# What licences are required to run a therapy centre in India?

Canonical: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-licences-are-required-to-run-a-therapy-centre-in-india
Publisher: Pinnacle Blooms Network / Bharath Healthcare Laboratories Private Limited

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.

*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.*

## In short
There 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.

## The compliance stack
**1. Business and establishment layer**
- **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).
- **Shops & Establishments registration** — under the applicable state Act for any commercial premises employing staff.
- **GST registration** — where turnover thresholds apply; note that many healthcare services are exempt, but confirm the treatment of allied and non-clinical revenue.
- **Professional Tax, PF and ESI** — state professional-tax enrolment, and EPFO/ESIC registration once employee thresholds are met.

**2. Clinical-establishment layer**
- **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.
- **Premises clearances** — fire safety NOC, building/occupancy compliance, and pollution/biomedical-waste authorisation if any clinical waste is generated.

**3. Professional registration layer (the people, not the building)**
- **Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI)** registration for rehabilitation professionals — clinical psychologists, special educators, audiologists & speech-language pathologists and others practise under RCI registration.
- **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.
- Employment documentation and qualification verification for every clinician on your roster.

**4. If you offer or distribute a medical device or software**
- **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.

## A planning note
Because 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.

## The Pinnacle way
Pinnacle 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.

## Trusted sources
Rehabilitation 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.

**Next step —** Planning a centre or a partnership? [Contact the Pinnacle team](/) to understand how a compliant, infrastructure-grade developmental service is built.

This is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

## Sources
- Rehabilitation Council of India — professional registration: https://rehabcouncil.nic.in
- Nurturing Care Framework — standards for child-development services: https://nurturing-care.org
- World Health Organization — health-service quality guidance: https://www.who.int

## Connected topics and perspectives
- Professional: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/stakeholder/professional
- Support: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/intent/support
- Plan: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/lifecycle/plan
- About: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/route/about

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