What’s a CIN
A Corporate Identity Number (CIN) is a unique 21-character alphanumeric identifier assigned to every company registered under the Companies Act in India. The CIN contains encoded information about the company including:- Company category: Public/Private limited company
- Sub-category: Company with/without share capital
- Year of incorporation: When the company was registered
- State code: State where the company is registered
- Company number: Unique registration number
CIN format structure
A CIN follows this format:[Classification][Sub-category][Year][State][Company Number][Check Digit]
Example: U72900DL2015PTC123456
U= Private company limited by shares72900= Computer programming activitiesDL= Delhi2015= Year of incorporationPTC= Private company123456= Company registration number
Key features
- Real-time validation: Instant verification against MCA database
- Comprehensive data: Get detailed company information
- Regulatory compliance: Ensure companies are validly registered
- Fraud prevention: Identify inactive or invalid company registrations
- Easy integration: Simple API integration for automated workflows
Use cases
| Sector | Use case |
|---|---|
| Financial institutions | Verify company registration before loan approval or account opening |
| E-commerce platforms | Validate seller companies during merchant onboarding |
| B2B marketplaces | Ensure business partners are legitimate registered entities |
| Insurance providers | Verify company details for policy underwriting |
| Investment platforms | Due diligence for investment decisions |
| Legal services | Company verification for contract negotiations |
| Procurement platforms | Vendor verification and compliance |
Verification process
- Input CIN: Provide the 21-character CIN to verify
- API validation: Call the CIN verification API endpoint
- Receive results: Get comprehensive company information
- Process data: Integrate verification results into your workflow
Dashboard verification
To verify CIN through the merchant dashboard:- Log in to the Merchant Dashboard
- Navigate to Secure ID > KYB (Know Your Business) > CIN
- Enter the CIN number and click Verify
- Review the company verification results
Response data
The CIN verification API provides detailed company information:- Company name: Official registered company name
- CIN status: Active, Strike off, Amalgamated, etc.
- Registration date: Date of company incorporation
- Company category: Public/Private limited company
- Company sub-category: With/without share capital
- Authorized capital: Company’s authorized share capital
- Paid-up capital: Actual paid-up share capital
- Registration office: ROC where company is registered
- Registered address: Official company address
- Company status: Current operational status
Benefits
- Risk mitigation: Avoid dealing with non-existent or inactive companies
- Compliance assurance: Meet regulatory requirements for business verification
- Due diligence: Comprehensive company background checks
- Faster onboarding: Automated company verification processes
- Data accuracy: Access to authoritative MCA data
You can also use the API to verify CIN programmatically.
Best practices
- Regular verification: Re-verify companies periodically as status can change
- Cross-verification: Use CIN verification alongside other KYB checks
- Data integration: Store verification results for audit trails
- Status monitoring: Check for any changes in company status