What the LLP route actually costs (and how long it takes)
Everyone tells you the LLP route works. Nobody hands you the bill or the calendar. Working ranges from real cases — orientation, not a quote.
The short answer
Per founder, budget roughly ₹10-20k for the LLP with its bank account plus ~₹7k ROC charges; then ₹35-45k in CA fees and ₹20-30k in bank charges for the ODI; $500-999 for the US incorporation — plus your capitalisation. The ODI leg takes four to six weeks; the whole loop, one to two months.
This is the guide that answers the two questions founders actually ask on calls: what’s this going to cost me, and how long until the money can move? Everything below is a working range from real founder cases — CA firms quote differently, banks behave differently, and government charges drift. Treat it as orientation, budget the top of each range, and get your own quote in writing.
The US-parent leg: what you’ll pay, line by line
The structure being priced here is the standard one — one LLP per founder subscribing to a Delaware C-Corp (the why and how live in the LLP route guide). The bill, per line:
Costs
LLP formation + bank account
₹10-20k per founder · 10-14 days
ROC charges (government)
~₹7k per LLP
ODI — CA firm professional fees
₹35-45k · 4-6 weeks [per LLP or per company — confirm]
Costs
ODI fee charged by the AD bank
₹20-30k [per remittance/LLP — confirm scope]
US entity incorporation
$500-999 · days
Your capitalisation
sized by the 400% rule
Two of these lines surprise people every time. The bank’s own ODI fee — ₹20-30k on top of the CA’s fees — because founders assume the CA quote is the whole bill. And the ROC charges, because “government fees” sounds like hundreds and arrives as thousands. Read any CA quote carefully for what it excludes. US entity incorporation runs $500 for Stripe Atlas or ~$999 for Clerky-based services — see that guide for which fits your stage.
The calendar: where the weeks actually go
The loop, step by step
1. LLP formation + bank account — 10 to 14 days per founder, and founders can run in parallel. The bank account is the variable: KYC on the sliver partner is a common stall. 2. Capitalise the LLPs — days, once you've decided the number (the 400%-of-net-worth logic is in the capitalising guide). 3. US incorporation — days, via platform. Which platform, and what state the resulting company is in, is its own guide. 4. ODI: Form FC -> UIN -> remittance — the long pole: 4 to 6 weeks of CA-and-bank choreography. Banks differ on sequencing — let your CA firm drive the bank conversation. 5. Shares issued, certificates back to the bank — prompt on the US side once money lands.
Total: one to two months from first signature to a funded, FEMA-clean C-Corp. Faster happens; plan as if it won’t.
The leg nobody budgets: the Indian subsidiary
The LLP route gets you the US parent — but the whole reason the structure exists is the Indian subsidiary that will employ your team. That’s a second, smaller bill founders forget to include:
Costs
Notary + apostille of US parent documents
$500
Indian Pvt Ltd formation
₹30k
FDI handling — CA firm professional fees
₹10k
Note the direction change: money flowing from your Delaware parent into the Indian subsidiary is foreign direct investment into India — a different rulebook from the ODI you just completed, with its own filings. Same CA firm usually handles both; it’s still a separate line on the invoice.
What does it cost every year after?
The honest recurring bill: each LLP files with the MCA and the tax department annually, plus the APR for the foreign holding every December — multiplied per founder — and the Delaware side has its franchise tax and the subsidiary its own compliance. The working range for annual per-LLP compliance costs isn’t confirmed yet — flagging it here rather than guessing; ask on a clarity call for the current number.
! CAREFUL
Working ranges from real founder cases, current as of mid-2026 — not quotes, not advice. CA fees vary by firm and city, banks price ODI differently, government charges change, and platform prices are the platforms' to change. Confirm your numbers in writing before budgeting, and have your CA confirm what their quote excludes.
Per founder: ₹17-27k to exist (LLP + ROC), ₹55-75k to move the money (CA + bank), $500-999 for Delaware, plus your capitalisation — then roughly ₹40k and $500 more when the Indian subsidiary follows. The 400%-of-net-worth logic is in the capitalising guide. Four to six weeks for the ODI leg; one to two months all-in. If a quote is wildly below these ranges, ask what it excludes. If it’s wildly above, ask what it includes.
Want your specific number — founders, capitalisation, subsidiary timing — instead of ranges? That's a structuring clarity call.
Questions people ask
How much does the LLP route cost in total?
How long does the ODI and UIN process take?
Why is the bank charging me separately for the ODI?
What does the Indian subsidiary cost to set up?
Related guides
The IP-before-incorporation question -- coming soon
Returning NRIs / dismantling the LLP later -- coming soon
LRS route for non-controlling investment -- coming soon