The point most groups miss
Each subsidiary is its own legal person. It has its own AOC-4 and MGT-7, its own board meetings, its own auditor, its own director KYC. Founders who set up a second or third entity for a new product line or market often run it informally — and the gaps surface later, in a funding round or an audit. A subsidiary is cheap to keep compliant and expensive to clean up.
Foreign parent or overseas expansion
If a foreign company is setting up an Indian subsidiary, the structure choice and the FEMA reporting both matter — our guide on branch office vs subsidiary vs liaison office covers the entry decision, and a subsidiary that takes foreign capital also needs FC-GPR reporting. Every Indian company also needs a resident director. Use our FEMA Compliance Calculator to understand your reporting obligations before you begin.
How subsidiary setup works
Group structure review
We review the parent's shareholding, sector, and FEMA position to design the cleanest holding-subsidiary structure for your group.
Incorporation via SPICe+
The subsidiary is incorporated through the SPICe+ process, with the parent holding the shares. A wholly-owned subsidiary has the parent as its only shareholder.
Post-incorporation setup
We establish the new entity's board, appoint the required resident director, set up statutory registers, and put a compliance calendar in place.
Ongoing secretarial management
We run the annual ROC filings (AOC-4, MGT-7), board meetings, director KYC, and downstream-investment reporting across every entity in the group.
Frequently asked questions
How do I set up a subsidiary company in India?+
A subsidiary is incorporated like any company, through the SPICe+ process, with the parent company holding the shares. A wholly-owned subsidiary has the parent as its only shareholder. Each Indian company still needs at least one resident director.
What is a wholly owned subsidiary?+
A wholly-owned subsidiary is a company whose entire share capital is held by a single parent company. It is still a separate legal entity with its own board, filings and liability.
Can a foreign company open a subsidiary in India?+
Yes. A foreign company can hold an Indian subsidiary, subject to the FDI rules for the sector. The subsidiary is an Indian company, and foreign investment into it is reported to the RBI on FC-GPR.
What compliance does a subsidiary company need?+
The same as any company — annual ROC filings (AOC-4, MGT-7), board meetings, director KYC, statutory registers — plus, where it has foreign investment, the FEMA filings, and downstream-investment reporting if it invests in another Indian company.
Structure or run your group entities
If you are setting up a subsidiary or managing a multi-entity group, get in touch.
WhatsApp Sapna Book a ConsultationFurther reading
FEMA Compliance Guide for Indian Startups
Step-by-step FC-GPR filings, FLA returns, ODI rules, and RBI penalty avoidance — everything a funded startup needs to know about FEMA.
The Ultimate Startup Compliance Checklist 2026-27
Complete guide to ROC filings, tax deadlines, FEMA requirements, and board governance for Indian startups — financial year 2026-27 edition.
FEMA Compliance Requirements Calculator
Free tool to identify which FEMA filings apply to your company based on your investor profile, sector, and transaction history.
Free compliance tools
Check your numbers instantly — MCA Penalty Calculator, Compliance Cost Estimator, ROC Deadline Tracker, Secretarial Audit Checker, Board Composition Checker.
Just incorporated? See our Startup & Post-Incorporation Compliance guide.