Compliance & labour law · Updated October 2026
Shops and establishment registration is the certificate a shop, office or other commercial premises obtains from the state labour department under that state’s Shops and Establishments Act. Since the labour codes took effect on 21 November 2025, establishments with 10 or more workers also have a registration duty under the OSH Code, and the two now overlap.
Each state runs its own Act, its own online portal and its own rules, so there is no national form. The application usually asks for the employer’s name, the address of the premises, the nature of business, the date it started and the number of workers. Some states issue a certificate valid for life, others want periodic renewal, and almost all want changes (new address, new owner, closure) reported within a set time.
Thresholds differ too. Khaitan & Co notes that Maharashtra’s 2017 Act requires registration at 10 or more workers, with only an intimation below that, while Haryana’s 1958 Act sets 20. Branches are a common trap: in most states each premises is a separate establishment, so a company with offices in three cities typically needs three registrations, one under each state’s law.
Beyond the labour inspector, the certificate often gets asked for as proof that a business exists at an address, for example when opening a current account, so a missing one tends to surface at awkward moments.
Section 3 of the Code requires every establishment of 10 or more workers to apply electronically for registration within 60 days of the Code applying to it. Registrations already held under a central labour law are deemed to continue, provided the employer files updated details within the time the rules set. A state Shops Act is not a central law, so that deeming does not automatically cover it.
States are handling the overlap differently. Khaitan & Co reported in May 2026 that Maharashtra and Haryana had dropped separate shops-act registration for establishments registered under the OSH Code, while keeping the rest of their Acts (hours, leave, records) in force. Do not assume every state has done the same. Check your state’s position on the labour codes implementation status page and the state portal before cancelling or skipping anything.
If it has a registered office or any premises where people work, generally yes for that premises. Fully home-based teams are a grey area that state Acts were not written for, so take local advice.
No. Manufacturing premises above the factory threshold need a factory licence instead; shops registration covers offices, shops and other commercial places.
The Code’s single registration replaced the separate principal employer registration that the old contract labour law required. Contractors still need their own licence, as explained under contract labour registration and licence.
For how the codes are rolling out state by state, read our labour codes tracker.