Last updated: 6 October 2026
Quick Answer: Enter your GSTIN, the 15-character GST registration number on your registration certificate. GST subsumed State VAT on 1 July 2017, so the VAT/GST field means your GSTIN. If you aren't registered, leave it blank: "if applicable" means the form isn't expecting one from you.
You'll meet this field when you set up a billing profile with an overseas supplier. Foreign ad accounts, app stores and freelancing marketplaces all ask for it. The label is generic, written for many tax systems at once.
Overview: the VAT/GST registration number in India
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| What the field wants | Your GSTIN (Goods and Services Tax Identification Number) |
| Where to find yours | Your certificate in FORM GST REG-06, on the GST portal |
| If you are not registered | Leave it blank - the field says "if applicable" |
What does "VAT/GST registration number" mean for Indians?
For someone in India it means your GSTIN. GST subsumed State VAT on 1 July 2017, so for ordinary goods and services there is no separate VAT number left for you to type.
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) records State VAT and Sales Tax among the State levies folded into GST at launch. Since then one number covers both goods and services: the Goods and Services Tax Identification Number, or GSTIN.
A GSTIN runs to 15 characters, and each block of it carries meaning - our guide to the 15-character GST number format takes it apart. So read "VAT/GST registration number" as "GST registration number".
What should you enter if you are not GST-registered?
Leave it blank. "If applicable" is the form saying it does not expect a number from someone who has none, and you have nothing to put there.
Three things not to do:
- Don't enter your PAN. PAN is an income-tax number. GST registration is PAN-based, so the portal checks your PAN against the Central Board of Direct Taxes database when you apply - but a PAN is not a registration number.
- Don't enter your Aadhaar number. Aadhaar comes from the Unique Identification Authority of India and authenticates a GST application. It is never the registration number.
- Don't invent a number. A GSTIN is assigned only when a registration is approved. A made-up string fails validation and misstates who you are on an invoice.
If a form refuses a blank, ask that platform's support team. There is no Indian number to substitute.
Who needs to enter a GSTIN?
Only someone who already holds one.
| You are | What goes in the field |
|---|---|
| An individual buying for personal use | Leave blank |
| A freelancer or small business below the registration threshold | Leave blank |
| Registered under GST, as a business or a freelancer | Your 15-character GSTIN |
The middle row is where people get stuck. Being in business does not by itself give you a GSTIN - you get one by registering, and whether you must register turns on your turnover and a short list of compulsory cases. Registration is also state-wise against one PAN, so if you hold two, use the one for that account's place of business.
Should you register for GST just to fill in this field?
No - not for the field's sake. Register because the law requires it, or because registration gets you something you want.
You must register once you cross the turnover threshold for your state and type of supply, and some suppliers must register from their first sale. Those limits sit on our GST registration turnover limit page.
Registering voluntarily is allowed, and CBIC sets out the gains. You are legally recognised as a supplier. You can set tax paid on your inputs against tax due on what you supply, and you can pass that credit to the businesses you invoice.
The trade-off is compliance: a registered person files a return for every tax period, sales or no sales. There is no government fee - our GST registration fees page covers what you may still pay.
How do you get a GSTIN to put in that field?
You apply online on the government's GST portal at gst.gov.in, under Services > Registration > New Registration. The form is FORM GST REG-01, and there is no paper route.
- Part A takes your state and district, the legal name of the business as on PAN, the PAN, and the primary authorised signatory's email and mobile number. Separate OTPs, each valid 10 minutes, confirm that email address and mobile number.
- A Temporary Reference Number (TRN) is issued; log back in with it to finish Part B. The portal's GST registration manual warns that an application left unsubmitted for 15 days is purged.
- Part B covers business details, promoters or partners, the authorised signatory, your places of business, goods and services, state-specific information, Aadhaar authentication and verification.
- An Application Reference Number (ARN) comes back on submission and tracks the file until an officer decides.
CBIC's registration FAQs list what to have ready:
- PAN of the business
- Proof of constitution of business
- Proof of the promoters or partners
- Proof of the principal place of business
- The authorised signatory's photograph and proof of appointment
- Bank account details
- A digital signature certificate (DSC) or Aadhaar for signing
Our step-by-step GST registration guide covers each tab.
Apply for GST registration online with expert help
Jaagruk Bharat can prepare and file the application; the approval itself stays with the GST authorities.
Where do you find your GSTIN if you are already registered?
On your registration certificate. Rule 10 of the CGST Rules, 2017 has the certificate issued in FORM GST REG-06 on the GST portal once an application is approved, and the GSTIN is assigned at the same moment.
So log in and download REG-06, or read the number off a tax invoice you have already issued. Still waiting? Rule 9 gives the officer seven working days to approve it. Where Aadhaar authentication is not completed, or the premises need physical verification, that stretches to thirty days.
