CIN stands for Corporate Identification Number. At the time of the incorporation, the Registrar of Companies (ROC) allots unique number to every company, known as Corporate identification number (CIN) of that company.
The Power to allot Corporate identification number (CIN) lies with the Registrar of the Companies (ROC) functioning in various states under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Government of India.
Corporate identification number (CIN) is unique for all companies irrespective of whether the Company is a listed company, private company, public company or One Person Company so it helps in revealing the identity of the Company.
What is Corporate Identification Number (CIN)?
CIN Number is the special digit code that holds the identity of a company and the various additional information of its corporate entity.
The Corporate Identity Number is a 21 digit alpha-numeric code/ number which is issued to all types of companies incorporated in India when it acquires registration from the Registrar of Companies (ROC) located in an various states all over India. Moreover, One can access all the related information of the company through this one exclusive number that is with the ROC/ MCA.
Break-up of CIN for better clarification:-
Let us understand 21 digit alpha-numeric code known as CIN so that we can have a better clarification of what each digit means.
– Listing status:
The First digit helps in identifying whether the Company is listed or not. U stands for unlisted companies and L stands for Listed Companies.
– Industry Code:
The next five digit of the CIN represents the Industry Code in which the Company is functioning. All different activities have different 5-digit code and this code is used to identify the business of the Company.
– State Code:
The next two digit i.e. 7th and 8th digit represent the State Code. This represents the State in which the Company is incorporated. The state Code list can be referred from here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-2:IN
– Year of Incorporation:
Digits from 9 to 12 represents the year in which the Company is incorporated with ROC
– Type of Company:
The next 3-digit i.e. 13 to 15 digits represents the type of Ownership of the Company. For eg – PLC stands for Public Limited Company, PTC stands for Private Limited Company, OPC stands for One Person Company, etc.
– Registration Number:
The last six digits i.e. 16 to 21 digits are the registration number of the Company allotted by the ROC functioning in various states.
Where to mention CIN?
Under the Act, it is required to mention the Corporate Identification number (CIN) on the following documents of the Company:
– Letterheads
– Boarding of the Company
– Notices
– Receipts and Invoices – Bills, memos, etc.
– Annual Reports and Accounts
– Every e-forms required to file on the MCA portal
– Other official publications
Penalty
In case, the Company does not complied with the above requirements as specified under the Act, then the penalty levied is Rs. 1000/- per day. The maximum penalty is Rs. 100,000/-.