Kolkata Trade License

The trade license is recognized as a business license, which a permit that is issued through the Government to a person or a corporation in order to run a business. These licenses are utilized all over the nation and should be obtained from the particular State government for the performance of the trade.

Kolkata Municipal Corporation trade license

According to Section 199 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act 1980, every individual who is engaged or aiming to be engaged in any profession, trade or calling in Kolkata as stated in Schedule IV, either by himself or by means of an agent or representative, are required to obtain a certificate of enlistment or get the same renewed yearly from the Municipal Commissioner depending on the presentation of an application in such form as might be stated by the Municipal Commissioner together.

As per Section 199 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act 1980, the licensing department of Kolkata Municipal Corporation gives the Certificate of Enlistment. This certificate shall be issued after the licensee remits the scheduled rates/fees/charges of the licensing department as accepted through the Corporation. According to the rules stated by the Municipal Corporation of Kolkata, it is compulsory to obtain a Certificate of Enlistment, which in West Bengal holds equal implication to a trade license.

Need for the Kolkata municipal corporation trade license

Kolkata municipal corporation trade license confirms that the manner and the locality of a specific business are consistent with the rules, standards as well as safety guidelines that are applied by the concerned department. The provisions of trade license are stated by the State Government, which has power towards monitoring the trade within a city. License, when issued, shall be required to be periodically renewed, and the application for renewal should be filed at least 30 days before the expiry date of the license.

Required Documents

The documents that are needed for obtaining a Kolkata municipal corporation trade license differs as per the types of business and the place where it shall be executed.

Place of Business

• A tax bill must be provided in case the business is owned by a petitioner.
• A rent bill must be provided in case the business is owned by a tenant.
• A lease-deed must be provided if the business is owned through a lessee.
• A consent letter must be provided in case the owner of the business is provided rent-free accommodation through the owner.
• A consent letter, as well as the current CE of the tenant, must be furnished in case the owner of the business is provided rent-free accommodation through any bonafide tenant.
• Consent of the house owner must be furnished in case the business owner is a sub-tenant (as well as other documents such as rent bill, current CE, etc).
• In case a trade/ profession/ calling is conducted without obtaining a trade license, the concerned Department shall issue a spot CE.

The documents as stated below must be submitted if the Kolkata municipal corporation trade license is to be obtained through a Private Limited Company.

• Memorandum/Articles of Association
• Declaration made in Form No. 32
• Proof of Occupancy
• Application in Form No. 18
• Besides the submission of the essential forms and documents, a person is required to provide an affidavit or a declaration attesting that the concerned individual (the business owner or the person behalf of the corporation) would be held accountable for any inconsistency or illegal activity. The certificate of enlistment shall be cancelled if there is any malpractice in the submitted documents.
• For a partnership firm to obtain a Kolkata municipal corporation trade license, a partnership deed must be submitted.

Kolkata municipal corporation trade license application procedure

The steps to follow in order to obtain a Trade License in Kolkata are:

• An applicant must first approach the concerned Municipal Corporation department.
• The applicant is required to obtain the application from the respective officer.
• All the required details shall be mentioned in the application form by the applicant.
• Depending on the nature of trade, the applicant must attach the documents to the application form.
• On completing each and every procedure, the application must be submitted to the concerned officials.
• After making the essential enquires, the Municipal Commissioner shall issue the certificate of enlistment within 30 days of submission of the application in case the applicant has complied with all the rules and regulations. If there is any violation of malpractice found, the license would not be issued.
• A fee of Rs. 10 must be paid in order to obtain the application form from the concerned authorities.

Kolkata municipal corporation trade license renewal

A Kolkata municipal corporation trade license does not hold lifetime validity, and hence it should be renewed at regular time intervals.

When it is required to get the KMC trade license renewed, the Corporation would issue a demand notice to the concerned licensee mentioning the need for renewal. The concerned individual might renew it through remitting the appropriate fee at the particular counters as stated in the demand notice. The payment could be paid in cash, cheque, demand draft or pay order drawn in favour of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. When the payment is completed, the demand notice sent to the applicant would act as the KMC trade license. In case the licensee fails to receive the demand notice, the applicant is required to provide a copy of the recently paid trade license as well as a declaration affirming that the applicant’s KMC trade details like the name of the trade, area covered through the location in square feet, address of the trade, nature of the trade, place, and date. A duplicate copy of the demand notice shall be then sent to the applicant.