Following its announcement earlier this month that all name reservations for new companies as well as new incorporations shall be applied through a new Form SPICe+ only, MCA has amended the Companies (Incorporation) Rules 2014 to replace the old SPICe form with a new web form SPICe+ (Simplifies Proforma for Incorporating Company Electronically Plus: INC-32), for reservation of name and various other services, with effect from 15 February 2020.

Accordingly, Rule 9 (Reservation of name and change of name) has been amended to provide for reservation of name by using web service SPICe+ and new web service RUN shall be used only for the change of name of the company. [However, incorporation of companies for names reserved through the extant RUN service shall continue to be filed in the existing SPICe eform along with related linked forms as applicable and if marked under resubmission shall be resubmitted in SPICe eform. Resubmission of SPICe forms submitted prior to date of deployment of SPICe+ web form shall also be filed in the existing SPICe eform and related linked forms as applicable.]

The reference to SPICe in Rules 10 (Entrenchment), Rule 12 (Application for incorporation of a company), Rule 19(1) (License under section 8 for new companies with charitable objects ), sub–rules (1),(2),(3),(4),(7) and (9) of rule 38 (Simplified proforma for incorporating company SPICe ) has been replaced with SPICe+.

Further, Rule 38A has been amended to replace the existing AGILE form which is part of SPICe, with AGILE Pro, which, in addition to being used for application for EPFO, GSTIN and ESIC will also be used to apply for Professional Tax Registration and opening of bank account.

To refer to the Companies (Incorporation) Amendment Rules 2020, dated 6 February 2020, click here.