Dealer and distributor KYC documents: what to collect before you appoint, and what each one proves

By Gaurav Gupta, Founder & CEO, GGA India

Last reviewed: 9 November 2026

Direct answer. Collect dealer KYC documents to support one decision: appoint, and on what credit. The core set is the GST certificate, PAN, constitution proof (deed, LLP or company record), premises proof, sector licence, three years of ITRs, bank statements and a bank account letter. The biggest trap: a complete file of genuine documents can still describe a dealer that cannot pay.

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

Each KYC document answers a narrow question; the file is useful only when you know which question each one answers.

Dealer files are often built from a standard list: photocopies arrive on WhatsApp, boxes get ticked, and nobody asks what each paper proves. Sort the documents by the question they answer.

Who exactly are we contracting with? GSTIN, PAN and constitution documents fix the legal entity. If the deed names three partners and only one signs your agreement, you have not yet fixed who is bound.
Who stands behind the business? Proprietor, partners, directors and guarantors carry the liability in practice. If no individual's identity and address are on file, there is nobody to follow when the firm closes.
Is it allowed to sell your product? Sector licences are a legal condition for fertilisers, seeds, crop protection, medicines and food. If the licence names a different address or omits your category, the dealer cannot lawfully stock your goods there.
Can it fund the business? ITRs, accounts, GST returns and bank statements show scale. If the documents show turnover far below what the dealer told your salesperson, the claimed scale is untested.
Where does your money come from and go to? The bank account letter fixes the account for receipts, refunds and credit notes. If the account is not in the firm's legal name, every payment and refund is at risk.

The checks, side by side

A genuine document proves less than most onboarding teams assume; Exhibit 1 sets out the limit of each one.

Exhibit 1: Dealer KYC documents — what each proves, what it does not, and how to check it

#	Document	What it proves	What it does not prove	How to check it (free or paid)
1	GST registration certificate (Form GST REG-06)	The GSTIN, legal and trade name, constitution and registered places of business at the date issued	That the registration is still active, that returns are filed, or that the business trades at that address	GST portal, Search Taxpayer: status, cancellation date, returns filed (free)
2	PAN of the firm, proprietor or company	The tax identity and name	Any income, compliance or capacity	Income-tax e-filing portal, Verify Your PAN (free)
3	Partnership deed and Registrar of Firms record	Who agreed to be partners and the capital and profit shares at signing	Later changes, unless a supplementary or retirement deed is produced	Ask for all amendments; compare with the state Registrar of Firms record where the firm is registered (access and fee vary by state)
4	LLP agreement or certificate of incorporation, MOA and AOA	The entity exists and its stated objects	Current status, filings or directors today	MCA master data: status, last filings, directors or designated partners, charges (free)
5	Board resolution or authority letter	That the person signing your agreement is authorised	That the company can pay	Match the signatory to the MCA director list; check the resolution date (free)
6	Udyam registration certificate	Registration as a micro, small or medium enterprise, with self-declared activity	Turnover you can rely on, or the dealer's credit standing	Udyam portal, verify by Udyam number (free)
7	Sector licence: fertiliser authorisation, seed dealer licence, insecticide sale licence, wholesale drug licence (Form 20-B or 21-B), FSSAI licence	Legal permission to sell that category at that address	Stock, sales or competence	Check name, address, categories and expiry; confirm with the issuing office or its portal (free)
8	Premises proof: rent agreement, property tax receipt, electricity bill	A claim to the address	That it is a working shop or godown, or that the lease runs for your contract term	Compare with the GST principal place; confirm on a visit (visit paid)
9	Shops and Establishments or trade licence	Local registration at the address	Size or activity	State labour or municipal portal, where available (free)
10	ITRs with computation, three years	Declared income and turnover	Liquidity, or whether turnover came from your category	Compare turnover with GST returns and bank credits (free from dealer)
11	Audited accounts, where an audit applies	Balance sheet, debt, receivables and stock	That the figures are current; accounts can be a year old	Check the auditor's details and the date; for a company, match with MCA filings (free from dealer)
12	GSTR-3B summaries, 12 months	Monthly taxable turnover reported	Margins or debt	Match monthly totals with bank credits and the ITR (free from dealer)
13	Bank statements, 6–12 months	Real money flow: credits, debits, returned cheques, loan repayments	Loans held at other banks	Check for inward and outward cheque returns, EMI bounces and cash patterns (free from dealer)
14	Bank account letter or cancelled cheque	The account for your receipts and refunds	That the account has funds	Confirm the account name matches the legal name; a small test credit confirms the account (free)
15	Credit report shared with consent	Repayment history with lenders	Behaviour with trade suppliers	Company Credit Report obtained by the company, or a proprietor's personal credit report (via the dealer)
16	Identity and address of proprietor, partners or directors, and any guarantor	Who the individuals are	Their means	Match names with the PAN, deed and MCA record; if an Aadhaar copy is taken at all, take a masked one (free)
17	Dealer declaration	The dealer's statements on other dealerships, brands, related firms, litigation and borrowing	Anything, until tested	Test each statement against portals, references and a visit (free to paid)
18	No-dues letter from a previous principal, where the dealer switched brands	That the earlier relationship closed cleanly, if genuine	That the letter is genuine	Call the principal's credit team directly, not the number on the letter (free)

The minimum file changes with the dealer's constitution. A proprietorship has no public record, so its file leans on tax and bank documents. A company has a public record, so its file leans on MCA. Banks follow a similar logic. For a proprietary concern, RBI's KYC rules accept any two documents proving the business name, address and activity. The list includes a GST certificate, a Shops and Establishments certificate, an ITR and utility bills.

Exhibit 2: Minimum dealer KYC set by constitution

Constitution	Fixes the entity	Fixes the people	Proves the business runs
Proprietorship	GST certificate, PAN of the proprietor, and one more registration (Udyam, Shops and Establishments or a sector licence)	Proprietor's identity and address	ITRs, GSTR-3B, bank statements, premises proof
Partnership firm	Deed with all amendments, registration certificate if registered, firm PAN, GST certificate	Every partner's identity and address; written authority of the signing partner	As above, in the firm's name
LLP	LLP agreement, certificate of incorporation, MCA record, PAN, GST certificate	Designated partners; authority of the signatory	Filed statements of account, GSTR-3B, bank statements
Private or public company	Certificate of incorporation, MOA and AOA, MCA record, PAN, GST certificate	Directors from MCA; board resolution naming the signatory	Audited accounts, GSTR-3B, bank statements

Two legal points matter for partnership dealers. Every partner is liable jointly and severally for acts of the firm done while a partner. And an unregistered firm cannot sue a third party to enforce a contract, which weakens its own position, not yours. Registration therefore tells you more about who the partners are than about whether you can recover.

Three ways to handle the file. Exhibit 3 compares them.

Exhibit 3: Checking the KYC file yourself, buying a report, or using GGA

Route	What you get	What it leaves to you	When it is enough
Collect and tick, in-house	A complete-looking file	Whether documents are current, consistent and true	Advance-payment dealers
Bureau or company report beside the file	Filed financials, charges, a score where one exists	Firms with no filings; cross-checks; premises	Company dealers, small limits
GGA Dealer Intelligence	Each document tested against independent evidence; the file read against your terms	The decision	Material unsecured credit, or any document that does not reconcile

What you can check yourself today

Five cross-checks on the file you already hold catch most mismatched or altered documents.

Put the GSTIN from the certificate into the GST portal. The live record must match the paper: name, constitution, principal place and status.
Line up the names. Legal name on the GST record, PAN, deed or MCA record, bank letter and your draft agreement must be identical.
Compare three turnover figures: the ITR, the 12 months of GSTR-3B and total bank credits. Large gaps need an explanation in writing.
Read the bank statement for returns. Inward cheque returns and EMI bounces are the earliest sign of stress in a dealer's own file.
Check every licence for name, address, category and expiry date. A licence for the old shop does not cover the new godown.

Where self-checks stop

A KYC file shows what the dealer chose to send; it cannot show what was left out.

Documents are snapshots. A 2019 GST certificate says nothing about who runs the business now.
Copies can be altered. PDF bank statements are easy to edit; get them from the bank or a verified channel.
Omissions do not show. Other lenders, a second GSTIN in another state, a sister firm in litigation: none appear in a file the dealer assembled.
Bureau data needs the dealer's consent. You cannot pull it yourself.
The address needs a visit. A rent agreement proves a lease, not a working godown.
Personal data carries duties. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 applies to the proprietor's and partners' personal data you collect. Under the DPDP Rules 2025, its main notice, consent and data-fiduciary duties apply from 13 May 2027. Collect what the decision needs, not everything on a standard list.

What you get: a decision, not a report

Information is available. The decision is still yours — GGA turns a stack of documents into a view on the appointment, in three layers.

Exhibit 4: What a GGA output built on a dealer's KYC file contains

Layer	What it contains for a dealer KYC file
30 seconds — the answer	The GGA View on the appointment and proposed terms; the two to four document findings that matter (for example, a turnover gap or an unlisted partner); only material limitations
5 minutes — the case	Entity and people confirmed; licences valid for your category; turnover reconciled across ITR, GST and bank; contradictions and how they were resolved
Reference — the proof	A document register: each document, its source, the date checked, its status (verified, inconsistent, or NOT KNOWN) and the independent record it was tested against

Illustrative GGA View line, not a client result: "SUPPORTABLE WITH CONDITIONS — entity, partners and licences verified; turnover reconciles across ITR, GST and bank within 5%. One partner in the 2018 deed has no retirement deed on file, so that partner's liability is NOT KNOWN."

The executive-summary format is shown on the six examples, and the evidence rules on the methodology page.

What GGA would do

Five steps take a dealer's document pile to a tested file and a view on the appointment. The markers show sequence only; timing depends on how fast the dealer sends documents.

Day 1: fix the decision and the document list. GGA records your proposed limit, period and security, and sets the document list for this dealer's constitution and category. You receive: a tailored KYC request, so the dealer is asked once, not three times.
Days 2–5: collect through a structured request. Documents come in against the list through a secure questionnaire, with the dealer's declarations and consent for a credit report. You receive: a status sheet showing what has arrived and what is outstanding.
Week 2: test every document. Each is checked against the live portal record or another independent source; names, addresses and turnover are reconciled across documents. You receive: a contradiction list, and an immediate alert if a document appears altered.
Week 2–3: verify the address where it matters. On-Ground Verification records the shop or godown, signage, stock and staff against a checklist. You receive: a dated field record with photographs.
Week 3: the view. You receive: the executive summary and document register, ready for your credit file and for audit.

If the dealer will also give security, the same review tests the deposit, cheques or guarantee — see what security to take from a dealer.

What we need from you

Whatever the dealer has already sent, plus your proposed terms, is enough to start.

To start

Dealer's legal name, GSTIN and constitution
The documents already collected, in any format
The decision and proposed terms: limit, credit period, expected offtake, territory, security
Your current dealer KYC list or application form

To act

A contact at the dealer for the structured document request
The dealer's written consent to obtain or share its credit report
Names of partners, directors and any guarantor
Permission and an address for an on-ground visit
Names of previous principals, if the dealer is switching brands

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 KYC standard and the appointment are yours; GGA tests the documents against evidence and shows where they fall short.

The decision is yours. GGA does not approve or reject a dealer.
GGA contacts the dealer, requests documents or visits premises only as agreed with you.
Credit reports are obtained or used only with the dealer's consent.
Every document carries its source and the date it was checked. A fact that cannot be established is recorded as NOT KNOWN, never assumed.
Your data and the dealer's personal data are handled under NDA and the DPDP Act 2023; GGA asks only for documents the decision needs.
A forged, altered or contradictory document is reported to you immediately, before any further step.

Send us the dealer's name, GSTIN and the KYC documents you already hold, with the limit you plan to give. 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 documents are required for a dealer appointment in India?

Start with the GST certificate, PAN and constitution proof (partnership deed, LLP agreement or company incorporation papers). Add the identity of the proprietor, partners or directors, premises proof and any sector licence. Then three years of ITRs, 12 months of GST returns, 6–12 months of bank statements and a bank account letter in the firm's legal name.

Is a GST certificate enough to verify a dealer?

No. It proves registration on the date issued. Check the live GSTIN on the GST portal for status and returns filed, and match it with the PAN, bank account and agreement. How to verify a GST number covers the detail.

What KYC should I take from a proprietorship dealer?

There is no public company record. Rely on the GST certificate, the proprietor's PAN and at least one more registration in the business name. Add ITRs, GST returns, bank statements and a visit. See verifying a proprietorship or partnership.

Should I take an Aadhaar copy from the dealer?

Only if your decision needs it, and then a masked copy. PAN, GST and bank records usually fix identity. Treat any personal document as personal data under the DPDP Act 2023.

How do I spot a fake or altered dealer document?

Compare each paper with its live source: GSTIN on the GST portal, PAN on the income-tax portal, company data on MCA, licences with the issuing office. Ask for bank statements directly from the bank. Mismatched names, fonts or dates are the usual giveaways.

More: the due diligence hub · Dealer Intelligence · if a dealer stops paying.

Sources

This page summarises the position as at 9 November 2026. Portal features, rules and thresholds change; check the current position before relying on any single source.