—Guide
Business Licences in Telangana: TG-iPASS, GHMC Trade Licence and Sector Approvals
The licences a Telangana business typically needs: Shops and Establishments, GHMC trade licence, Professional Tax, TG-iPASS approvals for units, and sector licences.
A business in Telangana needs the same national registrations as anywhere else, plus several state and local licences. This guide covers the ones most Telangana businesses meet, and how the state's single-window system helps with industrial approvals.
For Every Business With Premises
Telangana Shops and Establishments registration
Shops, offices, and commercial establishments register under the Telangana Shops and Establishments Act with the state Labour Department. It governs working hours, holidays and employee records, and is often used as business proof for bank accounts.
Trade licence
Businesses in Hyderabad obtain a trade licence from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC); elsewhere, from the local municipality. It's tied to the premises and usually renewed annually.
Professional Tax
Businesses register for Professional Tax with the Telangana Commercial Taxes Department — enrolment for the business itself, and registration as an employer to deduct PT from salaries.
For Manufacturing and Industrial Units
Industrial units need approvals such as building permissions, fire NOCs, consents from the pollution control board, factory licences, and power connections. TG-iPASS (formerly TS-iPASS), Telangana's single-window clearance system, brings many of these together on one platform, with defined timelines for approvals. Units in industrial parks developed by TGIIC (formerly TSIIC) follow the park's own allotment conditions too.
Sector Licences
- Food: FSSAI registration or licence, with state food safety officers handling registrations and inspections.
- Pharma: drug licences from the state's Drugs Control Administration for pharmacies, wholesalers and manufacturers.
- Packaged goods: Legal Metrology registration.
- Import and export: the IEC from the DGFT.
A Checklist for Telangana Businesses
- Register under the Telangana Shops and Establishments Act.
- Get a GHMC or municipal trade licence.
- Register for Professional Tax.
- For manufacturing, apply through TG-iPASS.
- Get sector licences — FSSAI, drug licence, Legal Metrology — as applicable.
- Keep a renewal calendar.
Getting Help
Think Filing handles licences and registrations for Telangana businesses, including TG-iPASS applications.