All About Shops and Establishment Registration in Goa

The shops and establishment Act in Goa and Daman, and Diu was enforced in 1973 to regulate all activities of the local shops and commercial establishments. This act gives a clear idea about all rights of the employees, the duties of employers, and some common regulations for both of them.

By registering under this act, a company gets all the benefits of running a business inside the state's territory. Keep reading more about the registration process and other necessary details about the act.

This act applies to all shops and establishments conducting business. Each business unit, including restaurants, hotels, theatres, residential hotels, and other public entertainment places, must register under the shops and establishment act in Goa. Further, this registration should be done within 90 days after commencing the business.

This act will not apply to,

• Establishments under central or state government.
• Establishments under local authorities, cantonment authorities, or railway administration.
• Establishments under the Reserve Bank of India.
• Shops and establishments in bazaars where temporary  fairs and festivals happen.
• Establishments in oil and minefield.
• Establishments of nationalised or cooperative banks.
• Hospitals and treatment institutions.
• Medicine and drug stores.
• Shops that sell aerated water or ice.
• Pupil lodging and residence, educational institutions, hostels, and boarding.
• Hair care shops, restaurants, clubs, and residential hotels.
• Establishments that are related to funeral requisites.
• Persons who are employed to loading and unloading tasks.
• Persons who work as travelling staff, sweepers, or caretakers.
• Restrooms of railway stations, docks, airports, bus stands, etc.

Follow this stepwise guide for registering online under the Goa shops and establishment act -

Step 1: Go to the official website of the Government of Goa, India.

Step 2: Now fill out the application form for the act.

Step 3: Information like the name of the employer or manager, name and postal address of the establishment, category of establishment, etc. should be filled.

Step 4: Submit the application along with the necessary documents and save the acknowledgement number for future reference.

Mentioned below are a few simple steps following which an applicant can check the application status of registration for shops and commercial establishments in Goa -

Step 1: Once registered, applicants need to visit the official portal of Goa government and find the application tracking option.

Step 2: Next, provide the acknowledgement number to track the application status.

According to the Right of Citizens to Time-bound Delivery of Public Services Act, the government approves the application within 7 days.

The application remains valid from the date of issue to the 31st December of that year. Further, applicants can renew the application for five years. However, applicants must apply for the renewal of shops and establishment licence in Goa before 30 days of its expiry.

Here are some important sections of the Goa shops and establishment act -

1. Employment of Women, Children, and Young Individuals

No children should work in any shop or establishment in Goa, Daman, and Diu. Here the child refers to the individuals who have not reached the age of 14.

Besides, women and young individuals are not allowed to work at night in any shop or commercial establishment.

2. Working Hours

No employee should work more than 8 hours a day and 48 hours a week in any shop or establishment. If an employee works overtime in an establishment, it should be with overtime wages.

In addition, an employee should not work more than 5 hours in a day without a rest interval of at least 1 hour.

3. Exemption of Work

No young individuals should work in any shop or establishment before 6 am and after 7 pm. In addition, they should work for 7 hours a day.

4. Weekly Holidays

Every shop and commercial establishment in Goa should remain closed every day of the week. Shop or establishment owners should fix this day at the beginning of every year. However, the government may decide on the closing day of different shops in different parts of the state.

5. Annual Leave With Wages

Employees can get leave of a period of 15 days after completing the serving of 240 days or more continuously for 1 year in any shop or establishment. This can further be extended up to 45 days.

6. Right of Employees

• Employees can get mandatory one-day leave in a week.
• Employees are eligible for 9 leaves on any ground of sickness, accident, or injury.
• Employees can get six casual leaves with full wages on any rational ground.
• Employers should pay twice the wages to the employees for overtime work.
• Employers cannot enforce any fine on any employee without allowing him to show a cause in defence of him.
• Employees who have not completed the age of 15 are not supposed to get any fine.
• Employers cannot terminate any employee who has been serving for 6 months continuously without giving a notice period of at least 1 month.
• The wage period of the employees should not go beyond one month.

7. Management of Records

• Employers should display a notice of closing of the shop or establishment in any visible place on the shop premises.
• Employers should maintain records and register fines according to the rules of the act.
• The employer should record all types of deductions.
• Employers need to present all the records in front of the inspector whenever asked to do so.
• Each employer needs to submit return files relating to business in a proper manner.

 Some benefits of a shop licence in Goa are as follows -

• It helps shop and establishment owners to decide the wages, leaves, and other related things.
• The act is helpful because it secures the rights of the employees.
• The act gives legal proof to the businesses
• It allows dealers to open a business account and get loans easily.

Therefore, save this guide for your future reference to register under the shops and establishment act in Goa. Following this guide, you can easily get into the registration process and have the licence.