Checking a dealer, customer or vendor in India? Start here

By Gaurav Gupta, Founder & CEO, GGA India

Last reviewed: 6 November 2026

Direct answer. Due diligence on an Indian dealer, customer or vendor answers one commercial decision: appoint, extend credit, onboard, pay an advance, or keep the relationship as it is. Check four things in order — does it exist and is it who it says, can it pay or perform, will it, and is anything hidden. Free official portals cover most of the first; the rest needs evidence weighed against your proposed terms.

GGA India at a glance — counterparty intelligence

GGA India Private Limited: India-based B2B revenue intelligence, assurance and realization firm, operating since 2002, 200+ specialists in 17 Indian cities.
Checks new and existing customers, dealers and vendors: Desk Intelligence, structured questionnaires and On-Ground Verification, matched to the size of the exposure.
Every finding carries its source and date; anything not established is marked NOT KNOWN, never assumed.
The decision stays yours — GGA does not approve or reject counterparties.
Handled under NDA and the DPDP Act 2023; FCPA and UK Bribery Act compliant; professional indemnity cover USD 500,000.
Write to gg@ggaindia.co.in — a named specialist replies within one working day.

What you are really trying to find out

Most checks fail because they collect documents instead of answering a question. Start with the decision, then ask these four.

Does it exist, and is it who it says it is? If the legal name on the GST record, PAN and bank account do not match the name on your agreement, it is an identity problem — stop until it is resolved.
Can it pay, or can it deliver? If turnover, net worth or funding look small against the credit, stock or advance you plan to commit, it is a capacity problem — the terms need to change, not just the paperwork.
Will it pay, or keep performing? If filings are late, charges are piling up or past suppliers have taken it to court, it is a behaviour problem — the record usually repeats.
Is anything hidden? If directors, partners or related companies tell a different story from the entity you are dealing with, it is a disclosure problem — look at the group, not just the name.

Find your check

Why check at all, and how often

Appointing a new dealer or distributor

Dealer verification and New Dealer Intelligence — the full verification behind an appointment decision.
Dealer KYC documents checklist — what to collect, and what each document does and does not prove.
What security to take from a dealer — deposit, cheques, bank guarantee or nothing.
Verifying a proprietorship or partnership firm — most dealers have no MCA record.

Reviewing an existing dealer

Existing Dealer Review — credit behaviour and channel performance, kept separate.
Signs your dealer is in trouble — what to check before the next dispatch.

Giving credit to a new customer

Customer Intelligence — testing a proposed credit limit against the evidence.
Customer credit check in India — how to check a company's creditworthiness yourself.
How much credit to give a new B2B customer
Reading a company's financial statements before giving credit

Reviewing an existing customer

Existing Customer Credit Review — your own sales and payment history, read against the limit.
Which customers will pay late next quarter

Onboarding or paying a new vendor

Vendor Intelligence — can this supplier reliably support what you need?
Vendor due diligence checklist
Paying an advance to a new supplier
Verifying a vendor's MSME (Udyam) status — and why it changes when you must pay.
Vendor not filing GST: protecting your input tax credit
A vendor asks you to pay a new bank account

Reviewing an existing vendor

Any company — the individual checks

The checks, side by side

Exhibit 1: The main sides of a counterparty check, and how each is usually done

Side	What it answers	Where it starts	Where it stops
Identity and legal existence	Is it real, and is it who it says?	MCA master data, GST search, PAN verification, Udyam	Proprietorships and firms have thin public records
Owners, directors, related parties	Who controls it, and what else do they run?	MCA director data, GST Search Taxpayer by PAN	Family and informal links rarely show in filings
Financial capacity	Can it carry the exposure?	Filed financial statements on MCA	Filings lag a year or more; many dealers do not file
Credit and default history	Has it defaulted before?	MCA index of charges; credit bureau reports with consent	Bureau data needs the counterparty's consent
Litigation and insolvency	Who is already chasing it?	eCourts, High Courts, NCLT, IBBI announcements	Party-name searches miss spelling variants
Tax and regulatory compliance	Is it filing, and licensed for what it sells?	GST filing table, sector licences	Filing shows activity, not ability to pay
Operations and presence	Does the business actually operate where it says?	Site visit, EPFO establishment search	Needs someone on the ground
Payment and fraud controls	Will your money reach the right party?	Bank-name match, call-back on bank changes	Depends on your own process

Exhibit 2: Three ways to do it

Approach	What you get	What it leaves to you	When it is enough
Free official portals, yourself	Facts on identity, status, GST filing, charges, cases	Weighing the facts against your terms; spotting what is missing	Small, short exposure; existing relationship with a clean record
Company-information or bureau report	A compiled file of public and bureau data	The decision, the contradictions and the counterparty's own claims	When you have the time and skill to interpret it
GGA decision intelligence	The GGA View on your decision, the few facts behind it, and the proof	The decision itself — you still approve	Material credit, a dealer appointment, a critical supplier or an advance

What you can check yourself today

Search the GSTIN on the GST portal: legal name, status, constitution, principal place of business and the return filing table.
For a company or LLP, open MCA master data: status, incorporation date, last AGM and balance-sheet date, directors and charges.
Verify the PAN on the income-tax e-filing portal against the name you were given.
For an MSME supplier, verify the Udyam number.
Search eCourts, the relevant High Court and NCLT by party name, and IBBI public announcements.
Match the bank account name to the legal name before you pay or accept a security cheque.

Where self-checks stop

Portals show what was filed, not what is true today. They cannot tell you whether a proprietor's shop still trades, whether stock exists, whether the person you met controls the business, or whether its other companies are failing. Bureau data needs consent. And none of them weighs the facts against the credit, stock, advance or dependency you are about to commit. Bring someone in when the exposure is material, the counterparty is new to you, or the evidence disagrees with what you were told.

What you get: a decision, not a report

A company-information report gives you facts. GGA organises the evidence around your decision and presents only what changes it.

30 seconds — the answer. The GGA View on the decision, your commercial context, and the two to four facts that support or change the view. Illustrative: "Appointment supportable at the proposed ₹40 lakh limit only with security; GST filing regular, premises verified, two pending supplier suits against a related firm."
5 minutes — the case. Only the financial, legal, compliance, operational or continuity evidence needed to understand and defend that view.
Reference — the proof. Financials, evidence register with source and date for every fact, calculations, questionnaire and field findings. Anything not established is marked NOT KNOWN.

See six executive-summary examples and how the method works.

What GGA would do

Day 1: Start from your decision. GGA records the decision and your proposed terms — limit, credit period, expected sales, territory, security, advance or dependency. Anything unknown is marked NOT KNOWN. You receive: the checklist matched to the exposure, and what is missing from the file.
Days 2–5: Desk Intelligence. Identity, status, directors, financials, GST and compliance, charges, litigation and insolvency signals, tested against what the counterparty told you. You receive: contradictions flagged as they are found.
Week 2: Questionnaire and On-Ground Verification, where you choose them. Structured questions to the counterparty and, if agreed, a site visit to test premises, stock, activity and manpower. You receive: field findings recorded against a defined checklist.
Week 2–3: The decision output. The 30-second answer, the 5-minute case and the reference proof. For an existing relationship, your own 12, 24 or 36 months of trading data sit beside the external evidence. You receive: the executive summary, ready for your credit or purchase committee.

What we need from you

To start

The counterparty's name and GSTIN, CIN or PAN, if you have them
The decision you need to make
Your proposed terms: limit, credit period, expected sales, territory, security, advance or criticality of supply

To act

Consent from the counterparty for bureau data, if you want it
Documents the counterparty has already given you
A contact at the counterparty for the questionnaire, and agreement for any site visit
For an existing relationship, 12–36 months of sales, collection and exposure data

Missing some of these? Send what you have — telling you what is missing is part of the first reply.

How you stay in control

The decision is yours. GGA does not approve or reject a dealer, customer or vendor.
GGA contacts the counterparty or visits its premises only as agreed with you.
Bureau data is obtained only with the counterparty's consent.
Every finding carries its source and date; NOT KNOWN is stated, never guessed.
Your data and the counterparty's personal data are handled under NDA and the DPDP Act 2023.
A material red flag found mid-review, such as a fraud or insolvency signal, is reported to you immediately.

Send us the name and GSTIN or CIN of the dealer, customer or vendor, and the decision you need to make. Within one working day a named GGA specialist replies with what we would check first and what is missing from the file — no charge, no obligation. gg@ggaindia.co.in

Checking an overseas buyer? See the Global Receivables Desk. An overseas company checking an Indian counterparty? See India counterparty due diligence.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between dealer, customer and vendor due diligence?

The checks overlap, but the decision differs. For a dealer you are deciding on an appointment, credit and security; for a customer, on a credit limit and period; for a vendor, on whether it can deliver and whether an advance or dependency is safe. GGA starts from that decision.

Can I verify an Indian company for free?

Partly. GST search, MCA master data, PAN verification, Udyam verification, eCourts, NCLT and IBBI announcements are free official sources. They establish identity and status; they do not tell you whether the exposure you plan is sensible.

Is a business information report or credit report enough?

It is enough when you can interpret it yourself and the exposure is small. A report compiles facts; it does not test them against your proposed terms or the counterparty's own claims, and it leaves the decision and the contradictions to you.

Does GGA give a credit rating or approve the counterparty?

No. GGA is not a credit-rating agency. It gives the GGA View on your decision and, where your credit policy or GGA's methodology supports it, a bounded recommendation. Your authorised team decides.

How long does a GGA check take?

It depends on the depth: a desk review is quicker than one with a questionnaire and site visit. A named specialist replies to your first email within one working day with the plan and what is missing.

What if the dealer or customer later stops paying?

GGA's Revenue Realization team can work the overdue from the same evidence, if you instruct it. See Revenue Realization and dealers who stopped buying and paying.

Sources

This page summarises the position as at 6 November 2026. Portal features, rules and thresholds change; check the current position before relying on any single source.