To verify the GST number of an Indian supplier, open the Search Taxpayer page on the government GST portal, enter the 15-character GSTIN and the captcha, and read the result. Confirm that the status is active and that the legal name and address match what the supplier told you.
The search works without logging in, as far as third-party guides and the portal show as of October 2026. Layouts and fields can change, so follow the live site. A valid GSTIN proves the business is tax-registered, which is a useful identity check but not proof that it makes anything.
Reading the 15 characters
A GSTIN has a fixed structure, and you can spot many fakes without any lookup:
- The first two digits are the state code, so a Gujarat supplier's number should start with the code for Gujarat.
- The next ten characters are the PAN of the business. They should match the PAN on the IEC and the company documents.
- The thirteenth character counts how many registrations the same PAN holds in that state, and the fourteenth is normally the letter Z.
- The last character is a check character, so a made-up number often fails the arithmetic, but the portal search is the real test.
What to check on the result page
The portal usually shows the following. Compare each to your documents.
- Legal name and trade name: the legal name should be the entity on the invoice and bank account. A trade name alone is not enough.
- Status: active is what you want. Cancelled or suspended registrations should stop the deal until explained.
- Date of registration: a registration from last month does not fit a claimed twenty-year business.
- Constitution of business: proprietorship, partnership, private limited and so on. This tells you which other register to check.
- Principal place of business: compare it with the address on the quotation and the factory location you were given.
Searching by PAN
The same page lets you search by PAN, which lists the GSTINs held under that PAN across states. A business may legitimately hold several, one for each state where it operates. A manufacturing business often has the factory in one state and a sales office in another.
If the registration is only in a state with no connection to the claimed factory, ask why.
Common problems and what they mean
Check the result again just before the final payment, not only at the start, because a registration can change between order and shipment. Keep a dated screenshot of each result in the supplier file. Registrations can be cancelled later, and a dated record shows what you checked.
- The portal finds nothing: the number is wrong, mistyped or invented. Ask for a copy of the registration certificate and compare it character by character.
- The status is cancelled or suspended: the business cannot lawfully issue tax invoices. Ask why and for evidence it has been restored.
- The legal name differs from the quotation: ask which entity will invoice and be paid, and get that in writing.
- The address differs from the factory address: this may be a head office. Ask for the factory's own address and whether it is listed as an additional place of business.
What the GST number does not show
GST registration is available to traders, service firms, and manufacturers alike. It does not tell you the nature of manufacturing, the factory's size or the product quality. Traders are often GST-registered and perfectly honest, and small manufacturers below the registration threshold in some cases may not be registered at all, so confirm the rules with an Indian adviser before treating a missing GSTIN as a sign of fraud. See how to tell a trader from a manufacturer for that question.
It also does not show a supplier's payment history with other companies. For that, you need references.
Next step
Pair the GST check with the IEC check and, for companies, the MCA lookup, then confirm on the ground. We run these checks, audit the factory and report to you, for one written fee agreed in advance. Book a free sourcing review.