NIC Code Finder India
Search official NIC business activity codes by activity, keyword or code. Compare the candidates and keep a shortlist for review.
Search and browse NIC codes
Open a section to see its divisions, groups, classes and codes. Codes marked with a button can be copied or added to your shortlist.
Free to use. No sign-up. Results are candidates for review, not a final filing decision. ZegalWorks is not part of MoSPI, and this is general information, not legal or professional advice: confirm the code with a qualified professional and the form’s own instructions before you file.
Shortlist, compare and summarise your candidates
Add codes from the results, mark a proposed primary activity and any additional ones, compare similar codes side by side, then copy or print a structured summary for review.
Private to this browser tab. Your shortlist and notes are kept in session storage in this tab and are never sent to ZegalWorks or saved on a server. They disappear when the tab closes. Do not enter client names, PAN, Aadhaar, phone numbers or email addresses. Anything that looks like one is removed from the summary.
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Summary
What a NIC code is and where you may need one
The National Industrial Classification (NIC) is the standard list India uses to classify economic activities. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) publishes it. Every kind of activity, from growing a crop to running a restaurant or writing software, sits under a numbered code, and the codes are grouped from broad to detailed: section, division, group, class and sub-class.
Registration and filing forms may ask you to describe the main activity of a business and to choose a NIC code. Which codes a form accepts, and how many it lets you enter, is decided by that form. Use this page to find the candidates, then check them against the portal you are filing on.
A NIC code classifies what the business does. It does not describe the legal structure and it is not the same as a GST HSN or SAC code, which classify the goods or services you invoice. If you are still choosing a structure, try the Business Structure Finder.
NIC-2008 and NIC-2025: what changed
MoSPI released NIC 2025 on 18 November 2025. It has more detail than NIC 2008, and its codes are longer. These totals are from the NIC 2025 publication and MoSPI’s NIC-2008 classification file.
| Level | NIC-2008 | NIC-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Sections | 21 (A to U) | 22 (A to V) |
| Divisions (2 digits) | 88 | 87 |
| Groups (3 digits) | 238 | 258 |
| Classes (4 digits) | 419* | 463 |
| Sub-classes (most detailed) | 1,304 | 1,887 |
| Digits in the most detailed code | 5 | 6 |
*MoSPI’s summary tables give 403 classes for NIC-2008, but this page shows 419. MoSPI’s NIC-2008 classification file lists 419 four-digit classes, each with its sub-classes. The concordance in MoSPI’s NIC 2025 publication names the same 419. MoSPI’s Statistical Year Book says the structure of NIC-2008 is identical to ISIC Rev.4 up to the four-digit class level, and the United Nations lists 419 classes for ISIC Rev.4. We found no list of 403 classes anywhere.
MoSPI says NIC 2025 was prepared in alignment with the United Nations' International Standard Industrial Classification, Revision 5 (ISIC Rev.5).
Which version should you copy a code from?
The one your filing asks for. A portal or form may still use NIC-2008, may have moved to NIC-2025, or may let you choose. Do not assume it uses the newest version, and do not copy a code without checking.
Why codes cannot be converted by hand
An activity can be split, merged or reworded between versions, so one NIC-2008 code can correspond to several NIC-2025 codes, and the reverse. Adding a digit to an old code does not give you the new one. Official concordance tables exist to show how the versions relate. This tool shows a mapping only from an official concordance that has been loaded and checked, and it marks one-to-many and unclear mappings. MoSPI publishes its concordance for 4-digit classes only, so it shows which classes link, not which sub-class to choose. Where it shows none, search again in the version you need.
Choosing a NIC code step by step
- Describe the main activity. Write what the business actually does and for whom, in plain words, in the workspace below the search.
- Search more than one way. Try the product, the service and the type of customer. A shop that makes and sells its own goods may fit a manufacturing code or a retail code.
- Read the full description and hierarchy. Open Details on a result to see the section, division, group and class around it, and any inclusions or exclusions the official data provides.
- Compare similar codes. Shortlist the candidates and compare them side by side. When an activity could sit in different divisions, the tool says so.
- Check the version and the form. Confirm which NIC version, and how many activities, the portal accepts.
- Have it confirmed. A shortlist is a set of candidates. A qualified professional should confirm the final choice before you file.
Official sources and data status
Classification codes, descriptions and hierarchy come from MoSPI's published NIC files and are shown as published. ZegalWorks does not reword them. Two entries needed a code that a person confirmed from the official publication (309103 in NIC-2025 and 20213 in NIC-2008), and both are recorded in the data with the evidence. MoSPI’s NIC-2008 file cuts long descriptions off at 200 characters, so those descriptions are flagged on each result.
- Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI)
- PIB: MoSPI releases the National Industrial Classification (NIC), 18 November 2025 (the level totals above)
- MoSPI: National Industrial Classification 2025 (publication) (NIC-2025 codes, descriptions, notes and the class concordance)
- MoSPI: NIC-2008 classification file (NIC-2008 codes and descriptions)
- DPIIT: NIC 2008 publication (used to check the code of one NIC-2008 entry and to find a description with another entry’s text on its end)
- MoSPI: Statistical Year Book, industry write-up (NIC-2008 has the same structure as ISIC Rev.4 up to class level)
- United Nations Statistics Division: ISIC Rev.4 (21 sections, 88 divisions, 238 groups, 419 classes)
- MoSPI NIC code semantic search tool (beta)
Details of the loaded datasets appear here when the tool starts.
Level totals last checked against the PIB release on 24 October 2026. This page is general information, not legal or professional advice.
NIC code questions
Straight answers to what people ask before they file.
Registering a business? Start here
- Private Limited Company registration: incorporate a company and file the forms for you
- LLP registration: a limited liability partnership for professionals and small teams
- One Person Company registration: a company with a single owner
- Partnership firm registration: a firm with two or more partners
- MSME / Udyam registration: register a micro, small or medium enterprise
- Startup India recognition: apply for recognition as a startup
- GST registration: GST uses HSN and SAC codes, not NIC codes
- Business Structure Finder and Trademark Class Finder: other free tools. Trademark classes are a separate system from NIC codes.
Want a professional to confirm your NIC code?
Share what your business does and we will help you choose and confirm the activity code for your registration. The first consultation is free and there is no obligation.