{"h1":"Licences required to run a therapy centre in India","faq":[{"a":"No. There is no single \"therapy centre licence.\" You need a layered set of registrations — legal entity, state shops-and-establishment, clinical-establishment registration, professional council registration of clinicians, statutory tax and labour enrolments, and premises-safety clearances — and the exact mix depends on your state.","q":"Is there a single licence to open a therapy centre in India?"},{"a":"Yes. Rehabilitation professionals such as clinical psychologists, special educators, audiologists and speech-language pathologists practise under Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) registration, with additional allied-health council registration as that framework is operationalised by states.","q":"Do my therapists need their own registration?"},{"a":"It can. If you manufacture, import or distribute a regulated medical device or Software as a Medical Device (SaMD), CDSCO obligations apply. Pinnacle's own assessment tooling is a CDSCO Class B SaMD.","q":"Does a digital assessment tool need CDSCO approval?"},{"a":"Clinical-establishment law, shops-and-establishment rules and labour thresholds are state-administered. Several states have adopted the Clinical Establishments Act, 2010, while others run their own clinical-establishment or nursing-home regimes, so always confirm requirements for your specific location.","q":"Why does the list differ by state?"}],"lang":"en","slug":"what-licences-are-required-to-run-a-therapy-centre-in-india","title":"What licences are required to run a therapy centre in India?","entity":{"key":"reg_lic","kind":"field_vantage","name":"Regulatory & Compliance","slug":null},"lenses":[{"kind":"stakeholder","label":"Professional","value":"professional"},{"kind":"intent","label":"Support","value":"support"},{"kind":"lifecycle","label":"Plan","value":"plan"},{"kind":"route","label":"About","value":"about"}],"parent":null,"related":[{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-business-model-of-a-child-development-therapy-centre","title":"What is the business model of a child development therapy centre?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-is-the-child-development-therapy-industry-evolving","title":"How is the child development therapy industry evolving?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-rci-and-rpwd-compliance-requirements-apply-to-therapy-services","title":"RCI and RPWD compliance requirements for therapy services"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-are-the-biggest-operational-challenges-in-running-therapy-centres","title":"What are the biggest operational challenges in running therapy centres?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-are-the-key-success-factors-for-a-pediatric-therapy-business","title":"Key success factors for a pediatric therapy business"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-qualifications-and-licences-should-a-child-development-therapist-hold","title":"What qualifications and licences should a child development therapist hold?"}],"summary":"Running a therapy centre in India requires a layered compliance stack rather than one licence: a legal entity, state shops-and-establishment and clinical-establishment registration, RCI/allied-health professional registration of clinicians, statutory tax and labour enrolments (GST, PT, PF, ESI), and premises clearances such as fire and biomedical-waste — plus CDSCO obligations if any medical device or SaMD is involved. Exact requirements vary by state, so confirm with a healthcare-compliance advisor.","answer_md":"*Setting up a paediatric therapy centre in India means assembling a layered stack of registrations — clinical, professional, civic and statutory — before the first child walks through the door.*\n\n## In short\nThere is no single \"therapy centre licence\" in India; compliance is a **layered stack** spanning establishment registration, clinical-establishment registration, professional council registration of your therapists, statutory tax and labour registrations, and premises-safety clearances. The exact set depends on your **state**, since clinical-establishment rules and shops-and-establishment law are state-administered. Treat this as a planning checklist to validate with a qualified company secretary and a healthcare-law advisor before you open.\n\n## The compliance stack\n**1. Business and establishment layer**\n- **Legal entity** — incorporation as a private limited company, LLP, partnership or registration as a trust/society (Companies Act / LLP Act / relevant state Societies/Trust Acts).\n- **Shops & Establishments registration** — under the applicable state Act for any commercial premises employing staff.\n- **GST registration** — where turnover thresholds apply; note that many healthcare services are exempt, but confirm the treatment of allied and non-clinical revenue.\n- **Professional Tax, PF and ESI** — state professional-tax enrolment, and EPFO/ESIC registration once employee thresholds are met.\n\n**2. Clinical-establishment layer**\n- **Clinical Establishments (Registration & Regulation) Act, 2010** registration where the state has adopted it (several states/UTs have); other states run their own clinical-establishment or nursing-home registration regimes. This is the core \"can you operate a health facility here\" approval.\n- **Premises clearances** — fire safety NOC, building/occupancy compliance, and pollution/biomedical-waste authorisation if any clinical waste is generated.\n\n**3. Professional registration layer (the people, not the building)**\n- **Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI)** registration for rehabilitation professionals — clinical psychologists, special educators, audiologists & speech-language pathologists and others practise under RCI registration.\n- **State/relevant council registration** for any allied health professionals as required by the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions framework as states operationalise it.\n- Employment documentation and qualification verification for every clinician on your roster.\n\n**4. If you offer or distribute a medical device or software**\n- **CDSCO** obligations apply if you manufacture, import or distribute regulated devices or Software as a Medical Device (SaMD); a digital diagnostic tool can itself be a regulated device.\n\n## A planning note\nBecause clinical-establishment law, shops-and-establishment rules and labour thresholds vary materially **by state**, the correct, current list for *your* location should be confirmed with a healthcare-compliance advisor and your state health department. Build the stack in sequence — entity first, then premises and clinical registration, then professional registrations and statutory enrolments — so that approvals that depend on prior ones do not stall your launch.\n\n## The Pinnacle way\nPinnacle Blooms Network operates **70+ centres across 4 states with 700+ therapists**, and our compliance is built as infrastructure — RCI-registered professionals, state clinical-establishment compliance, and a **CDSCO Class B SaMD** for our digital assessment tooling. Developmental measurement supports care planning; diagnosis requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional. under qualified clinician care, never from an app or a form. Explore [Pinnacle Blooms Network](/), see how structured assessment works in [the AbilityScore®](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated), and look at how regulated services such as [speech therapy](https://www.pinnacleblooms.org/top-speech-therapy-center-india-proven-improvement-rate) are delivered within this framework.\n\n## Trusted sources\nRehabilitation Council of India on professional registration; WHO and Nurturing Care framework on health-service standards for child development. Validate state-specific clinical-establishment and shops-and-establishment requirements with your state health department and a qualified advisor.\n\n**Next step —** Planning a centre or a partnership? [Contact the Pinnacle team](/) to understand how a compliant, infrastructure-grade developmental service is built.\n\nThis is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.","canonical":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-licences-are-required-to-run-a-therapy-centre-in-india","editorial":{"reviewed_at":"2026-06-11T20:12:18.613642+00:00","reviewed_by":null,"developed_by":"SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network"},"alternates":[{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-licences-are-required-to-run-a-therapy-centre-in-india","lang":"en","indexable":true}],"dimensions":[],"meta_title":"Licences to Run a Therapy Centre in India","meta_robots":"index, follow, max-image-preview:large","everyday_tip":"Build approvals in dependency order — entity first, then premises and clinical-establishment registration, then professional and statutory enrolments — so nothing stalls your launch.","published_at":"2026-06-10T14:16:00.221239+00:00","reading_paths":[{"key":"therapy","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"what-are-the-biggest-operational-challenges-in-running-therapy-centres","title":"What are the biggest operational challenges in running therapy centres?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-qualifications-and-licences-should-a-child-development-therapist-hold","title":"What qualifications and licences should a child development therapist hold?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-rci-and-rpwd-compliance-requirements-apply-to-therapy-services","title":"RCI and RPWD compliance requirements for therapy services","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-business-model-of-a-child-development-therapy-centre","title":"What is the business model of a child development therapy centre?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-are-the-key-success-factors-for-a-pediatric-therapy-business","title":"Key success factors for a pediatric therapy business","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-is-the-child-development-therapy-industry-evolving","title":"How is the child development therapy industry evolving?","reason":"Linked from this answer"}],"label":"Explore therapy & support","total":6}],"what_to_watch":"Watch for state-specific variation: whether your state has adopted the Clinical Establishments Act, local fire and biomedical-waste rules, and employee thresholds that trigger PF and ESI registration.","authority_links":[{"url":"https://rehabcouncil.nic.in","label":"Rehabilitation Council of India — professional registration"},{"url":"https://nurturing-care.org","label":"Nurturing Care Framework — standards for child-development services"},{"url":"https://www.who.int","label":"World Health Organization — health-service quality guidance"}],"last_reviewed_at":"2026-06-10T14:16:00.221239+00:00","meta_description":"A practical compliance stack for opening a paediatric therapy centre in India: clinical-establishment, RCI professional, tax, labour and premises registrat","related_materials":[],"related_techniques":[]}