Are you a passionate entrepreneur or business owner aiming to expand your digital presence and accept online payments? If yes, you are at the right place.
Payment Gateway License is a permit/ certification granted for the transfer of transaction information to acquiring banks and responses from issuing banks. The application for the grant of a certificate of authorization must be made to the Reserve Bank of India (i.e., RBI) under section 5 of the PSS Act (Payment and Settlement Systems Act), 2007.
In simple terms, the issuance of a rbi payment gateway license ensures the establishment of a payment gateway system that facilitates electronic transfer between customers and sellers. Also, consistent growth has been observed in the payment gateway landscape since the inception of the digital payment system in India.
Unsure about meeting RBI’s payment gateway standards? Our seasoned professionals will guide you through every compliance requirement for seamless licensing.


Payment gateways are intermediary networks providing technology infrastructure to route and facilitate the processing of an online transaction without any involvement in the handling of funds. Further, it works as a tunnel that directly connects the bank account to the portal where you need to transfer the amount.
Simply, the payment gateway acts as a financial service software that produces information from the buyer’s bank and further supplies the same transaction information to the receiving bank.
Have a look over the key benefits of obtaining a payment gateway license in India, as explained below:

Compliance with PCI-DSS Wallet provides security to the application users by securing their personal data in the portal or gateway for recurring payments.
According to the latest trend, some payment gateways permit customers to make digital transactions from mobile wallet applications for all their operations and transactions.
Payment gateways provide their customer with the benefit of FST (Fraud Screening Tools- like Card Code Value, Address Verification Service, Card Verification Value) for the purpose of reducing the risk of losing personal data.
Payment gateways provide one one-stop solution by consolidating a range of digital commerce platforms, shopping carts, and different software systems into a single application programming interface.
The payment gateway license in India allows businesses to process multiple payment options like credit/ debit cards, digital wallets, and net banking, enhancing customer satisfaction.
The RBI payment gateway license facilitates international payment processing for businesses expanding their market reach beyond the local borders.
The applicants must comply with the following eligibility criteria required to obtain a payment gateway license in India:
Checklist for Applicants to Apply for Payment Gateway License

Have a look over the list of documents required for obtaining an RBI Payment Gateway License in India, as below provided:
Given below is the brief stepwise guide that will help you know how to apply for payment gateway license online in India -

Step 1. Filing of Registration Application
The applicant must file an application for authorization in the prescribed Form A to the Chief General Manager of the Department of Payment & Settlement Systems at the Central/Regional office of the RBI in Mumbai or at other offices of the RBI, as prescribed under the section 5(1) of the PSS Act, 2007.
Step 2. Authenticity Check By RBI
The RBI is further authorized to check the authenticity and verify the information & credentials furnished by the applicant and hold such types of inquiries as it may consider required for satisfying itself.
Step 3. Compliance with Authorization Conditions
The RBI is further authorized to take conditions into account for the issuance of the certificate of authorization as prescribed under section 7 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
Step 4. Issuance of Authorization Certificate
The RBI, if satisfied with all requirements laid under section 7(1) of the PSS Act, 2007, must issue the Authorization Certificate in Form B, authorizing the commencement and carrying out of a payment system.
Step 5. Processing of Authorization
Under section 7 (4) of the PSS Act, 2007, the RBI shall process every application for authorization within 6 months from the filing date.
Have a look over the essential requirements required for obtaining a payment gateway system in India, as explained below:
Once a customer has placed his/ her order from an online website, there are a series of operations that are carried out by the Payment Gateway, as explained below:
Once the browser used by the user encrypts the information that has to be sent to the respective vendor’s server, the payment gateway transmits the transaction data to the specified payment processor.
Once the data is successfully received by the payment processor, it further transmits the same to the respective card association. Furthermore, the bank that has issued the payment card checks the transaction at this point and then denies or agrees on it accordingly.
Once the bank agrees to the transaction made, the authorization concerning the customers and merchant is forwarded to the main processor of the payment gateway and further to the portal for the purpose of processing payment for the interpretation of data/ information.
The applicant must comply with the following conditions before obtaining a certificate of authorization as prescribed under section 7 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007:

The entities seeking RBI payment gateway license must comply with the following IT systems and security requirements as prescribed in Annexure 2 of the Guidelines on Regulation of Payment Aggregators and Payment Gateways:
The entities must comply with the comprehensive security risk assessment of their people, IT business process, environment, etc., to identify risk exposures with remedial measures and residual risks.
The entities must comply with the comprehensive security risk assessment of their people, IT business process, environment, etc., to identify risk exposures with remedial measures and residual risks.
The entities must implement data security standards and best practices like PCI-DSS, PA-DSS, the latest encryption standards, transport channel security, etc.
The entities must implement data security standards and best practices like PCI-DSS, PA-DSS, the latest encryption standards, transport channel security, etc.
The entities shall ensure the reporting of security incidents/cardholder data breaches and cyber security incident reports within the time period stipulated by the RBI.
The entities shall ensure the reporting of security incidents/cardholder data breaches and cyber security incident reports within the time period stipulated by the RBI.
The entities are authorized to undertake comprehensive security assessments during the process of merchant onboarding to maintain minimum baseline security controls.
The entities are authorized to undertake comprehensive security assessments during the process of merchant onboarding to maintain minimum baseline security controls.
The entities are authorized to submit quarterly, internal annual external audit reports, bi-annual vulnerability assessment penetration test (VAPT) reports, PCI-DSS, reports of compliance (ROC), etc., to the IT Committee.
The entities are authorized to submit quarterly, internal annual external audit reports, bi-annual vulnerability assessment penetration test (VAPT) reports, PCI-DSS, reports of compliance (ROC), etc., to the IT Committee.
Furthermore, the Board must frame an IT policy for regular management of IT functions & detailed documentation in terms of procedure and guidelines implemented.
Furthermore, the Board must frame an IT policy for regular management of IT functions & detailed documentation in terms of procedure and guidelines implemented.
The entities must maintain an enterprise data dictionary for incorporating the organization’s data syntax rules which enables sharing of data across applications and systems.
The entities must maintain an enterprise data dictionary for incorporating the organization’s data syntax rules which enables sharing of data across applications and systems.
The entities must select a well-established international standards encrypted algorithm, subject to rigorous scrutiny by an international community of cryptographers or approved by authoritative professional bodies, reputable security vendors or government agencies.
The entities must select a well-established international standards encrypted algorithm, subject to rigorous scrutiny by an international community of cryptographers or approved by authoritative professional bodies, reputable security vendors or government agencies.
All the security events from the entity's infrastructure, like applications, servers, middleware, endpoints, networks, authentication events, databases, web services, cryptographic events, etc., must be collected, investigated and analyzed for the purpose of proactive identification of security alerts.
All the security events from the entity's infrastructure, like applications, servers, middleware, endpoints, networks, authentication events, databases, web services, cryptographic events, etc., must be collected, investigated and analyzed for the purpose of proactive identification of security alerts.
If you are a business owner, you must understand these key points or essential requirements to obtain a RBI license for payment gateway in India.
The difference between payment gateway and payment aggregator is as explained below:
| S.no. | Aspects | Payment Gateway | Payment Aggregator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Meaning | An online e-commerce software that facilitates online payment transactions without handling funds. It simply provides technology. | An e-commerce platform or interface that aggregates multiple payment applications together on one single platform. It simply handles funds. |
| 2. | Examples | ICICI Bank, Visa, SBI, MasterCard, RuPay, etc. | Razorpay, CC Avenue, PayUMoney, Billdesk, Instamojo, Citrus, etc. |
| 3. | Role | Acts as an intermediary between banks & websites. | An interface not responsible for the transfer of payments. |
| 4. | Scope | Only online transactions | Both online and offline transactions |
| 5. | Payment Options | Restricted payment option | Multiple payment options |
| 6. | Payment Success Rate (PSR) | As much as the gateway can manage | Significantly higher payment success rate. |
| 7. | Ownership | Owned by public and private banks, merchants, vendors, and payment aggregators. | Owned by Fintech players like Paytm. |
| 8. | Permissions | Authorization from RBI under PSS Act, 2007. | License from the Payment Card Industry (Data Security Standards/ PCI DSS). |
Besides the facility of quick payments, the payment gateways offer additional services/ facilities, as provided below:

We begin our services by providing a business model best suited according to the types of transactions handled and the need for the payment gateway system.
Corpbiz comprises a network of 10,000+ experienced regulatory experts with understanding and knowledge regarding the registration of payment gateway license in India.
Our seasoned regulatory experts ensure a 99% success rate for processing payment gateway license applications without any hassle in the process.
Corpbiz assists you in the preparation of essential documents, like a draft application, business plan, financial statement, and other documents required for obtaining a payment gateway license in India.
We ensure that the entire application procedure is managed in accordance with the provisions laid out under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
We offer simplified legal advisory services concerning the registration of payment gateway license and matters associated there with.
Our services for compliance management ensure business compliance with regulatory standards and other legal standards, providing for dispute resolution, risk management, contract drafting, etc.
We ensure that we provide a seamless and efficient payment processing system, which assists in revolutionizing your transactions and expanding your customer base.
We at Corpbiz offer transparent pricing to businesses and entities seeking payment gateway license in India. Our prices are affordable and the lowest in the trade.
We conduct thorough follow-up of your application to ensure on-time delivery of payment gateway licenses to the entities applying for registration under the PSS Act, 2007.
At Corpbiz, we are extending our licensing solutions to 20+ industries and helping entities secure the payment gateway license from the place of their comfort.
Our experts at Corpbiz ensure round-the-clock assistance to resolve your queries and handle the documentation work to help you apply for payment gateway license in India.
Have a look at the answers to the most asked questions.
Legal Researcher
Written by Neha Dawra. Last updated on Jun 3 2026, 10:16 PM
Neha Dawra has 4+ years of experience in legal research and intellectual property advisory. Her expertise lies in analyzing IP laws, drafting structured legal content, and simplifying complex registration procedures into clear, simple insights.
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