Guide 01 Selling to Indian defence
What documents does a defence buyer ask a new supplier for?
Across naval dockyards, shipyards and defence PSUs, the paperwork a new vendor needs is broadly the same: statutory registration, recent financial statements, evidence of past supply, and proof of a working quality system. What differs is which office wants it, how it is submitted, and what capability assessment follows.
- Topic
- Selling to Indian defence
- Checked
- 23 September 2026
- Sources
- 4
- Questions
- 6
01
The common core: PAN, GST and incorporation
Every buyer reviewed for this guide, from MIDHANI to Bharat Electronics, asks for the basic statutory set first: PAN, GST registration certificate, and company incorporation documents. Bharat Electronics specifically asks new vendors to use their GST number as the registration identifier and to upload scanned PAN, GST certificate and incorporation papers as PDFs under 2 MB, alongside an MSME or non-MSME declaration on letterhead.
An MSME declaration, or an Udyam registration certificate where the firm qualifies, matters beyond paperwork: it is what unlocks earnest money exemption and other benefits under the Public Procurement Policy for micro and small enterprises later in the tendering process, so register on Udyam before it is needed rather than after.
02
Financial statements and a track record
MIDHANI's published guidelines ask for the latest three years' financial statements and copies of purchase orders already executed with major public sector undertakings, plus any performance certificates the firm holds; incomplete applications are not considered. This pattern, recent audited financials plus evidence of orders delivered elsewhere, is typical of how defence PSUs judge whether a new firm can actually perform.
A firm with no prior PSU or defence order still qualifies to apply in most cases, but expect the capability assessment that follows to weigh more heavily without that track record. Keep signed, stamped copies ready, since several buyers require the application itself, not just the attachments, to be signed and stamped by the authorised signatory.
03
Quality systems: ISO 9001 as the practical baseline
ISO 9001 certification is not universally demanded, but it is the standard a buyer's assessment team checks for. DGQA's Self-Certification Scheme, available to established registered suppliers, requires a quality management system certified to ISO 9001:2015 alongside a supplier rating above 90 percent, and many defence PSUs assess quality systems during their own factory visits before confirming registration.
For naval electrical or electronics items, expect the buyer to also want to know which Quality Assurance Plan will govern inspection, and, if the product needs one, whether it already holds a type approval. Both sit outside the registration form itself, since they are the quality assurance authority's business, not the vendor registration office's.
04
Category-specific extras
None of the buyers reviewed publish a fixed processing time for a new application, so budget weeks rather than days, and confirm the current document checklist and any fee directly with the office being applied to rather than relying on a general list like this one.
- A GeM seller ID, where the buyer expects vendors to also be registered sellers on the Government e-Marketplace
- A digital signature certificate, Class III with signing and encryption, for any government e-procurement portal
- A declaration for bidders from countries sharing a land border with India, where applicable
- DGAQA registration, mandatory when a Service Headquarters' central procurement agency buys aviation or airborne stores; defence PSUs and ordnance factories are excluded
- A separate contractor enlistment route for civil, electrical or horticulture works, distinct from a supplies vendor route
Asked next
Questions people also ask
What documents does a defence buyer ask a new supplier for?
What documents does a new defence vendor usually need first?
The common core is PAN, a GST registration certificate, company incorporation documents, an MSME declaration or Udyam certificate, recent financial statements and past purchase orders. MIDHANI, for instance, asks for three years of financial statements and orders executed with major PSUs. Many buyers then visit the factory to assess capability and quality systems.
Is defence vendor registration free?
It depends on the buyer. Udyam registration is free and the government warns that no fee is payable to anyone for it. Some defence PSUs charge an assessment fee: BEML asks qualified vendors for a non-refundable Rs 10,000 demand draft towards assessment and processing. Check each buyer's current terms before paying any intermediary.
Do I need Udyam registration before applying to a defence buyer?
It is not always a precondition to apply, but it is worth completing early. Udyam registration is free, paperless and self-declared, and it is what later unlocks earnest money exemption, price-matching rights and other benefits under the Public Procurement Policy for micro and small enterprises, so register before a tender is already open rather than after.
How long does defence vendor registration take?
No official source publishes a fixed timeline. Registration usually runs through document scrutiny, a capability assessment visit to the factory, and an approval step, and each stage depends on the buyer's workload. Plan for weeks to months rather than days, and ask the specific dockyard, shipyard or PSU for its current processing time.
What happens after I submit my registration application?
Expect a document review first, checking the statutory papers, financials and past orders submitted. Several buyers then send a team to assess manufacturing capability and quality systems at the vendor's premises before confirming registration. MIDHANI states plainly that incomplete applications are not considered and that its decision on registration is final.
Do I need a GeM seller ID as well as buyer-specific registration?
Often yes. Central government buyers, defence PSUs included, must procure through GeM where an item is available there, under Rule 149 of the General Financial Rules, and some PSUs, such as BDL, ask all vendors to register as GeM sellers and quote their seller ID. Registering on GeM early avoids losing tenders issued only there.
Checked against
Sources
- 01Guidelines for online vendor registration, Mishra Dhatu Nigam (MIDHANI)
- 02Vendor registration (SRM portal), Bharat Electronics Limited
- 03Registration of firms, Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance
- 04Udyam Registration portal, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
This guide explains how the system works in general, as the documents above describe it, and was last checked on 23 September 2026. Rules and thresholds change: the governing document is the authority, not this page.
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