Learn
Glossary
Compliance paperwork runs on abbreviations. Here is what the ones on our service pages actually mean.
- AoAArticles of Association
- The internal rulebook of a company: how directors are appointed, how shares move, how meetings run. Changing it needs a shareholder resolution and an ROC filing.
- CINCorporate Identity Number
- The 21-character code the ROC assigns to a company on incorporation. It encodes the listing status, industry, state and year, and appears on every filing.
- DINDirector Identification Number
- A number every director must hold before being appointed. It stays with the person across companies and has to be re-verified each year through DIR-3 KYC.
- DPINDesignated Partner Identification Number
- The LLP equivalent of a DIN, held by a designated partner.
- FEMAForeign Exchange Management Act
- The law governing money crossing the Indian border. Foreign investment into an Indian company triggers reporting under it, such as FC-GPR on a share allotment.
- FSSAIFood Safety and Standards Authority of India
- The regulator licensing anyone who makes, stores, transports or sells food. Which licence you need depends on turnover and how many states you operate in.
- IECImport Export Code
- A ten-digit code from the DGFT, required before a business can import or export. It has to be updated once a year even if nothing has changed.
- LLPLimited Liability Partnership
- A partnership where partners are not personally liable for the firm’s debts. Lighter annual compliance than a company, but it cannot issue shares.
- MCAMinistry of Corporate Affairs
- The ministry that administers company law in India. The ROC sits under it, and its portal is where filings are submitted.
- MoAMemorandum of Association
- The document stating what a company is allowed to do. Trading outside its object clause means amending the MoA first.
- NBFCNon-Banking Financial Company
- A company that lends or invests without holding a banking licence. Registration with the RBI is required, along with its own ongoing compliance regime.
- OPCOne Person Company
- A company with a single shareholder, for a solo founder who wants limited liability. It must nominate someone to take over if the owner cannot continue.
- RBIReserve Bank of India
- The central bank. It regulates NBFCs and receives the reporting that foreign investment into an Indian company triggers.
- ROCRegistrar of Companies
- The office that registers companies and holds their statutory records. Incorporations, annual returns and most changes to a company are filed with it.
- SEBISecurities and Exchange Board of India
- The securities market regulator. It licenses brokers, investment advisers, research analysts and fund managers, and governs listed-company disclosure.