What "Manage API access" on the GST portal is
A taxpayer can authorise a GST Suvidha Provider (GSP) or an application service provider (ASP) to act on their own account, for example to file returns or work with e-invoicing. The portal makes this a setting the taxpayer controls, and it is how the taxpayer allows software to reach their account.
To enable it, log in to the GST portal, open My Profile, choose Manage API access from the quick links, select Yes, pick a duration and confirm. The duration can be as short as 6 hours or as long as 30 days, and during it the software does not need an OTP each time.
Sources: ClearTax: all you need to know about GST API access · Quicko: manage API access on the GST portal
What it does not do
It gives software access to your own registration. It is not a switch that lets you query any other GSTIN. To check a supplier or a customer you look them up, and the portal’s own way to do that is the public Search Taxpayer page, a form where a person types the 15-digit GSTIN and a captcha.
As far as we know there is no public, key-free API for looking up other taxpayers. Software gets that data through a GSP, which is the arrangement gstinapi.in is built on: you send one HTTP request with an API key, and the GSP infrastructure does the rest.
Which one do you need
| You want to | What you need |
|---|---|
| Check whether a supplier or customer’s GSTIN is real and active | A GSTIN verification API. Nothing to enable on the GST portal. |
| Check whether that vendor files its returns | A verification API that also returns filing history, such as the returns endpoint here. |
| File your own returns from accounting software | Manage API access on your own GST account, plus the software or GSP you file through. |
| Generate e-way bills or e-invoices from your own system | API access set up for your GSTIN, plus an API that files them. See the e-way bill API page. |
| Look up one GSTIN by hand | The GST portal’s Search Taxpayer page, or the free GST number search on this site. |
If you see an "API access" error
An error about API access, or one that asks for an OTP again, usually means the taxpayer’s API access is switched off or the authorised session has run out. Re-enable it under My Profile, Manage API access, pick a duration and complete the OTP. If the error appears while you are only trying to verify someone else’s GSTIN, the tool you are using is asking for your own account’s access when it should not need it, and a verification API sidesteps that.
Frequently asked questions
How do I enable API access on the GST portal?
Log in, open My Profile, choose Manage API access from the quick links, select Yes, choose a duration and confirm. The session can last from 6 hours to 30 days, and during it the software does not need an OTP for each action.
Do I need GST portal API access to use gstinapi.in?
No. gstinapi.in verifies GSTINs through GSP infrastructure, so you sign up, copy your API key and send one header. There is nothing to enable on the GST portal.
Can I look up any GSTIN with GST portal API access?
No. Manage API access authorises software to act on your own account. Looking up another taxpayer is done through the public Search Taxpayer page, or through a verification API.
Is the GST portal’s search page free?
Yes, for a person searching by hand: you enter the GSTIN and a captcha. It is a web form, so it does not suit checking a whole vendor list. For that, use bulk verification or an API.
Do e-way bill and e-invoice APIs need API access?
The GSTIN needs e-way bill / e-invoice API access set up before anything can be filed for it. That is separate from your gstinapi.in key. The e-way bill API page explains the prerequisite.
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