STPI Registration — Software Technology Parks of India
STPI registration used to be something most software exporters simply had to have, because it was the only way to get a SOFTEX form certified. That stopped being true on 1 October 2026. This page explains what changed, when STPI is still worth registering for, and what it costs and involves if you decide it is.
What changed on 1 October 2026
The Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026 replaced the SOFTEX form with a single consolidated Export Declaration Form covering goods, services and software. More importantly for anyone weighing up STPI, the regulations changed who that form goes to.
Regulation 2(1)(f) names the specified authority for software and services exported from a domestic tariff area as an Authorised Dealer or Software Technology Parks of India. Two routes, not one.
The practical consequence. If your AD bank handles your export declarations, you do not need a Non-STP registration purely to get your exports declared. For a large number of companies that registered for exactly that reason and no other, the compulsion is gone. STPI has not been abolished and its scheme still exists — but the question "do I need this?" now has a real answer rather than an automatic yes.
If what you actually need is help with the declarations themselves rather than a registration, our page on the EDF that replaced SOFTEX covers the deadlines, the realisation clock and how entries close in EDPMS.
Do you still need it? The honest answer
STPI still earns its place if
- You want the STP scheme itself — the duty benefits and the bonded-unit framework, not just a route to declare exports
- You operate, or plan to operate, as a bonded STP unit importing capital goods
- Your clients, investors or prime contractors treat STPI standing as a credential and ask for it in diligence
- Your AD bank is not set up to handle software export declarations, which some smaller branches still are not
- You want STPI's incubation space, high-speed data links or physical infrastructure at one of its centres
It is probably not worth it if
- You registered as a Non-STP unit solely to get SOFTEX forms certified
- You are a services exporter with no imported capital goods and no interest in bonding
- Your bank already handles your inward remittances competently and will take the EDF
- You are paying annual service charges for a registration you only ever use once a month
- You are a small consultancy or freelance exporter for whom the charge is material against turnover
We would rather tell you this plainly than sell you a registration you do not need. If the only thing STPI was doing for you was certifying SOFTEX forms, have the conversation with your bank first.
STP unit, Non-STP unit and SEZ — what the difference actually is
These three get conflated constantly, including by people selling registrations. They are not variations of the same thing.
| STP unit | Non-STP unit | SEZ unit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A bonded unit operating under the STP scheme | A registration with STPI without the scheme's bonding or benefits | A unit inside a notified Special Economic Zone |
| Why companies took it | Duty-free import of capital goods and the scheme framework | Historically, to get SOFTEX forms certified — often the only reason | The SEZ fiscal and operational regime |
| Export declaration goes to | Via the Development Commissioner route as part of scheme obligations | STPI — or now, equally, your AD bank | The Development Commissioner of the SEZ |
| Physical premises | Bonded premises, customs-supervised | Your own ordinary office | Inside the zone |
| Effect of the 2026 change | Scheme unaffected; still a real thing to join | Its main reason for existing has gone | Unaffected; SEZ remains a specified authority |
The row that matters is the last one. The STP scheme and the SEZ regime are substantive frameworks with their own economics. Non-STP registration was, for most companies, an administrative formality in service of SOFTEX — and that is the one the new regulations hollowed out.
What an STP unit actually gets — the benefits that survived
The export-declaration monopoly is gone, but the STP scheme itself was never only about SOFTEX. These are the facilities STPI publishes for units under the scheme. They apply to a bonded STP unit — a Non-STP registration gives you none of them.
Duty-free import of hardware and software
STPI states that all imports of hardware and software into an STP unit are completely duty free, and re-export of capital goods is permitted. For hardware-heavy work — render farms, test labs, VFX, hardware-adjacent R&D — this is the single largest money item in the scheme.
Zero customs duty on IT hardware100% foreign equity permitted
The scheme permits 100% foreign equity in an STP unit, and capital, royalties and dividends can be repatriated freely once applicable income tax is paid. Useful for a wholly-owned Indian subsidiary of a foreign parent that is also importing equipment.
Full foreign ownershipGST refund on capital goods bought in India
Capital goods purchased from the domestic tariff area by an STP unit are entitled to refund of GST. That matters more than the customs point for companies buying locally rather than importing.
Refund on DTA capital purchasesPositive net foreign exchange, not a turnover target
The export performance obligation is expressed as positive Net Foreign Exchange earnings rather than a fixed export value. Sales into the domestic tariff area are permissible alongside exports, so a services company with Indian clients is not shut out.
Positive NFE · DTA sales allowed100% depreciation on computers over five years
The scheme provides 100% depreciation on computers and computer peripherals over a five-year period, and imported computers may be donated to recognised non-commercial educational institutions without payment of duty after two years from import.
Duty-free disposal after 2 yearsSingle-window approval, located anywhere in India
Approvals under the scheme run through a single-window clearance system, and an STP unit can be set up anywhere in India rather than inside a notified zone. Projects below ₹100 million of Indian investment are approved by the jurisdictional STPI authority rather than centrally.
No notified-zone requirementOne benefit that no longer belongs on this list. Older versions of this page, and most pages still ranking for this term, list "SOFTEX certification" as an STPI benefit and call it mandatory export proof. From 1 October 2026 that is wrong twice over: the form is the consolidated EDF, not SOFTEX, and your Authorised Dealer bank can take the declaration instead of STPI. Treat any page that still says otherwise as out of date.
Source: STPI, STP Scheme — facilities and benefits as published at stpi.in/stp-scheme. Income tax exemption under Section 10A is not in this list because it expired for new claims on 31 March 2011.
What STPI costs to keep
STPI levies an annual service charge on Non-STP units, banded by export turnover. The slabs it publishes are:
| Export turnover | Annual service charge |
|---|---|
| Up to ₹12.50 lakh | ₹4,000 |
| Above ₹12.5 lakh to ₹25 lakh | ₹8,000 |
| Above ₹25 lakh to ₹50 lakh | ₹16,000 |
| Above ₹50 lakh to ₹3 crore | ₹55,000 |
| Above ₹3 crore to ₹10 crore | ₹1,10,000 |
| Above ₹10 crore to ₹25 crore | ₹2,25,000 |
| Above ₹25 crore to ₹50 crore | ₹2,50,000 |
| Above ₹50 crore to ₹100 crore | ₹3,50,000 |
| Above ₹100 crore to ₹500 crore | ₹5,75,000 |
| Above ₹500 crore to ₹1,000 crore | ₹6,00,000 |
| Above ₹1,000 crore | ₹6,50,000 |
These are exclusive of GST, and the charge is payable on the exports projected for the financial year rather than those eventually achieved. Slabs are revised from time to time, so confirm the current figures with your jurisdictional STPI office before budgeting — we have linked the source below.
Worth doing the arithmetic. A company turning over ₹4 crore in exports is looking at ₹1,10,000 plus GST a year. If the registration exists only to certify export declarations that your bank would now accept at no extra charge, that is a recurring cost with nothing on the other side of it.
What it costs to get registered, and what you have to produce
The annual service charge above is the recurring cost. The one-time cost of getting on the register is small; the paperwork is the real work.
| Item | Amount | Paid to / how |
|---|---|---|
| Non-STP registration — processing fee | ₹1,000 + 18% GST | Jurisdictional STPI centre, by NEFT/RTGS, with the application |
| Non-STP certificate validity | Renewable term set by the centre | Renewal application to the same centre before expiry |
| Annual service charge | Banded on projected exports, ₹4,000 at the lowest band upwards, plus GST | STPI centre, annually — see the slab table above |
| STP unit registration | Fee and bank guarantee/bond set case by case | STPI centre; bonding also involves Customs |
Fees are centre-published and get revised. The ₹1,000 + 18% GST figure is from STPI's own Non-STP registration format. Centres publish their own current fee schedules and formats, so confirm the figure with the centre you are applying to before you transfer anything.
Documents for Non-STP registration
Required from every applicant
- Completed application with digital or authorised signature
- Proof of the processing fee payment
- Project report with export projections
- IEC (Import Export Code)
- Valid lease deed or sale deed for the premises
- Bank certificate carrying the AD code
- Export order details — in hand or in the pipeline
- GST registration certificate
Additionally, by entity type
- Private / public limited company — MoA and AoA, board resolution authorising the signatory, list of directors with profiles, PAN of the company and of every director, passport copies of directors, Form 32 / DIR-12 and Form 18 / INC-22
- Partnership firm — partnership deed, partner profiles, PAN and passport or Aadhaar of every partner, partners' savings account numbers
- Proprietorship — proprietor's personal details, PAN and passport, bio-data
An STP unit application is a different and heavier set. On top of the above it runs to a detailed project report defended before the Project Approval Committee, capital goods list, premises and data-communication details, net worth certification, and bond or bank guarantee arrangements for the bonded premises. Centres differ on format. Do not build a submission from a checklist on anybody's website, this one included — take the current format from the centre you are filing with.
Source: STPI, Non-STP Registration for Softex Certification — application format and document list published by the Gurugram centre (gurugram.stpi.in), read 7 October 2026. The form title still says "Softex"; the registration itself is unaffected by the move to EDF.
If you do register — how it runs
- Decide which you are applying forSTP unit under the scheme, or Non-STP registration. These are different applications with different consequences, and the choice should follow from the decision above rather than from habit.
- Apply to your jurisdictional STPI centreSTPI operates through regional centres and the detail of forms, annexures and supporting documents varies between them. Apply to the centre covering your registered premises.
- Supply the corporate and project papersIncorporation documents, PAN, GST registration, details of the premises, the export projections the service charge will be based on, and a description of the services or software you export.
- Receive the permission and complete formalitiesIncluding, for STP units, the legal agreement and bonding formalities that come with operating a customs-bonded unit. Non-STP registration does not involve bonding.
- Keep the periodic returns upRegistration is not a one-off. STPI units report performance periodically, and STP units in particular carry obligations around net foreign exchange earnings and an annual performance report.
On document checklists. Requirements differ by STPI centre and are revised periodically, so we deliberately have not reproduced a fixed list here that would be wrong somewhere or out of date within a year. We confirm the current requirement with the relevant centre as part of the engagement.
What a registered unit has to keep filing
Registration is the easy part. What gets units into trouble is the calendar that follows it — and the first row below is the one that changed on 1 October 2026.
| Filing | Frequency | Goes to | If you miss it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Export declaration — the row that changed | |||
| Export Declaration Form (EDF) replaced SOFTEX from 1 October 2026 | Within 30 days of the end of the invoice month; one EDF can cover the month | Your Authorised Dealer bank or STPI — your choice for a DTA unit. Development Commissioner if you are in an SEZ | FEMA contravention; export not reflected in EDPMS; realisation tracking breaks |
| Realisation of export proceeds | 9 months from invoice date for services; 12 months if invoiced and settled in rupees | Monitored by the AD bank through EDPMS | Past one year unrealised, further exports only against full advance or an irrevocable LC |
| Scheme filings — STP units | |||
| Quarterly Performance Report | Quarterly | Jurisdictional STPI centre | Notice; repeated default puts the registration at risk |
| Annual Performance Report | Annually | STPI centre | Notice; conditions on renewal; cancellation in persistent cases |
| Net Foreign Exchange position | Assessed over the block period | STPI centre | Negative NFE can mean recovery of duty benefits availed, with interest |
| Bond / bank guarantee and import permissions | Per import; maintained continuously | STPI centre and Customs | Clearance held up; guarantee called |
| Company-level filings — these apply whether or not you register with STPI | |||
| ROC annual filing — AOC-4 and MGT-7 | Annually, by reference to the AGM | MCA | Per-day late fee with no cap |
| Income tax return, with tax audit where applicable | Annually | Income Tax Department | Penalty and interest |
| GST returns — GSTR-1 and 3B, annual return | Monthly or quarterly | GST portal | Late fee and interest; refund claims blocked |
| FEMA reporting — FC-GPR and related forms | Event-based | RBI, through the AD bank | Late submission fee; compounding in serious cases |
| TDS payment and quarterly returns | Monthly and quarterly | Income Tax Department / TRACES | Interest and default notices |
Read the first two rows together. The declaration moved, but the realisation clock moved too — the September 2026 amendment cut the services realisation period from 15 months to 9, and from 18 months to 12 for rupee-invoiced exports, with effect from 1 October 2026. A unit that was comfortable at 15 months is not automatically comfortable at 9.
You already have a Non-STP registration. Now what?
This is the question we are being asked most, and it deserves a straight answer about what is and is not known.
What is clear: the obligation that drove most Non-STP registrations — getting SOFTEX forms certified — no longer exists in that form, and your AD bank is now an alternative specified authority for export declarations.
What is not clear: the 2026 regulations do not say what becomes of existing Non-STP registrations. They do not state that such registrations lapse, and they do not state that they must be maintained.
So do not assume either way, particularly before a renewal falls due. Letting a registration quietly lapse has consequences if you still have open obligations attached to it; paying to renew one you will never use again is money gone. The position should be confirmed with your STPI centre and your AD bank against your own facts — open EDPMS entries, any bonded assets, any scheme benefits already availed — before you decide. We will do that assessment with you.
Frequently asked
Is STPI registration mandatory for software exporters?
No, and it is now less necessary than it was. It was never legally mandatory to export software, but Non-STP registration was in practice required to get SOFTEX forms certified. Since 1 October 2026, Regulation 2(1)(f) names an Authorised Dealer or STPI as the specified authority for domestic tariff area exports, so your bank can take the declaration instead.
Has STPI been shut down?
No. STPI remains a specified authority under the regulations and the STP scheme continues. What ended was its position as the only practical route for software export declarations.
What is the difference between an STP unit and a Non-STP unit?
An STP unit operates under the STP scheme as a customs-bonded unit with the duty benefits and obligations that brings. A Non-STP registration gives you a relationship with STPI without the bonding or the scheme benefits — historically taken so that SOFTEX forms could be certified.
Should I cancel my Non-STP registration?
Not on the strength of a web page, including this one. The regulations are silent on existing registrations, and the right answer depends on whether you have open EDPMS entries, bonded assets or availed benefits attached to it. Get the position checked before a renewal falls due.
What does STPI registration cost each year?
Non-STP units pay an annual service charge banded by export turnover, from ₹4,000 at the lowest band to ₹6,50,000 above ₹1,000 crore, exclusive of GST, assessed on projected exports for the year. Confirm current slabs with your STPI centre, as they are revised periodically.
I am in an SEZ. Does any of this affect me?
Less so. For SEZ units the specified authority remains the Development Commissioner of the zone. The form you file has changed from SOFTEX to the consolidated EDF, and the realisation timelines changed, but the route did not.
STPI and export compliance — our fees
Our fee only. STPI's own processing fee and annual service charge, and GST, are payable separately and are set out above.
Non-STP registration
For exporters who want the STPI route kept open
₹14,999
one-time · plus GST and STPI fees
- Eligibility and "do you actually need this" review first
- Document preparation and review
- Project report with export projections
- Application filed with your jurisdictional centre
- Centre follow-up to certificate issue
- EDF filing walkthrough once registered
STP unit registration
Full scheme — duty-free imports and bonding
₹19,999
one-time · plus GST, STPI fees, bond and guarantee costs
- Project report drafted for the Project Approval Committee
- PAC presentation preparation and attendance support
- Complete application and centre liaison
- Letter of Approval and legal agreement coordination
- Bonded premises licence guidance with Customs
- EDF and EDPMS set-up after registration
Annual export compliance
The calendar above, run for you
₹29,999 / year
plus GST · scope confirmed on volume
- EDF filing for every export, bank or STPI route
- EDPMS entry tracking and closure
- Realisation monitoring against the 9 and 12 month clocks
- Quarterly and Annual Performance Reports
- NFE position tracked across the block period
- ROC, income tax and GST filings alongside
If the honest answer is that you do not need STPI, we will tell you that in the first call and charge you nothing for it. Since 1 October 2026 a lot of software exporters are better served by filing the EDF through their bank. Our interest in a registration you do not need is worth less to us than the review work that follows you for years.
How TAXAJ helps
- An honest assessment of whether you need STPI at all now, before any registration work is quoted
- STP and Non-STP registration with your jurisdictional centre where it is the right answer
- Reviewing existing Non-STP registrations against open obligations before a renewal is paid
- Periodic returns, net foreign exchange tracking and the annual performance report for STP units
- Moving export declarations to your AD bank where that is the better route, including the EDF filing itself
- Clearing legacy SOFTEX entries still open in EDPMS
Sources. Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026 — Notification FEMA 23(R)/2026-RB dated 13 January 2026, as amended by FEMA 23(R)/(1)/2026-RB dated 22 September 2026, in force 1 October 2026; Regulation 2(1)(f) on specified authorities. Annual service charge slabs as published by Software Technology Parks of India at stpi.in.
General information current at the date of writing, not advice on your particular facts. STPI requirements and charges differ between centres and are revised from time to time. Check your own position before acting.
The rest of the export compliance stack
If a software export question does not fit any of these, the consultation call is the fastest way to place it.