Kerala has added a new fix to a long-standing startup headache: the wait for official building numbers. The state’s online portal for business approvals, Kerala Single Window Interface for Fast and Transparent Clearance (KSWIFT), will now provide interim building numbers to new entrepreneurs.
These temporary numbers are expected to help businesses start operations even before the official red tape clears up.
The temporary number will remain valid for three and a half years. That’s the window businesses get to apply for and secure a permanent building number from the local bodies. Until then, the provisional number will be treated as an official one for most formalities.
This could mean faster access to key services—like bank loans, electricity connections, or even GST registrations—which usually need a valid building number on paper.
The process seems relatively straightforward. Entrepreneurs apply through the KSWIFT portal. Once they submit the required details, they get an acknowledgement certificate. That certificate itself will now carry the interim building number, acting as a kind of temporary identity for the building where the business is set up.
Whether this will be accepted without fuss by banks and government departments remains to be seen. But on paper, it gives businesses a way to move forward without hitting the pause button.
Startups and small businesses have often flagged the lack of building number as a serious obstacle during their early months. Without it, many formalities stall, including opening current accounts or applying for small business loans.
By issuing interim numbers, KSWIFT is possibly offering a bit of breathing space—without compromising on documentation in the long term. But as always, how smoothly this works in practice will likely depend on coordination between multiple government departments.
It’s not a shortcut to avoid compliance. Businesses will still need to go through the regular building registration process before the three-and-a-half-year period ends. But for now, it’s a way to avoid getting stuck before even starting.
If implemented consistently, this could ease one of the many friction points in Kerala’s business registration system.
