Sole Proprietorship or Individual

10 min

Use this guide to complete business verification (KYC) for a Sole Proprietorship or an Individual. You will confirm your PAN, upload a business certificate, select a GST number, and send a verification link to yourself as the authorised signatory.

The process takes about 3 to 5 minutes. All screenshots show masked data. Your screens show your own details.

Before you start

Keep these items ready:

Your personal PAN (10 characters). This is the PAN of the individual who owns the business.

One business certificate as a PDF, JPG, or PNG. The maximum file size is 10 MB. The portal accepts a Shop & Establishment Certificate, an Udyam/MSME Certificate, or a Trade License.

The GST number for billing, if you are registered for GST. If not, keep your GST exemption proof ready (PDF, JPG, or PNG, maximum 10 MB).

Your mobile number or email address. The verification link goes to you.

Note: Upload a clear, single-sided copy of the certificate. The portal reads the trade name and registered address from it.

Step 1 of 3: Confirm the PAN

Click Start Business Verification. If an earlier verification is saved, click Continue where you left off.

On the Verify your PAN screen, enter your 10-character PAN in the PAN Number field.

Read the PAN safety notice and the consent notice below the field, then click Verify PAN.

Check your name on the Is this your business? screen. The entity type shows individual.

If the name is correct, click Yes, Continue.

Step 2 of 3: Confirm the business details

Upload the business certificate

On the Business details screen, click the upload area and select your certificate. The screen asks for the front side only.

Wait while the portal reads the certificate. The portal fills in the Business name, Registered address, State, and Pincode fields.

Check each field. Correct any value that is wrong.

Select I confirm these details match my certificate.

Click Verify & Continue.

Select the GST number

On the Billing Details screen, select the GSTIN for this account's billing. Each GSTIN shows its state and an Active label. To see more GSTINs, click + more GSTINs.

Click Continue.

If the portal finds no GST numbers

If no GSTIN is registered for the PAN, the Billing Details screen shows the message "No registered GSTINs found for this entity. Please upload exemption certificate."

Upload your GST exemption proof as a PDF, JPG, or PNG. The maximum file size is 10 MB. Click the upload area, or drag the file onto it.

Click Continue.

Note: If the GST details are wrong, click GST details look wrong? Help me verify to ask for help.

Step 3 of 3: Send the verification link

For a Sole Proprietorship or an Individual, the authorised signatory is the individual whose PAN you verified in Step 1. You do not choose a different person.

Caution: Use a mobile number or email address that you own. The link is for the proprietor only.

On the Authorised Signatory screen, find your name. The label Proprietor / Owner appears under it.

Click Send KYC.

Enter a mobile number, an email address, or both. You need at least one.

Click Send KYC Link.

The link is sent by SMS, email, or both. You complete the verification from the link. You do not need to sign in to your Exotel account.

Troubleshooting

Message or situation	Cause	Action
"Enter a valid 10-character PAN"	The PAN format is incorrect.	Check the PAN and enter it again.
"This PAN is inactive in tax records"	The PAN is deactivated.	Click Help Me Verify.
"File must be under 10 MB"	The certificate file is too large.	Compress the file or scan it at a lower resolution.
"Please upload a PDF, JPG, or PNG"	The file format is not supported.	Convert the file to a supported format.
The portal fills in wrong values	The scan read the certificate incorrectly.	Correct the values in the fields before you confirm.
The portal cannot read the certificate	The scan failed.	Enter the details manually.
"No GST numbers found for this PAN"	No GST registration is linked to the PAN.	Upload your GST exemption proof.
A PAN or GST service is unavailable	The government service is temporarily down.	Click Try Again. After 3 failed tries, click Help me verify.

Your progress is saved. You do not need to start again. For other help, click Help me verify. The onboarding team contacts you within 24 hours.

Next steps

After you send the link, the Company Info page shows the verification status. See KYC Verification Indian Accounts for the status descriptions.