DIN is a unique Director identification number allotted by the Central Government to any person intending to be a Director or an existing director of a company.
It is an 8-digit unique identification number which has a lifetime validity. Through DIN, details of the directors are maintained in a database.
DIN is specific to a person, which means even if he is a director in 2 or more companies, he has to obtain only 1 DIN. And if he leaves a company and joins some other, the same DIN would work in the other company as well.
Whenever a return, an application or any information related to a company will be submitted under any law, the director signing such return, application or information will mention his DIN underneath his signature.
• Director Identification Number (DIN) is of 8 digits.
• Same DIN can be used by the Director in case he changes the company.
• SPICe Form: When the applicant is applying for the first time or if the company he is applying for is new.
• DIR-3 Form: This form is filled when the applicant is appealing to an existing company.
• DIR-3C Form: This form is submitted by the Company to Registrar for intimation of DIN.
• DIR-4 Form: This is the verification form in which the details of the applicant is verified.
• DIR-5 Form: If in case the person wants to surrender the DIN he needs to fill this form
To apply for DIN, the above forms are to be filed electronically. It has to be digitally signed and then uploaded on the MCA portal.
In case of foreign nationals, they are required to submit their passport as an identity proof.
Form DIR-3 is mandatory to be signed by the Applicant and shall be verified digitally by a Company Secretary in full time employment of the company or by the Managing Director or Director or CEO or CFO of the existing company in which the applicant is intended to be appointed as a director.
Upon upload, make the payment of filing fee of eForm DIR-3. Only electronic payment of the fees shall be allowed (i.e. Net banking/Credit Card/Debit Card/Pay later/ NEFT).
The user is required to get himself / herself registered on the MCA21 Portal to obtain Login ID. Login to the MCA21 portal and click on 'eForm upload' link available under the 'eForms' tab for uploading the eForm DIR- 3.
Once the application fee is paid and the application is submitted, the system will generate an application number. Central Government will process the application and decide the approval/ rejection.
If the DIN application is approved, the central government will communicate the DIN to the applicant within 1 month.
If DIN application is rejected, it will e-mail the reason of rejection to the applicant and will also put the reason on the website. The applicant will get 15 days to rectify the reason. If he rectifies such reasons and is able to satisfy the central government, he will be allotted DIN otherwise central government will label the application INVALID.
In case, details of eForm DIR-3 are found as potential duplicate, the same gets routed to DIN cell for back office processing. Upon approval of the form, provisional DIN becomes approved DIN and would be available for further use.
The Central government may cancel the DIN due to the following reasons:
1. If a duplicate DIN has been issued to the director
2. DIN was obtained by fraudulent means
3. On the death of the concerned person
4.The person has been declared unsound mind by the court
5.The person has been adjudicated as insolvent
The director can also surrender the DIN in Form DIR-5. With the form, he has to submit a declaration that he has never been appointed as a director in the company and the said DIN has never been used for filing any document with any authority. Upon verifying the e-records, the central government will de-activate the DIN.
Note that, once a person is appointed as a director in any company as per the Companies Act 2013, he cannot relinquish his DIN in the future. Even if he doesn’t remain a director anymore in that company or in any other company, his DIN will exist as it is.