GST certificate: what to hide before sharing it

The short answer

If a client, marketplace or bank asks for your GST certificate to verify your registration, they need the GSTIN, the legal name and usually the address, so leave those. What you can often cover are the pages and fields they didn't ask for: proprietor or partner details, additional business addresses, and anything personal that has crept onto the scan.

Why the GSTIN matters

A GSTIN is 15 characters. The first two digits are a state code, and the next ten are the PAN of the business. For a sole proprietor, that's your personal PAN.

GST registration details are not secret: a GSTIN can be looked up on the GST portal to confirm the business name and status. That's exactly why clients ask for it. But the certificate can carry more than the lookup shows, so a full scan sent around freely reveals more than it needs to.

If you're a proprietor sharing the certificate outside a business context, for example as general proof of address, consider whether the PAN inside the GSTIN matters to you. See How to blur PAN card details.

What to keep and what to cover

The certificate often runs to more than one page, with annexures listing extra business addresses and the people behind the business. Send only the pages that were asked for.

How to cover the details

1. Open Blur GST certificate and drop in the PDF you downloaded, or a scan.
2. The GSTIN and business address are covered by default. Untick them if the recipient needs them.
3. Tick the legal name, trade name or registration number if you want them covered, and drag boxes over names in the annexures.
4. Export. The PDF is rebuilt from pixels and its metadata removed, so nothing hides under the boxes.

Sending invoices too? Redact invoice covers bank details and client addresses in the same way.