CIN in Relation to a Company: Understanding its Significance & How to Find It?

Introduction: CIN in relation to a Company stands for Company Identification Number. CIN is a 21-digit alphanumeric code assigned to a Company by the Registrar Of Companies (ROC) to the companies registered in India under The Companies Act, 2013. It is a unique identification number and is peculiar to one registered company. No two Companies can have the same CIN. In a layman’s term, a CIN may equate to a company’s “kundali” and the point of fascination here is that if one was to break down the details of CIN, it will unveil basic characteristics of the associated Company without any additional fuss.

The Importance of CIN:

Now, one may question the significance of CIN, and to answer, CIN provides the fundamental details of the Company, it is used for identifying and tracking companies for several levels of information that ROC and MCA hold. The CIN contains the identity of a Company.

Mandatory Display of CIN:

Further Section 12(3)(c) of The Companies Act, 2013, states: “Every Company SHALL get its name, address of its registered office and the Corporate Identity Number along with telephone number, fax number, if any, e-mail and website addresses, if any, printed in all its business letters, billheads, letter papers and in all its notices and other official publications.”

Thereby making it mandatory for every Company to display its CIN on letterheads, correspondences, etc.

Decoding CIN:

Now, let’s decode CIN for a better understanding. Let’s take an example CIN: U74899UP2023PTC096852

• The first Character i.e. “U” stands for Unlisted. If the Company is listed, there would, in turn, be “L”.
• The second section consists of five numeric digits which help the user identify the economic activity of the Company as per the standardized industry codes.
• The third section herein, “UP” stands for Uttar Pradesh and signifies the state where the registered office of the Company is situated.
• The fourth section, “2023” signifies the year of incorporation.
• The sixth section “PTC” signifies that the Company is privately held.
• The seventh and the last section is a six-digit number that signifies a unique registration number assigned by ROC at the time of incorporation.

Congratulations, now you have the basic and adequate knowledge of a Company by simply reading its CIN. Now, let’s see how can One search for CIN of a company?

How to Find CIN of a Company:

To search for CIN/GLN of a company, follow the steps given below-

1. Open the website of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and click the MCA Services tab. The list of MCA Services is displayed.

2. Under the Company Services, click the Find CIN menu. The Find CIN/GLN/LLPIN page is displayed.

3. To search for a company based on the Registration number:

a. Select the Search based on RoC-Registration No. option.

b. Select the RoC name with which the company is registered from the drop-down list.

c. Enter the registration number.

4. To search for a company based on the existing company name:

a. Select the Search based on an existing company/LLP name option.

b. Select one of the following search criteria from the drop-down list:

• • • “Ends with”
    • “is”
    • “Start with”
    • “Contains anywhere”

c. Enter the existing company name.

5. To search for a company based on inactive CIN:

a. Select the Search based on Inactive CIN option.

b. In the Inactive CIN field, enter the inactive CIN.

6. To search for a company based on an old name: a. Select the Search based on Old Name of Company/LLP option. b. Select one of the following search criteria from the drop-down list:

• • “Ends with”
  • “is”
  • “Start with”
  • “Contains anywhere” c. Enter the old company/LLP name.

7. Click the Submit button. Based on the registration number and the RoC code or the company name or inactive CIN, the system finds out the CIN and company name from the database and displays the same.

Conclusion: CIN serves as a crucial identifier for companies in India, offering valuable insights into their characteristics. Adhering to the legal requirement of displaying CIN on official documents is essential for all companies. By following the steps mentioned, anyone can easily find the CIN of a company using the Ministry of Corporate Affairs website. Understanding a company’s CIN simplifies the process of gathering basic information about it without any unnecessary hassle.