Start with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs portal: search the company name or CIN under 'View Company/LLP Master Data' to see its status, registered address, incorporation date and directors. Then check its GSTIN on the GST portal, confirm any licence its business needs, and visit or verify the address. An 'Active' status alone does not prove the business is genuine.
Key takeaways
- MCA master data is free: it shows CIN, status, registered office, incorporation date and filing dates.
- Search directors by DIN to see their other companies and any disqualification.
- The GST portal confirms a GSTIN's legal name, status and registration date without login.
- Regulated businesses (lending, investment, insurance, real estate) need regulator registrations too.
- Real companies pass checks but can still be misused by impostors; verify contacts independently.
How do you check if a company is genuine in India?
Check it against the official registers first, then check that the business matches what is on paper. Every private limited company, public company, one person company and LLP in India is registered with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) and has a unique Corporate Identification Number (CIN) or LLP Identification Number (LLPIN). Most businesses above the threshold, and all that sell across states, also have a GST registration.
These two registers answer the basic question, "does this entity legally exist and is it active?". They do not tell you whether the people you are dealing with actually represent it. Fraudsters often borrow the name of a real company, so the second half of verification is confirming that the email, phone, bank account and address you have been given belong to that company.
Not every business is a company. Proprietorships and partnership firms do not appear on MCA; for them, GST, Udyam and local licences are the main records.
How to verify a private limited company on the MCA portal
- Go to mca.gov.in and open MCA Services, then Company Services.
- Choose View Company/LLP Master Data. No login is needed for the basic search.
- Enter the CIN or LLPIN if you have it (it is printed on invoices, letterheads and websites), or search by company name.
- Complete the captcha and submit.
- Read the master data: company name, CIN, ROC, registration date, category, registered office address, email, authorised and paid-up capital, date of last AGM and balance sheet, and company status.
- Look at the list of directors or designated partners with their DINs.
Status values you may see include Active, Strike Off, Under Process of Striking Off, Amalgamated, Dissolved, Dormant and Under Liquidation. "Active" is what you want; anything else needs an explanation. Also check the dates of the last AGM and balance sheet: a company that has not filed for years may be non-compliant even if it shows Active. Certified copies of filed documents are available for a fee if you need more.
How do you check the directors of a company?
The people behind a company tell you more than its name. On the MCA portal you can also search director master data using a DIN to see the other companies and LLPs a person is linked to. Look for:
- Directors linked to many recently formed companies with tiny capital, which can indicate shell entities.
- Directors linked to struck-off companies, or appearing on MCA's lists of disqualified directors.
- Names that do not match the people you are meeting, or "directors" who turn out to be employees or relatives with no role.
Then search the company and the directors' names on eCourts for recovery suits, cheque-bounce cases and fraud complaints. Our guide to checking court cases by party name explains how.
How to check a company's GST number
The GST portal lets anyone look up a taxpayer before logging in:
- Open services.gst.gov.in and choose Search Taxpayer.
- Select Search by GSTIN/UIN and enter the 15-character GSTIN from the invoice or quotation.
- Enter the captcha and search.
- Check the legal name, trade name, state, constitution of business, registration date, taxpayer type and GSTIN status (Active, Cancelled or Suspended).
The 3rd to 12th characters of a GSTIN are the business's PAN, and the first two digits are the state code. If the legal name on GST does not match the company name on MCA, or the GSTIN is cancelled, stop and ask why. A search by PAN, where available on the portal, shows all GSTINs linked to the same business across states.
What other registrations should you check?
Depending on what the company does, these official records add confidence:
| Business type | What to check | Where |
|---|---|---|
| MSMEs | Udyam Registration number | udyamregistration.gov.in (verify option) |
| Importers and exporters | Importer Exporter Code (IEC) | DGFT website |
| Lending apps and NBFCs | RBI registration, or the regulated lender behind the app | RBI website lists of NBFCs |
| Investment advisers, brokers, portfolio managers | SEBI registration | SEBI's list of registered intermediaries |
| Insurance sellers | IRDAI registration | IRDAI website |
| Real estate projects and agents | RERA registration | Your state's RERA portal |
| Food businesses | FSSAI licence or registration | FSSAI's FoSCoS portal |
| Brands | Trademark status | IP India public search |
For deposit schemes or investment offers that look too good to be true, RBI's Sachet portal (sachet.rbi.org.in) lets you check and report entities illegally collecting deposits.
How to check if a company is fake or real: red flags
| Red flag | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Job offer asks for "registration", "training" or "security" fees | Genuine employers do not charge candidates to hire them |
| Email from a free webmail address instead of the company's domain | Impostors cannot use the real domain easily |
| Payment asked into a personal or unrelated bank account | Real companies receive money in accounts in their own name |
| CIN or GSTIN missing, wrong or belongs to another business | Suggests a borrowed identity |
| Registered office is a residence or virtual office with no operations | Not always fraud, but needs a closer look |
| Incorporated very recently but claims years of experience | The record contradicts the pitch |
| Pressure to decide or pay immediately | Classic fraud tactic |
If you have already paid a fraudster, report it immediately on cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930; speed improves the chance of freezing funds. Suspected fraud calls and messages can also be reported on Sanchar Saathi's Chakshu facility.
When should you do deeper due diligence?
Online checks are enough for a small purchase or a routine vendor. For a distributorship, franchise, joint venture, large advance or investment, go further:
- Visit the registered office and the place of business, and see whether operations match the claims.
- Speak to existing customers and suppliers you find yourself, not those the company introduces.
- Read the latest financial statements filed with MCA.
- Search litigation against the company and its promoters across cities.
- Check the promoters' reputation and history in previous ventures.
Our guide to what due diligence involves explains the full process. For on-ground verification in another city, a verified investigator through our corporate investigation service can confirm addresses, operations and reputation discreetly. The same checks help when screening an employer listed on a candidate's CV, as described in employee background verification.
Bottom line
Verifying a company in India takes ten minutes for the basics: MCA master data for existence, status and directors, the GST portal for tax registration, and the relevant regulator for licensed activities. Then make sure the people, email, phone and bank account actually belong to that company. When the money or commitment is large, add site visits, litigation searches and a professional background verification of the promoters.
Sources & official links
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws and procedures change, and every case is different — speak to a lawyer about your situation. In an emergency, call 112.