Chapter III INCORPORATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY PARTNERSHIP AND MATTERS INCIDENTAL THERETO

1. (1) For a limited liability partnership to be incorporated,--
   • (a) two or more persons associated for carrying on a lawful business with a view to profit shall subscribe their names to an incorporation document;
   • (b) the incorporation document shall be filed in such manner and with such fees, as may be prescribed with the Registrar of the State in which the registered office of the limited liability partnership is to be situated; and
   • (c) there shall be filed along with the incorporation document, a statement in the prescribed form, made by either an advocate, or a Company Secretary or a Chartered Accountant or a Cost Accountant, who is engaged in the formation of the limited liability partnership and by any one who subscribed his name to the incorporation document, that all the requirements of this Act and the rules made thereunder have been complied with, in respect of incorporation and matters precedent and incidental thereto.
2. (2) The incorporation document shall--
   • (a) be in a form as may be prescribed;
   • (b) state the name of the limited liability partnership;
   • (c) state the proposed business of the limited liability partnership;
   • (d) state the address of the registered office of the limited liability partnership;
   • (e) state the name and address of each of the persons who are to be partners of the limited liability partnership on incorporation;
   • (f) state the name and address of the persons who are to be designated partners of the limited liability partnership on incorporation;
   • (g) contain such other information concerning the proposed limited liability partnership as may be prescribed.
3. (3) If a person makes a statement under clause (c) of sub-section (1) which he--
   • (a) knows to be false; or
   • (b) does not believe to be true, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years and with fine which shall not be less than ten thousand rupees but which may extend to five lakh rupees.

1. (1) When the requirements imposed by clauses (b) and (c) of sub-section (1) of section 11 have been complied with, the Registrar shall retain the incorporation document and, unless the requirement imposed by clause (a) of that sub-section has not been complied with, he shall, within a period of fourteen days--
   • (a) register the incorporation document; and
   • (b) give a certificate that the limited liability partnership is incorporated by the name specified therein.
2. (2) The Registrar may accept the statement delivered under clause (c) of sub-section (1) of section 11 as sufficient evidence that the requirement imposed by clause (a) of that sub-section has been complied with.
3. (3) The certificate issued under clause (b) of sub-section (1) shall be signed by the Registrar and authenticated by his official seal.
4. (4) The certificate shall be conclusive evidence that the limited liability partnership is incorporated by the name specified therein.

1. (1) Every limited liability partnership shall have a registered office to which all communications and notices may be addressed and where they shall be received.
2. (2) A document may be served on a limited liability partnership or a partner or designated partner thereof by sending it by post under a certificate of posting or by registered post or by any other manner, as may be prescribed, at the registered office and any other address specifically declared by the limited liability partnership for the purpose in such form and manner as may be prescribed.
3. (3) A limited liability partnership may change the place of its registered office and file the notice of such change with the Registrar in such form and manner and subject to such conditions as may be prescribed and any such change shall take effect only upon such filing. 1[(4) If any default is made in complying with the requirements of this section, the limited liability partnership and its every partner shall be liable to a penalty of five hundred rupees for each day during which the default continues, subject to a maximum of fifty thousand rupees for the limited liability partnership and its every partner.]

On registration, a limited liability partnership shall, by its name, be capable of--

1. (a) suing and being sued;
2. (b) acquiring, owning, holding and developing or disposing of property, whether movable or immovable, tangible or intangible;
3. (c) having a common seal, if it decides to have one; and
4. (d) doing and suffering such other acts and things as bodies corporate may lawfully do and suffer.

1. (1) Every limited liability partnership shall have either the words limited liability partnership or the acronym LLP as the last words of its name.
2. (2) No limited liability partnership shall be registered by a name which, in the opinion of the Central Government is--
   • (a) undesirable; or 1[(b) identical or too nearly resembles to that of any other limited liability partnership or a company or a registered trade mark of any other person under the Trade Marks Act, 1999 (47 of 1999).] .

1. (1) A person may apply in such form and manner and accompanied by such fee as may be prescribed to the Registrar for the reservation of a name set out in the application as--
   • (a) the name of a proposed limited liability partnership; or
   • (b) the name to which a limited liability partnership proposes to change its name.
2. (2) Upon receipt of an application under sub-section (1) and on payment of the prescribed fee, the Registrar may, if he is satisfied, subject to the rules prescribed by the Central Government in the matter, that the name to be reserved is not one which may be rejected on any ground referred to in sub-section (2) of section 15, reserve the name for a period of three months from the date of intimation by the Registrar.

1[(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in sections 15 and 16, if through inadvertence or otherwise, a limited liability partnership, on its first registration or on its registration by a new name, is registered by a name which is identical with or too nearly resembles to--

1. (a) that of any other limited liability partnership or a company; or
2. (b) a registered trade mark of a proprietor under the Trade Marks Act, 1999 (47 of 1999), as is likely to be mistaken for it, then on an application of such limited liability partnership or proprietor referred to in clauses (a) and (b) respectively or a company, the Central Government may direct that such limited liability partnership to change its name or new name within a period of three months from the date of issue of such direction: Provided that an application of the proprietor of the registered trade marks shall be maintainable within a period of three years from the date of incorporation or registration or change of name of the limited liability partnership under this Act.

1. (2) Where a limited liability partnership changes its name or obtains a new name under sub-section (1), it shall within a period of fifteen days from the date of such change, give notice of the change to Registrar along with the order of the Central Government, who shall carry out necessary changes in the certificate of incorporation and within thirty days of such change in the certificate of incorporation, such limited liability partnership shall change its name in the limited liability partnership agreement.
2. (3) If the limited liability partnership is in default in complying with any direction given under sub-section (1), the Central Government shall allot a new name to the limited liability partnership in such manner as may be prescribed and the Registrar shall enter the new name in the register of limited liability partnerships in place of the old name and issue a fresh certificate of incorporation with new name, which the limited liability partnership shall use thereafter: Provided that nothing contained in this sub-section shall prevent a limited liability partnership from subsequently changing its name in accordance with the provisions of section 16.]

18. [Application for direction to change name in certain circumstances]. Omitted by the Limited liability Partnership(Amendment) Act, 2021 (31 of 2021), s. 9 (w.e.f. 1-4-2022).

Any limited liability partnership may change its name registered with the Registrar by filing with him a notice of such change in such form and manner and on payment of such fees as may be prescribed.

If any person or persons carry on business under any name or title of which the words "Limited Liability Partnership" or "LLP" or any contraction or imitation thereof is or are the last word or words, that person or each of those persons shall, unless duly incorporated as limited liability partnership, be punishable with fine which shall not be less than fifty thousand rupees but which may extend to five lakh rupees.

1. (1) Every limited liability partnership shall ensure that its invoices, official correspondence and publications bear the following, namely:--
   • (a) the name, address of its registered office and registration number of the limited liability partnership; and
   • (b) a statement that it is registered with limited liability. 1[(2) If the limited liability partnership contravenes the provisions of this section, the limited liability partnership shall be liable to a penalty of ten thousand rupees.]