Who needs one
The Act applies where manufacturing is carried on with a certain number of workers. The threshold is lower if you use power. Your worker count and the type of process you run decide whether you fall under it, so check this for your own unit before you start building.
If you are close to the threshold, or planning to expand, it costs nothing to ask now. It costs a lot to find out during an inspection.
What has to be in place first
This is where owners lose months. The factory licence is not the first approval you take. It sits on top of others, and the Labour Department will expect these to already exist:
- Building plan approval for the factory building
- Consent to Establish and Consent to Operate from the Haryana State Pollution Control Board
- Fire safety approval or NOC where the building and its use require one
Apply before you have these and the file will simply sit. If you are starting a new unit, the order you take approvals in matters more than how fast you move on any one of them.
How the application works
You apply online on the Haryana Labour Department portal at hrylabour.gov.in. The main application is Form 2. The system builds it as you fill in the details of the unit.
You will need the site address, worker numbers, connected power load, occupier and manager details, and a description of what you manufacture. Documents are uploaded against each requirement. The system works out the fee from your worker count and power. After that the file goes for scrutiny and an inspection is fixed.
The form itself is not what fails. What fails is a site plan that does not match the building, a power load that contradicts your electricity papers, or an occupier declaration that does not agree with the company records.
Documents usually required
- Ownership proof, or a registered rent or lease deed
- Site plan and approved building plan
- ID and address proof of the occupier
- Company papers. Incorporation certificate with MOA and AOA, or the partnership deed
- Machinery list with horsepower
- Process flow showing raw materials and stages
- Electricity connection or sanctioned load letter
- Pollution board consent
- Fire NOC where it applies
The exact set depends on what your unit does. We send you a list for your case so you are not chasing papers you do not need.
How long it takes
Where the file is complete and the earlier approvals are in hand, published guidance and our own experience put it around 30 to 60 days. It depends on scrutiny and when the inspection can be arranged.
Incomplete files take much longer, because every objection starts another round of letters. We will give you a realistic date after seeing your papers, not a hopeful one.
Renewal, amendment and change of occupier
The licence is not permanent. It has to be renewed. It also has to be amended when things change at the unit. New machinery, higher power load, a new occupier, a different process, more built-up area.
Running on a licence that no longer matches your unit is a problem that shows up at the worst time, usually at an inspection or when another department asks to see it. We keep your expiry date on our list and tell you before it falls due.
Common questions
Do I need pollution consent before the factory licence?
In practice, yes. The Labour Department expects HSPCB consent, building plan approval and fire NOC to already be in place. Applying out of order is the most common reason a file does not move.
What is Form 2?
It is the application for a factory licence under the Factories Act. On the Haryana portal the system generates it as you fill in your unit's details online.
My factory licence has expired. What now?
Renewal is still possible. What it takes depends on how long it has lapsed and whether the unit kept operating. Send us the licence and we will tell you where you stand.
Can you take over a file another consultant started?
Yes. Send us what was submitted and any objection letters. Usually the objection is small and specific, and nobody replied to it.