What Is CIN Number?

CIN or Corporate Identification Number is a special no. a company receives when it is registered through a Registrar of Company in India. This number is designed and arranged in a way that contains essential information about a company.  All the investors and business owners need to know about the CIN Number thoroughly. So, read this blog thoroughly and learn everything about CIN.

What Is a CIN Number?

To know CIN in detail you need to know the CIN full form,  the Corporate Identification Number. The Corporate Identification number is a set of 21 alphanumeric characters a company gets through the Registrar of Company in India.  This code provides a unique identity to the company that helps it track and identify from the heaps of the same type of companies. 

Format of CIN

A CIN number contains all the essential information of a company in a structured way, Here is the decode explanation of the format. It has 6 sections. Let’s understand each section.

Section 1: Section first of the CIN contains either the letter L or U. Where L represents Listed and U represents Unlisted.

Section 2: This section contains 5 numerals which represent industry type and economic activity.

Section 3: This section contains the 2 letters that represent the state which tells the location of company incorporation. For example, DL represents Delhi.

Section 4: Section 4 contains 4 numeric digits that represent the date of incorporation of a company.

Section 5: Section 5 contains 3 letters that represent the company type. For example:

• PLC: Public Limited Company
• PTC: Private Limited Company
• FTC: Subsidiary of Foreign Company
• GOI: Government of India Company.

Section 6: Last 6th Characters: these last six digits are unique identification numbers assigned by RoC to the company.

Simple Example Of CIN to understand the code

Let’s assume this is a CIN Number: U12345MH2023PTC012345
Here,

• U in CIN Number means Unlisted.
• 12345 represents the industry code of business activity.
• MH means Maharashtra
• 2023 represents the year 2023 when the company is incorporated.
• PTC IN CIN Number Means Private Limited Company
• 012345 represents the unique identification number of a company given by the official Registrar of the Company. It is known as the company registration number.

Each part of the CIN number provides you with company information that makes it easy to understand the company’s background.

Importance of CIN

When a business is officially registered, it receives a unique set of registration numbers called the CIN No. of a company. This unique number is important for filling, conducting audits, and preparing if the business is interacting with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

CIN is mandatory to present on official documents like memos, letterheads, notices, invoices and other official documents. Here is the list of the officially valid documents that must have a CIN number.

• Invoices
• Notices
• Letterheads
• Receipts
• Annual Reports
• Emails to people outside the company
• Bill’s heads
• Business Letters

CIN is important to present on the document so it can be easily identified during the regulatory processes. Here is the list of important reasons why a company should have CIN number.

• Legal Compliance: According to the Companies Act 2013, every registered company should have a CIN Number. It is a mandatory thing, if a company does not have CIN, it can face penalties and fines. This can also impact the company’s financial condition.
• Gives Unique Business Identity: CIN is a unique identifier for a company, it makes it easy to differentiate a company from the other one. CIN is a major identifier for a company that is in the same industry. 
• Tax Compliance: The CIN helps to ensure that the company follows tax rules by tracking its transactions and avoiding penalties.
• Easy Loans: Lenders like banks, NBFCs and financial institutions require CIN for loan processing. Without CIN it becomes really difficult for a company to get loans or credits. This limits the financial help that a company needs for its expansion and growth.

How To Get CIN Number?

If you want to apply for the CIN, you need to follow the steps mentioned below.

• Register your company with the Registrar of Company in India by MCA.
• Submit the required documents that are required for registration
• Get a digital signature certificate (DSC) to sign electronic documents.
• Apply for the DIN director identification number.
• Submit the incorporation form with other necessary documents on the MCA portal
• Receive CIN from the RoC after getting approved.

How To Find the CIN of a Company?

Anyone can easily find the CIN Number of the company on the official MCA portal. You can follow the below-given steps to find the CIN number of a company.

• Visit the official MCA Website
• Now find the MCA service section on the home page
• Under the MCA services, select the View company/LLP Master Data
• Enter the Company Name
• Click on the search button
• Get CIN and Company details

These are a list of steps you can follow to find the CIN number of a company easily.

Alternative Method for CIN Number Check 

CIN Number Check API is a one-stop step solution to get the CIN No and other details of a company. API service providers like Surepass offer Name to CIN API for enterprises that provide you CIN No from the official database. Using this API is simple

• Just enter the PAN number of the Company
• Receive company name and CIN number

(Note: you need to buy a plan for CIN number check using Name to CIN API)

Consequences of Failing to Mention the CIN

If a company fails to mention the CIN on the legal documents and other important places. Then according to the rules, the company can face a penalty of Rs. 1,000/-  each day until it is non-compliant.  The responsible authority members can also face a penalty if they are defaulters. However, the total penalty will never cross the amount of Rs.1,00,000/-.

FAQs

1. What is the Full Form of CIN?

The CIN Number full form is a Corporate Identification No.