Everything You Need to Know

Your Complete Guide to Project Office Setup

A Project Office is useful when a foreign company has a specific Indian project to execute, but does not want to incorporate a full Indian subsidiary.

Project Office Setup Support

Get a clean route map before opening a Project Office in India.

Share your Indian contract, funding route and parent-company details. We will help you understand whether Project Office, Branch Office or Subsidiary is the right India-entry structure.

What we check before filing

A Project Office should match the project contract and FEMA conditions. The filing plan must be clear before bank, tax and ROC steps begin.

Whether the Indian project contract supports Project Office setup.
Whether the funding route fits general permission or needs specific approval.
Whether Form FNC, AD bank review and FC-1 filing are required.
PAN, GST, bank account, audit and annual compliance checklist.
Closure plan after completion of the Indian project.

Start your company today

⬇ Get your free process & quotation

Fill this form — our expert calls back within 15 minutes with the full process document and transparent quotation

16 registrations started today — limited expert slots







    🔒 Confidential✓ No hidden fees✓ No obligation
    Why Choose This Route

    8 Reasons a Project Office Can Be the Right India Entry Structure.

    For a contract-linked project, a Project Office can be more focused than a subsidiary and more suitable than a liaison office.

    🎯

    Project-specific presence

    Designed for executing a particular contract or project in India, not for unrelated business expansion.

    🏗️

    Operational execution

    Unlike a liaison office, a project office can support execution of the approved project activities.

    🏦

    Banking structure

    Indian bank account and project-linked receipts/payments can be planned through the permitted route.

    📋

    Regulated setup

    Works within FEMA, RBI/AD bank, MCA and tax compliance instead of informal project operations.

    🌍

    Foreign parent control

    The foreign company retains control while creating a local presence for the Indian project.

    🧾

    Tax-ready structure

    PAN, GST, withholding, books and audit can be mapped from the beginning.

    Temporary by nature

    Suitable where the Indian presence is connected to a project tenure and not a permanent business rollout.

    🔒

    Clear closure path

    Completion, remittance and closure compliances can be planned in advance.

    Eligibility Snapshot

    When Project Office Registration Makes Sense.

    A Project Office is generally considered when the foreign company has secured a contract in India and the project satisfies applicable funding or approval conditions.

    Core Fit

    Basic Setup Conditions

    ApplicantForeign company
    Indian linkSpecific contract
    PurposeProject execution
    RouteFEMA / RBI / AD Bank
    TenureProject based
    Better Not Use PO

    Use Another Route If

    GoalOpen-ended sales
    Hiring planLong-term India team
    Revenue planMultiple unrelated clients
    Funding planEquity in India
    Better routeSubsidiary / BO
    Documents Required

    Documents Needed for Project Office Setup.

    Documentation depends on the project, parent entity, sector and approval route, but these are commonly needed.

    Foreign Parent Documents

    • Certificate of incorporation / charter documents
    • MOA/AOA or constitutional documents
    • Board resolution for Indian project office
    • List of directors / authorized signatories
    • Audited financial statements
    • Power of attorney for India representative

    Project Documents

    • Indian contract / award letter
    • Project scope and tenure
    • Funding details
    • Project value and milestone terms
    • Approvals from Indian authority, if applicable
    • Client details and contract correspondence

    India Setup Documents

    • Indian office address proof
    • Authorized representative PAN/KYC
    • Bank account documents
    • PAN / TAN / GST support papers
    • FC-1 and FEMA filing attachments
    • CA certificates and compliance records
    5-Step Process

    How CompanyJi Helps You Set Up a Project Office.

    We start with the project contract and build the filing route around the facts, not assumptions.

    01

    Route Review

    We review the foreign parent, Indian contract, project funding and permitted route.

    02

    Document Pack

    We prepare parent-company, project, POA and India representative documents.

    03

    AD Bank / RBI

    We support Form FNC / approval workflow and AD bank coordination where applicable.

    04

    MCA + Tax

    We support FC-1, PAN, TAN, GST and project office compliance setup.

    05

    Ongoing Compliance

    We map audit, FC forms, GST, TDS, FEMA reporting and closure requirements.

    Compare Before You Decide

    Project Office vs Branch Office vs Subsidiary.

    Choosing the wrong India-entry route can create tax, FEMA, banking and commercial friction later.

    Parameter
    Project Office
    Branch Office
    Foreign Subsidiary
    Best for
    Specific Indian contract
    Permitted ongoing business activity
    Long-term India operations
    Nature
    Temporary / project linked
    Foreign company place of business
    Indian company
    Revenue scope
    Project-related receipts
    Permitted BO activities
    Broad business activities
    Investor friendly
    Not designed for equity funding
    Not equity structure
    Best for scale and funding
    Closure
    After project completion
    When business presence closes
    Company winding up/strike off route
    Everything you need to know

    Project Office Registration FAQs

    Browse by category for clear answers on eligibility, documents, FEMA, RBI, MCA, tax, banking and closure.

    Plan your Project Office before filing begins.

    Share your contract and parent-company profile. CompanyJi will help you choose between Project Office, Branch Office and Subsidiary based on FEMA, tax and commercial needs.