GST Number Search – Verify GSTIN Format & Check Digit Online Free

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GST Number Search

Enter any 15-character GSTIN below. We’ll validate its structure and check digit instantly, right in your browser, and decode exactly what each block of characters means.

Enter GSTIN
State
PAN
Entity
Default
Check

Please fill in all 15 characters.

Tip: you can paste a full GSTIN into the first box and it will fill in automatically.

Anatomy of a GSTIN

How a GSTIN Is Built

Every GSTIN is a small ledger entry in itself, each block of characters answers a specific question about the taxpayer. Here’s a real, checksum-valid example, broken into its five parts.

27
AAPFU0939F
1
Z
V

State Code

First 2 digits. Taken from Census 2011 codes, one per state and union territory. “27” is Maharashtra.

PAN

Next 10 characters. The business’s own Income Tax PAN, so the GSTIN is always traceable to a specific PAN holder.

Entity Number

13th character. Counts registrations against the same PAN in the same state, 1 for the first, then 2, 3… up to 9, then A onward.

Default Character

14th character. Reserved for future use and currently always “Z” for every regular taxpayer.

Check Digit

15th and final character. A checksum computed from the other 14, using a Luhn mod-36 style algorithm, so most typos get caught automatically.

Set Expectations

What a Free Format Check Can (and Can’t) Tell You

This tool confirms, instantly and for free

  • The GSTIN is exactly 15 characters in the standard pattern
  • The state code corresponds to a real state or union territory
  • The embedded check digit is mathematically consistent with the rest
  • What type of entity the PAN belongs to (company, firm, individual…)

For this, you need live GST portal or API data

  • Whether the registration is currently active or cancelled
  • The registered legal name and trade name
  • Principal place of business and jurisdiction
  • Return filing history and e-invoice applicability

Check any single GSTIN for free on the official GST portal ↗, or connect a verification API if you need this at volume.

Why It Matters

Why Bother Verifying a GSTIN

01

Protect Your Input Tax Credit

Claiming ITC against a cancelled or fake GSTIN is one of the most common reasons credit gets reversed at assessment.

02

Spot Fake Registrations Early

A GSTIN that fails the check digit, or doesn’t exist on the portal, is a red flag worth raising before you sign anything.

03

Avoid Return Mismatches

An invalid vendor GSTIN on your GSTR-1 can cascade into GSTR-2B mismatches and notices further down the line.

04

Know Who You’re Dealing With

Legal name, registration date, and jurisdiction tell you whether you’re really dealing with who you think you are.

Reference

GST State Code List

The first two digits of any GSTIN map to one of 38 state and union territory codes. Search the table below by code or name.

CodeState / Union Territory
01Jammu and Kashmir
02Himachal Pradesh
03Punjab
04Chandigarh
05Uttarakhand
06Haryana
07Delhi
08Rajasthan
09Uttar Pradesh
10Bihar
11Sikkim
12Arunachal Pradesh
13Nagaland
14Manipur
15Mizoram
16Tripura
17Meghalaya
18Assam
19West Bengal
20Jharkhand
21Odisha
22Chhattisgarh
23Madhya Pradesh
24Gujarat
25Daman and Diu Legacy
26Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
27Maharashtra
28Andhra Pradesh (undivided) Legacy
29Karnataka
30Goa
31Lakshadweep
32Kerala
33Tamil Nadu
34Puducherry
35Andaman and Nicobar Islands
36Telangana
37Andhra Pradesh
38Ladakh

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

A GSTIN (Goods and Services Tax Identification Number) is the 15-character code every GST-registered business in India is issued. It’s built from the business’s state code, PAN, a registration sequence number, a fixed character, and a check digit, so the number itself encodes real information about the taxpayer.

It validates that a GSTIN is built correctly: the right length and character pattern, a recognised state code, and a check digit that mathematically matches the other 14 characters. That’s enough to catch typos and obviously fabricated numbers, entirely in your browser.

Not on its own. A correctly formatted GSTIN can still belong to a cancelled registration, or simply not exist in government records. To confirm live registration status, legal name, and address, check the number on the official GST portal or through a connected verification API.

The GST department’s own portal lets you search any GSTIN manually, with a captcha, at services.gst.gov.in. It’s free but one number at a time, useful for occasional checks, less practical if you’re verifying vendors in bulk.

The official portal supports PAN-based search, which returns every GSTIN registered against that PAN across states. Name-based search only works for a limited set of businesses that have shared their GSTIN publicly, it isn’t a universal directory.

It’s the GSTIN’s built-in error detector. If even one character elsewhere in the number is mistyped, the check digit almost always stops matching, which is exactly how this tool catches typos before they end up on an invoice or a return.

Verify it on the official portal before you record the invoice. If it turns out to be cancelled or fake, raise it with the vendor immediately, accepting an invoice against an invalid GSTIN can put your input tax credit at risk.

This is an independent, free tool and is not affiliated with the Government of India, the GSTN, or the official GST portal. It performs format and check-digit validation only. For live registration status, always confirm on gst.gov.in ↗.

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