Company Verification

How to Verify a CIN Online in India (Step-by-Step)

Before you wire money to a new supplier, verify their CIN matches the legal name on the invoice. We compare MCA portal lookup vs Infyner search and what to do when details don't line up.

Someone hands you a CIN on an invoice and asks you to confirm the company is legit. You could take their word for it - or spend two minutes checking. CIN verification is one of the fastest sanity checks in Indian business, and it costs nothing on MCA if you know where to look.

Start with the CIN itself

A CIN (Company Identification Number) is a 21-character code unique to every company registered with MCA. It encodes listing status, industry code, state, year of incorporation, and company type. If the CIN on the invoice doesn't match what MCA returns, stop right there.

LLPs use an LLPIN instead - same idea, different format. Make sure you're searching the right identifier for the entity type.

Verify CIN on MCA portal

Head to MCA21 β†’ MCA Services β†’ Master Data (or Company/LLP Master Data). Enter the CIN exactly as printed - case and spacing matter. A valid CIN returns the company name, status, incorporation date, registered office, and director list.

  • Confirm company name matches the invoice or contract
  • Check status is "Active" - not strike-off or under liquidation
  • Review director names against who signed the document
  • Scroll filing history for recent AOC-4 and MGT-7 filings
Heads up. MCA free search works fine for one-off checks. If you're verifying dozens of vendors or running credit batches, you'll hit rate limits and slow page loads. That's where a structured lookup tool saves time.

Verify CIN on Infyner

On Infyner, paste the CIN into company search and you get a parsed profile - status, directors, filing timeline, charges, and financials where available. Same public MCA data, but organised for diligence rather than raw master data screens.

Useful when you're comparing multiple companies, checking a vendor against their claimed turnover, or building a watchlist for credit monitoring. Pair CIN verification with GSTIN checks for a fuller picture.

When CIN verification fails

CIN not found? Either it's mistyped, the company was never incorporated, or it's a fake document. Name matches but status is "Strike off"? The entity may not legally exist anymore. See our guide on fake company warning signs for patterns we've seen in the field.

For deeper checks, read MCA master data field by field and look for red flags before releasing payment or credit.

Need to check a real company before you pay them?

Verify a company end to end → See report pricing

Common questions

Is CIN verification free on MCA?

Yes. Master data search is free. Downloading filing attachments may have limits on repeated access.

Can two companies share a CIN?

No. Each CIN is unique and permanently tied to one company. A name change doesn't change the CIN.

How do I verify a company without the CIN?

Search by exact registered name on MCA master data. Names can have duplicates, so confirm state and incorporation date match.

Does an Active CIN mean the company is trustworthy?

It means the entity exists and isn't struck off. Trustworthiness needs financial, GST, and litigation checks on top.

What's the difference between CIN and GSTIN?

CIN identifies the company with MCA. GSTIN identifies the GST registration. A company can have one CIN and multiple GSTINs for different states.