Scenario: India or Vietnam for the next entity — and the paperwork couldn’t be more different. India’s SPICe+ is a single digital form; Vietnam’s IRC/ERC is a two-certificate licensing sequence. The headline timelines favor India; the fine print tells a subtler story.
India: the SPICe+ timeline (7–10 days domestic; 4–8 weeks foreign)
India’s MCA runs incorporation through SPICe+ — a single integrated online form covering name reservation, director IDs, registration, PAN/TAN, GST, labor registrations and even bank-account support. For a domestic private limited company with clean documents, the timeline is genuinely fast: 7–10 working days to the Certificate of Incorporation. For foreign-owned subsidiaries, the honest figure is 4–8 weeks end-to-end — and the MCA filing isn’t the delay; document authentication is (apostilled passports, parent-company documents, courier timelines from the home country, typically 1–3 weeks alone). Two more structural facts: at least one resident Indian director is mandatory, and 100% foreign ownership is allowed in most sectors under the automatic FDI route — but restricted sectors need prior government approval on a separate timeline.
Vietnam: the IRC/ERC timeline
Vietnam’s sequence — IRC first, then ERC, under Law 143/2025/QH15 (in force 01/3/2026) — completes in a matter of weeks for open sectors. The structural contrast: India’s system is form-driven (one digital form, many integrations — the state built the plumbing), while Vietnam’s is approval-driven (the project is evaluated before the company fully exists). India’s speed advantage is real for the filing itself; but India’s total timeline for a foreigner is dominated by the same thing that dominates everywhere — getting home-country documents authenticated and finding the resident director.
The decision: where the real delay lives
Choose India when the prize is the domestic market and you can staff the prerequisites early — start document authentication on day one, source the resident director before filing, and the SPICe+ machine will reward you with genuine speed. Choose Vietnam when the project is export-oriented or mid-sized, and the investment project’s design (capital, business lines, location) is your strong suit — the IRC process rewards a well-built project file. In both countries, the first-timer’s error is the same: budgeting the government’s processing time while forgetting the investor’s preparation time. The MCA’s 7–10 days and Vietnam’s weeks are both measured from “documents ready” — and “documents ready” is where foreign entries actually live or die.
This article has been quality-reviewed by the FLAW AI Legal Council
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to set up a company in India?
7–10 working days for a domestic private limited company via SPICe+ (single integrated MCA form). For foreign-owned subsidiaries, 4–8 weeks end-to-end — the delay is document authentication (apostilles, courier, 1–3 weeks), not the MCA filing. Plus: mandatory resident Indian director; 100% foreign ownership in most sectors under the automatic route.
How does Vietnam’s IRC/ERC timeline compare?
IRC first, then ERC, under Law 143/2025/QH15 (in force 01/3/2026) — a matter of weeks for open sectors. India is form-driven (one digital form, many integrations); Vietnam is approval-driven (project evaluated first). India’s filing is faster; both are dominated by investor-side preparation time.
Which should a foreign investor choose?
India when the prize is the domestic market and you staff prerequisites early (authentication day one, resident director sourced pre-filing). Vietnam when export-oriented or mid-sized and project design is your strength. In both, budget the investor’s preparation time, not just the government’s processing time — ‘documents ready’ is where entries live or die.
