GeM Portal Seller Registration: Documents, Steps and Bidding Basics

To sell to government buyers in India, you register as a seller on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) using the Aadhaar or PAN of an authorised person, complete your organisation profile with PAN, GSTIN, bank and income tax details, and then list products or services in the right categories. Registration itself is free, the old refundable caution money has been removed, and most small orders now carry no transaction charge. This guide walks through eligibility, documents, each step, catalogue listing, and the basics of winning direct purchases, L1 orders and bids.

What GeM is and why small sellers should care

GeM is the online procurement platform used by central and state government departments, public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies and others to buy goods and services. According to a Press Information Bureau release from August 2025, GeM recorded Rs 5.4 lakh crore in gross merchandise value in FY 2024-25. Buyers range from a district hospital ordering printer cartridges to a ministry hiring manpower services.

For MSMEs, the attraction is simple: government buyers place orders in a transparent system, and payment timelines are tracked on the platform. The challenge is that competition is often purely on price and compliance, so preparation matters more than salesmanship.

Who can register as a seller

GeM’s official seller registration prerequisites list the organisation types that can register:

• Proprietorship (business PAN with “P” as the fourth letter)
• Firm, covering partnership firms and LLPs (PAN with “F”)
• Company, private or public limited (PAN with “C”)
• Trust, society or association of persons (PAN with “T”, “A” or “B”)
• Government entity (PAN with “G”)

Manufacturers (OEMs), resellers and service providers can all register. Resellers sell products of brands that are already approved on GeM and may need authorisation from the OEM for certain categories. Artisans, weavers, self-help groups and startups also have dedicated onboarding support.

Documents and details checklist

Most registration failures come from data that does not match across government databases. Collect these and check every spelling first.

Item	Why it is needed	Common mistake
Aadhaar (with linked mobile) or personal PAN of the authorised person	Identity verification of the primary user by OTP or PAN details	Aadhaar name differs from the name in the business’s ITR records
Business PAN	Validates the organisation type and income tax data	Choosing the wrong organisation type for the PAN
Date of incorporation and CIN (for companies) or LLPIN	Cross-checked with MCA records	Typing the date in a different format
ITR acknowledgement details for the last three years	Required to take part in bids and reverse auctions, unless the business is under 24 months old or exempt	Not filing ITR, or filing under a different PAN
GSTIN and billing address	Invoicing; without GSTIN you cannot accept orders above Rs 2.5 lakh	Registered office address differs from GST address
Bank account number and IFSC	Receiving payments; account is validated	Account in a personal name for a company or LLP
Udyam registration number (if MSE)	MSE benefits on bids	Name or PAN on Udyam differs from GeM profile
DPIIT recognition number (if startup)	Startup benefits	Mobile number on DPIIT record no longer active
Official email and contact number	Printed on contracts, orders and invoices	Using an email nobody checks daily

If you are an MSE, update your Udyam registration first so the name, PAN and organisation type match exactly what you will enter on GeM.

Step-by-step: how to register on GeM

1. Go to the official site. Open gem.gov.in and choose seller or service provider sign-up. Ignore agents who claim to offer “official” registration for a fee; the government portal does not charge for registration.
2. Accept terms and choose your verification method. Use the Aadhaar of the authorised person (OTP to the Aadhaar-linked mobile) or their personal PAN with exact name and date of birth.
3. Select the organisation type and enter the business PAN and date of incorporation. The system validates these against income tax and MCA data.
4. Create the primary user ID. Set the user ID, password and email, and verify the email and mobile.
5. Complete the seller profile. Add registered office address, office locations, GSTIN and billing addresses, bank account, ITR details, and key person information for companies and firms.
6. Add MSE and startup details if applicable, so your benefits show on bids.
7. Create secondary users if you have staff handling catalogue, bids or order fulfilment. The primary user keeps full control; the secondary user registers with the same method (Aadhaar or PAN) as the primary user.
8. Apply for vendor assessment if you are an OEM in a category that requires it, and get your brand approved before you list products under it.

Once the profile shows as complete, you can start adding products or services to your catalogue.

Fees: what has changed

Older guides on the internet still mention caution money of a few thousand rupees. That is out of date. At GeM’s ninth foundation day in August 2025, the reforms announced, as reported by PIB, included “the elimination of caution money for sellers, rationalisation of vendor assessment fees and a reduction in transaction charges, resulting in exemption for 97 per cent of orders”.

Charge	Current position
Seller registration	No fee on the official portal
Caution money	Eliminated (August 2025 reforms); sellers who had deposited it can seek a refund through the portal
Vendor assessment (for OEMs in applicable categories)	Fee applies but was rationalised in 2025; check the current amount on GeM before applying
Transaction charge, orders up to Rs 10 lakh	Nil
Transaction charge, orders above Rs 10 lakh up to Rs 10 crore	0.30% of order value
Transaction charge, orders above Rs 10 crore	Flat Rs 3 lakh

The transaction charge slabs above were reported when GeM revised them in 2024. Fees can be revised again, so always check the latest terms on the GeM site before quoting on a large bid.

Building a catalogue that actually gets orders

Your catalogue is your shopfront. Government buyers usually search by category and filter by specification, price and delivery location, so the way you list matters.

Pick the right category

GeM has thousands of product categories and hundreds of service categories, each with a fixed set of specifications. Search for the category that matches your product exactly. Listing in the wrong category can lead to rejection or to buyers never seeing your product.

Brand and product approval

Products must be listed under a brand. If your brand is not yet on GeM, the OEM applies for brand approval with supporting documents such as trademark registration or application. Resellers can list only approved brands, and some categories require OEM authorisation.

Pricing and offer details

• Offer price: GeM compares prices across sellers and with market references. Unrealistically high prices are flagged; prices far below cost are risky because you must honour orders.
• Stock and minimum order quantity: keep stock levels honest. Failing to supply can lead to penalties or suspension.
• Delivery locations: select the pin codes or states you can genuinely serve within the delivery period.
• Images and specifications: clear photos on a plain background, correct HSN code, and complete technical details.

A worked example

Take an illustrative case: a small manufacturer of office chairs in Rajkot registers as an MSE proprietorship. It lists four chair models in the correct furniture category with BIS-related details where the category asks for them, sets delivery to Gujarat and Maharashtra only, and prices just below similar listings. Its first orders come as direct purchases from nearby offices, each under Rs 50,000. After building a delivery record, it begins bidding for larger orders.

How buyers purchase: direct, L1 and bids

Understanding how government buyers are allowed to buy tells you where to focus. Under the General Financial Rules as amended by the Department of Expenditure in 2024, the main routes on GeM are:

Order value	How the buyer can purchase	What wins
Up to Rs 50,000	Direct purchase from any seller meeting the requirement	Good listing, availability, fair price, delivery coverage
Above Rs 50,000 up to Rs 10 lakh	Lowest price (L1) among at least three sellers meeting quality and delivery needs, or bid/reverse auction	Competitive price on the exact specification
Above Rs 10 lakh	Mandatory online bid or reverse auction (with some exceptions)	Eligibility documents, EMD compliance, lowest compliant price

Bidding basics

1. Set up bid alerts for your categories and states, and check the dashboard daily.
2. Read the bid document fully, including additional terms. Eligibility criteria such as past experience, turnover and OEM authorisation are common grounds for disqualification.
3. Check EMD and exemptions. Many bids exempt registered MSEs and DPIIT-recognised startups from submitting bid security; your profile must show the registration.
4. Upload documents in the format asked, signed where required, before the deadline. Late uploads are not accepted.
5. Price carefully. In a reverse auction, decide your floor price before it starts.
6. After winning, accept the contract, deliver on time, raise invoices on GeM and track the buyer’s receipt and acceptance.

MSE benefits in public procurement

Under the Public Procurement Policy for MSEs, central ministries and PSUs have an annual target to buy a share of their requirements from micro and small enterprises, and MSE bidders within a margin of the L1 price can be offered part of the order if they match L1. This is why a correct Udyam link on your GeM profile matters.

Common reasons GeM sellers struggle

• Name mismatches between Aadhaar, PAN, ITR, GST and Udyam, which block validation.
• Not checking email and the dashboard daily. Buyers may seek clarifications with short deadlines.
• Accepting orders you cannot deliver on time, leading to cancellations and poor ratings.
• Listing in broad or wrong categories so buyers never find you.
• Ignoring bid terms such as past performance or OEM authorisation.

Once you have government customers, some sellers announce empanelment or a major order to trade media. If you do, read our guides on writing a press release in India and why releases get rejected, and always check the buyer’s rules on publicity first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is GeM seller registration free?

Yes. Registering on the official portal, gem.gov.in, does not carry a registration fee. Caution money was eliminated in the August 2025 reforms. OEMs in some categories pay a vendor assessment fee, and larger orders attract transaction charges.

Can a proprietorship register on GeM?

Yes. Proprietorships, partnership firms, LLPs, companies, trusts, societies and government entities can all register, provided the authorised person’s details match income tax records.

Is GST mandatory for GeM sellers?

You can register without GSTIN, but according to GeM’s prerequisites you will not be able to accept orders above Rs 2.5 lakh. Most active sellers register for GST.

Do I need ITR to sell on GeM?

Verified ITR details are needed to take part in bids and reverse auctions, unless your business was incorporated less than 24 months ago or is exempt from filing ITR. They are not needed if you only want direct purchase orders.

How do I get paid on GeM?

After delivery, the buyer issues a receipt and acceptance, you raise the invoice on GeM, and payment is released to your registered bank account. Track each step on your dashboard and follow up promptly.

Can startups without past experience bid?

Many bids relax prior experience and turnover criteria for DPIIT-recognised startups and MSEs, but not all. Read the specific bid’s eligibility terms and buyer-added conditions before you prepare documents.

Start with one category, then grow

Register with clean data, list a small number of products you can supply reliably, and build a record of on-time deliveries through direct purchases before chasing large bids. GeM rules, fees and limits change, so confirm the current terms on gem.gov.in and with your CA when anything looks different from this guide.