Company search

How do I check if a company is real and active?

Start with the CIN or the exact registered name. Every company registered in India under the Companies Act gets a Corporate Identification Number from the Registrar of Companies (RoC). If a business gives you a name but no CIN, search the name here or on the MCA portal. A real company will show a CIN, a registration date, a state and a status.

Then read the status. "Active" means the company is on the register. Anything else needs a closer look before you pay money, sign a contract or join as a director. Struck off, dissolved or amalgamated companies cannot carry on business in their own name.

Finally, match the details with the documents you were given. The name on the invoice, the CIN on the letterhead and the state in the address should agree with the government record. A mismatch is the most common sign of a problem. It may be an honest error, such as an old letterhead after a name change. It may also be a business using a company name it does not own.

A quick checklist before you deal with a company

• The CIN on the invoice or agreement matches the record here and on the MCA portal.
• The status is Active, not Strike Off, Under Process of Striking Off or Dissolved.
• The registered state matches the address on the letterhead or the GST certificate.
• The company's age fits its claims. A company registered last month cannot have ten years of experience in its own name.
• The GSTIN, if given, carries the same PAN as the company. You can check this on the GST portal.
• For a large contract, the directors and the latest filings look normal on the MCA master data.

What is a CIN and how do you read it?

The Corporate Identification Number is a 21-character code. It is printed on the certificate of incorporation and must appear on the company's letterhead, invoices and website. It never changes for the life of the company, even if the company changes its name. That makes it the most reliable way to find a company.

Each part of the CIN means something. Take this sample: U62099DL2026PTC123456.

The industry code inside an old CIN may follow an older code list. Companies registered before 2010 often show a code from the 2004 or 1987 list. So the code is a good hint about the business, but the registered objects in the MOA are the final word.

LLPs do not have a CIN. They get an LLP Identification Number (LLPIN), which looks like AAA-1234. A foreign company with a place of business in India gets a Foreign Company Registration Number (FCRN). This search covers companies (by CIN) and LLPs (by LLPIN).

What does each company status mean?

The status is the single most useful field in the record. Here is what each common status means in practice.

A struck-off company is the case people ask about most. The RoC removes companies that have not started business within a year of registration, or that have not carried on business for two years and have not applied to become dormant. Filings that stop for years are the usual trigger. A struck-off company can be restored by an appeal to the NCLT. The company or its members, directors or creditors can usually apply within three years of the strike off. Creditors and workmen get a longer window of up to twenty years under Section 252(3).

What are the warning signs of a fake or shell company?

Most companies you look up will be ordinary businesses. Still, a few patterns are worth knowing, because the same tricks come up again and again in vendor fraud, job offers and investment schemes.

• The CIN does not exist or belongs to another name. Some letterheads carry a made-up CIN, or the CIN of a real but unrelated company.
• A brand new company with big claims. A company registered a few months ago claiming large projects or decades of work is a reason to ask more questions.
• Struck off but still trading. Invoices from a struck-off company should not be accepted. Input tax credit on such invoices can also be at risk if the GST registration was cancelled.
• The address is a shared or virtual office used by many companies. That alone is legal and common for small firms. Combined with other signs, it deserves a closer look.
• Pressure to pay a personal account. A company receives money in its own bank account, in its own name. Payment to an individual's account for a company invoice is a red flag.
• No filings for years. The MCA master data shows the date of the last balance sheet and annual return. Gaps of several years often come before a strike off.

The MCA also publishes lists of companies under alert, such as companies that have vanished from their address or have been flagged. If a company appears there, take professional advice before dealing with it.

How do I match a company with its GST and PAN?

Every company has its own PAN. The PAN is printed on the certificate of incorporation for companies registered through SPICe+. A GSTIN is fifteen characters long, and characters three to twelve are the PAN of the business. So if a company gives you its GSTIN, the PAN inside it should belong to that company.

To check, search the GSTIN on the GST portal's public search. It shows the legal name, the trade name and whether the registration is active. The legal name should match the company name here. A different legal name means the GSTIN belongs to another business, often a proprietor or a sister concern. That may be fine, but the invoice should then be in that other name.

Example: an invoice says "ABC Infra Private Limited" with a GSTIN whose legal name on the GST portal is "Ramesh Kumar". The goods may be real, but the paperwork does not match. Your accountant will want this fixed before you claim the input tax credit.

Can I see the other companies of a director?

Not on this page, because directors are not part of the open data we use. On the MCA portal, the master data of a company lists its current directors with their Director Identification Number (DIN). The View Director Master Data service then lists every company and LLP linked to that DIN.

This is useful when you are about to work with a promoter. A director linked to many struck-off companies, or to companies that never file, is a pattern to discuss openly. Equally, a director with a long record of active, filing companies is a good sign. If you are a director yourself, keep your DIN details current. The MCA asks directors to complete KYC, and an inactive DIN can block filings for every company you are linked to.

Which company details can you see for free?

This page shows the details that the Government of India publishes as open data. The MCA portal shows more, some free and some for a small fee.

To see directors and filing dates, open the MCA site and use View Company or LLP Master Data with the CIN. Our step-by-step guide to MCA master data on V3 shows each screen. For documents such as the balance sheet, use View Public Documents. It charges a fee for each company.

How do I find a company if I only know part of the name?

Type the part you know. This search shows names that start with your words first, then names that contain them. A few habits give better results.

• Leave out the ending. Search "Sharma Traders" rather than "Sharma Traders Private Limited". Endings are written in many ways (Pvt Ltd, Private Limited, Limited, OPC).
• Use the most unusual word. "Nirvana" finds fewer, closer matches than "India" or "Services".
• Narrow by state when the name is common. Hundreds of companies share words like Global, Infra or Tech.
• Use the CIN when you have it. A CIN search returns exactly one company.
• Try the old name if a company rebranded. The CIN stays the same, so once you find it, the record shows the current name.

Brand names and company names are often different. A shop called "Fresh Basket" may be run by "R K Retail Private Limited". The GST certificate or the invoice footer usually shows the legal name.

How do I check if a company name is available?

Searching here tells you whether a similar name is already registered. It is a good first filter before you pay for a name application. The final decision is made by the Central Registration Centre of the MCA when you apply through SPICe+ Part A or the RUN service.

The name rules are in the Companies (Incorporation) Rules, 2014. In practice, a name is usually rejected when it is:

• Identical or too close to an existing company or LLP name (check yours with our free company name search). Adding words such as "New", "Modern", "India" or a plural does not make a name different.
• The same as a registered trademark of someone else, unless you have their consent.
• Using words that need approval, such as Bank, Insurance, Stock Exchange, Board or Commission, without the regulator's letter.
• Suggesting a link with the government, or containing words that are offensive.
• Not matching the main objects. A name ending in "Infotech" needs IT-related objects.

Example: a founder wants "Sunrise Foods Private Limited". A search shows "Sun Rise Food Private Limited" in another state. The space and the plural do not make the names different, so the application would likely be rejected. A distinct coined word, such as "Sunvrat Foods", has a better chance. Before filing, it also helps to search the trademark register for the same word.

Once approved, the name is reserved for a limited period, and the company must be registered within it. The MCA has extended this period at times, so check the current notice. If you are ready to start, our team handles company registration with the name application, DSC and DIN.

What are the main types of companies in India?

The class and category fields in the record tell you the legal form. The differences matter for how much compliance a company carries and who can own it.

The sub-category tells you who owns it: a non-government company, a Union Government or State Government company, or a subsidiary of a foreign company. If you are choosing a form for your own business, our comparison of LLP vs private limited company covers tax, compliance and funding.

What does a new company have to file in its first year?

Many penalties on young companies come from the first year. The founders are busy building the business, and the first deadlines arrive before anyone has set up a compliance calendar. Each company page here lists these dates from its own registration date. This is the general list for a private company with share capital:

The first financial year of a new company ends on 31 March. A company registered between 1 January and 31 March can close its first year on 31 March of the next year, which gives it up to fifteen months. Example: a company registered on 8 August 2026 closes its first year on 31 March 2027, holds its first AGM by 31 December 2027, files AOC-4 within 30 days of that meeting and MGT-7 within 60 days.

Two more points catch people out. First, the ADT-1 form is filed when the auditor is appointed or reappointed at the AGM, within 15 days; read our ADT-1 guide for the details. Second, GST, TDS and MSME rules run on their own calendars, separate from MCA filings. A company that crosses the GST threshold or sells across states needs GST registration as well.

How do I read the business activity code?

The five-digit activity code comes from the National Industrial Classification (NIC) list. The first two digits give the broad sector. For example, 62 is computer programming and IT consultancy, 46 is wholesale trade, 41 is construction of buildings and 69 is legal and accounting activities.

The code in the company record shows the main business the company declared when it registered. It does not limit the company to that work. A company can do anything allowed by its objects clause. But a code that has nothing to do with what a business tells you is worth asking about. Our article on NIC codes explains how to choose the right one for your own registration, including for Udyam (MSME) registration.

What do authorised and paid-up capital tell you?

Authorised capital is the most the company can issue as shares without changing its MOA. Paid-up capital is the amount shareholders have actually paid for the shares issued. Example: a company with ₹10 lakh authorised capital may have issued only ₹1 lakh of shares.

Paid-up capital is not a measure of size or turnover. Many sound businesses run for years on ₹1 lakh of capital and grow through profits or loans. It does tell you a little about how the company was set up, and some tenders and licences ask for a minimum net worth. To raise more capital, the company first increases its authorised capital (form SH-7) and then allots shares (form PAS-3).

Why might a company be missing from the search?

There are a few common reasons, and most have a simple fix.

• It was registered very recently. The government publishes new companies in monthly files. A company registered this month appears after the next release.
• It is an LLP, not a company. LLPs have an LLPIN instead of a CIN. Search the LLP name or the LLPIN (for example AAB-1234) instead.
• The name is spelled differently. Try one distinctive word, or the CIN.
• It is not registered with the MCA at all. A proprietorship or a partnership firm is not a company. It may have GST, Udyam or a shop licence, but it will not have a CIN.
• It changed its name. Search by CIN, or by the old name if you know it.

If a business claims to be a company but you cannot find it anywhere, including on the MCA portal, ask for its certificate of incorporation. A real company will have one and can share it in a minute.

Where does this data come from and how often is it updated?

The records here come from Government of India open data: the monthly lists of companies registered and closed that the Ministry of Corporate Affairs publishes, and the company master data on data.gov.in. We load each new file when it is released and show the date of the latest load on every page. The data on this site is as of Oct 2026.

Open data lags the live register by weeks or months. A company may have filed a document, changed its name or been struck off since the last file. For anything that matters legally or financially, confirm on the MCA portal on the day you act. We do not change or add to the government data. Where a field is blank in the source, it stays blank here.

Some details, such as directors' personal information, are not part of the open data and are not shown. If you are a director or officer of a company and see a mistake that comes from the source file, the correction has to be made through the MCA. Once it reaches the next government release, this page updates on its own.

How can we help after your search?

People use this search for different reasons, and each one usually leads to a next step.

• You are starting a company: check the name here, then let us file the name application and SPICe+ forms. See company registration.
• You run a new company: open your company page to see your first-year dates. We can file the auditor appointment, INC-20A, AOC-4 and MGT-7 for you through our CA services.
• You are checking a client or vendor: confirm the status here and on the MCA portal, then match the GSTIN. For a large deal, ask a professional to read the latest filings.
• Your company is struck off or non-compliant: talk to us about restoration or catching up on filings before penalties grow.

All of this is done online. You share documents on WhatsApp or email, we talk on call, and filings are made on the government portal with the challan and acknowledgement sent to you. The fee is told upfront on the first call.