Every company incorporated in India is registered with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) and assigned a unique CIN (Corporate Identification Number). Checking a company's MCA record is the single most important step in confirming it actually exists and is in good standing.
What a CIN tells you
A CIN is 21 characters, e.g. U62091TN2022PTC156234, and is not random — it encodes:
- Listing status — the first letter (U = unlisted, L = listed).
- Industry — the next 5 digits (NIC code).
- State — 2 letters (TN = Tamil Nadu).
- Year of incorporation — 4 digits (2022).
- Ownership & type — PTC = private company, PLC = public, etc.
- Registration number — the final 6 digits.
The fields that matter
Once you have the record, focus on: the MCA status (you want Active, not Struck Off, Under Liquidation or Dormant), the incorporation date, the registered office address, authorised and paid-up capital, the directors, the date of the last AGM and balance sheet (lapsed filings are a flag), and any registered charges (loans secured against the company).
Reading the status correctly
"Active" means the company is on the register and filing. "Active Compliant" is even better. Be cautious with Struck Off (removed from the register) or Under Process of Striking Off — transacting with these is risky. Note that MCA data can lag the live position by days to weeks, so cross-check against GST too.
CIN vs GSTIN
A CIN is the corporate-registry identity; a GSTIN is the tax identity. If you only have a GSTIN, you can still work back to the company — see CIN vs GSTIN vs PAN.
The fast way
Instead of navigating the MCA portal manually, paste the CIN into SupplierProof — you get the company's status, capital, directors, charges and filings in one report, plus an AI risk score.
Verify any Indian supplier in 30 seconds
Turn a CIN or GSTIN into an AI-scored risk report — company status, directors, GST profile, charges, MSME status and red flags.
Run a free preview →See all supplier-verification guides.