All About Corporate Identification Number (CIN)

What is CIN Number?

Corporate identification number (CIN) is a 21 digit unique alpha numeric identification number given to a company by registrar of companies (ROC) under Ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) to identify the authenticity of a company. It is a 21 digit alpha-numeric code assigned to a private limited company, Public limited company, one Person Company, section 8 companies, Nidhi Company and Producer Company registered in any state of India. It is used to track the basic details of a company and it is mentioned on the certificate of incorporation. CIN number contains 5 major details about the company i.e. Year of establishment, incorporation certificate, Type of company, state code and listing status of a company. For ex – L17110MH1973PLC019786 (CIN number)

How to define 21 character Corporate Identification Number (CIN)?

In order to define 21 character CIN number, let us take an example of a private limited company whose CIN number is – L17110MH1973PLC019786

The first character of a long 21 digit unique identification number defines the stock market listing status of a company. If a company is listed, it is denoted with letter “L” and if it is not listed, it is denoted with letter “U”.
As per above example – Letter “L” denotes company is listed on a stock exchange.
The next set of 5 numerical characters defines the industry code. It is basically a number which defines the industry to which the company belongs to. Ministry of corporate affairs has allottednumber to every industry.
As per above example – 5 numerical digits “17110” denotes industry code.
The next two letters of 21 character unique identification number defines state code where the company is registered.
As per above example, the two letter “MH” denotes Maharashtra which means company is registered in Maharashtra.
The next set of 4 numerical digits defines the year of establishment or incorporation of the company.
As per above example, the 4 numeric digits “1973” denotes that the company is established in 1973.
The next set of 3 alphabets helps in identifying whether the company is private limited company or a public limited company or falls under other types of companies. There is a 3 letter code assigned to every company which is used to identify the type of company.
As per above example, the 3 letters “PLC” denote that it is a public limited company.

The 3 alphabetical codes for different companies are as follows –

Codes	Company
PLC	Public Llimited Company
PTC	Private Limited Company
SGC	Companies owned by state government
ULL	Public limited company with unlimited liability
ULT	Private limited company with unlimited liability
NPL	Not for private license company
GOI	Companies owned by government of India
GAP	General association public
GAT	General association private
FTC	Subsidiary of a foreign company as private limited company
FLC	Financial lease company as public limited

Last or the remaining 6 digits define the registration number of the company provided by the respective registrar of companies (ROC).
As per above example – the last 6 digits “019786” denotes registration number of the company.

Where CIN Number is used?

CIN number is mentioned on the various documents of public & private limited companies which are as follows –

Invoices & Receipts
Notice
Annual reports
Letterhead
Every form on MCA portal.
Any other publication.

Penalties for Non-compliance

In case of Non-compliance and violation of above mentioned requirements, there is a penalty of Rs. 1000 per day on the non-compliant company and on the concerned officer involved in the default till the default continues. However, the maximum penalty would be Rs. 100000.

Changing CIN Number

CIN number provided to a registered company can be changed in the following cases –

If there is any change in the listing status of the company
If there is any change in the location or state where the company is registered.
If there is any change in the industry/sector to which a company belongs to.