What documents do I need to prove my business address for GST registration?

It depends on the premises. For your own property, property tax or similar proof. For rented premises, the rent or lease agreement. For a relative's premises, a consent letter. For a co-working space, documents from the space provider. Example: you work from your parent's house. You attach a consent letter from your parent, with proof that your parent owns it.

Can the GST officer ask for my Udyam certificate?

No. As reported, Circular 257/03/2026-GST lists a missing Udyam certificate as an unwarranted query. Udyam is a separate registration under the MSME law and is not a GST document.

Can the officer reject my application because my home is residential?

Not on that ground alone. As reported, the circular says an electricity connection should not be used to decide if premises are domestic or commercial, and a residential address is not unsuitable for business just for being residential. Example: a freelancer working from a flat can register at that address with proper proof.

How long does GST registration take now?

Generally 7 working days if Aadhaar authentication succeeds, and generally 30 days if there is no Aadhaar authentication or the officer orders a physical verification. If the officer raises a query on REG-03, you reply on REG-04 within 7 working days, and the officer decides within 7 working days of your reply. Example: you apply on a Monday with Aadhaar authentication done. The expected decision is within 7 working days.

What happens if the officer does nothing?

The registration is deemed approved under Rule 9 of the CGST Rules, once the time limit passes with no action. Example: no query and no approval within the 7 working days means the application is treated as approved.

Do I need to give bank details when I apply?

No. As reported, bank details are not mandatory at application. Under Rule 10A, you give them within 30 days of getting your GSTIN, or before you file GSTR-1 or the IFF, whichever is earlier.

GST Registration Documents After Circular 257 (Oct 2026)

Circular 257/03/2026-GST (26 October 2026) turns CBIC's instructions to registration officers into a guide for applicants. It says what proof of address to attach for each kind of premises, what an officer may and may not ask, and how long each step can take. If the officer doesn't act in time, the registration is deemed approved.

Status as of 1 November 2026. We have not opened the CBIC PDF. This post follows two summaries of the circular, from TaxGuru and Taxo, which agree on the main points and differ on some paperwork details. Where they differ, this post says so. Check the circular's annexures before you file.

What the circular is

The circular is CBIC's registration guideline for applicants. As reported, it turns the April 2025 officer instruction (Instruction 03/2025-GST) into something an applicant can read. It has 51 FAQs, a checklist of documents by type of business (Annexure II), a list of address documents (Annexure III) and three formats (Annexures IV to VI).

It is not a change to the law, not the Delhi High Court case on biometric checks (see GST registration biometric Aadhaar check), and not the late-fee waiver, which is still unnotified.

Proof of address: what to attach for each kind of premises

Your premises	What the circular points to
You own it	Property tax receipt, municipal khata or similar property proof; the summaries also allow a recent electricity or water bill
You rent it	The rent or lease agreement
Rent-free, or a relative's	A consent letter (and an undertaking where the premises are rent-free), with the owner's proof
Inherited, owner has died	A format for inherited property, with a legal-heir affidavit as one summary puts it
Co-working space	Documents from the space provider. One summary says the provider's registered lease, the other a membership agreement plus lease or ownership papers
Inside an SEZ	A special provision, covered in the circular's FAQs

Whichever one applies, the utility bill or property tax receipt is mainly checked for your name and the address of the premises.

What an officer should not ask for

As reported, the circular lists these as unwarranted queries:

Why your residential address is in a different city or State from the business.
A Udyam certificate. Udyam is a separate registration, and the MSME Udyam checklist covers it. It is not a GST document.
Whether your electricity connection is "domestic" or "commercial", or how large the bill is.
A view that a residential premises can't be used for business.

If you meet one of these, the circular says you can raise it with the jurisdictional Chief Commissioner of Central Tax or the State Commissioner, at the email address for your zone or State.

Queries and timelines

The officer's query comes on FORM GST REG-03, and should be limited to real problems, such as an unreadable document, an address that doesn't match, or an incomplete address.
You reply on FORM GST REG-04 within 7 working days.
The officer decides within 7 working days of your reply.
If the time runs out with no action, the registration is deemed approved under Rule 9 of the CGST Rules, 2017.

The first clock depends on what happens to your Aadhaar:

Aadhaar authentication succeeds: generally 7 working days.
No Aadhaar authentication, or the officer calls for physical verification: generally 30 days.

Registration stays online and faceless. The exceptions are a physical verification of the premises, and biometric Aadhaar authentication with an original-document check where it is asked for.

A few other points

Names must match. The legal name in REG-01 should match your PAN, and for a company, the MCA certificate. A director or designated partner needs a DIN.
Authorised signatories. The summaries say up to ten, each with an authorisation letter.
Bank details. Not needed to apply. Rule 10A asks for them within 30 days of registration or before your first GSTR-1 or IFF, whichever is first.
Small taxpayers (Rule 14A). The 3 working day route is for small taxpayers who qualify. Exit from it uses FORM GST REG-32 and needs the full set of REG-01 documents.
Earlier cancelled registration. If you are applying again on a PAN whose earlier GST registration was cancelled or suspended, the old returns, including GSTR-10, must be filed and the dues cleared first, as one summary reports.

Before you apply: a short checklist

Decide which premises type applies and gather its proof, using the table above.
Check that the name on every document matches your PAN, and that the address matches the address you will type into REG-01.
Have your Aadhaar-linked mobile number ready, so authentication goes through and the 7 day clock applies. See the biometric post.
If you will have places of business in other States, read GST multi-state registration and the Master TRN.

After you get your GSTIN

Check it with the GSTIN Validator. It checks the format, the state code, the PAN inside it and the checksum, in your browser. It doesn't check that the registration is active, so confirm that on the GST portal. Then make your first invoice with the GST Invoice Generator.