The bank account.
With all the KYC norms that exist, opening up a bank account wasn't the easiest thing in the world with the newly formed entity. Among other documents submitted, the key documents were:
1. Copy of the partnership deed
2. Letter from my existing company NII saying that I allow IIS (Institute of Information Security) to function from this office
3. An Airtel bill on my personal name as address proof
4. Copy of the receipt of BMC for registration under Shops & Establishment Act. The actual certificate is another story and will take a week or so (check my next blog post on BMC and Bribery)
5. A couple of other letters that the Bank gave me the format of
6. PAN card copies of both directors
7. Form saying PAN card has been applied for - and the PAN card has also been applied
8. Photos, filled up forms, etc.
The main challenge was with the address proof - since there is no bill or government receipt with the IIS name and my office address. And I couldn't wait for the Shops and Establishment Act certificate to come through.
Anyways, it took a week or so, but it's been done now. And this is a bank I've been banking with for over a decade now. But this laborious process of opening up an account is largely due to the RBI's stress on reducing NPAs, controlling benami accounts, and other anti-money laundering provisions. So well, it's all for a good cause!