Why this matters
In a due-diligence workflow, you often get a mix of entities — a company, an LLP, and an Indian branch of a foreign company — as counterparties in a single transaction. Each of them has an MCA identifier, but the identifiers are not interchangeable and not of the same structure. Using the wrong identifier on a form, a bank mandate, or a KYC pack creates downstream errors that cost time and, occasionally, money.
This piece is a short reference you can bookmark. It's also the canonical expansion of our glossary entries on each identifier, for readers who want the identifiers in context together rather than one at a time.
CIN — the company identifier
A Corporate Identification Number (CIN) is the 21-character alphanumeric identifier assigned by MCA to every company registered under the Companies Act 2013 (or its predecessor, the 1956 Act). It is structured — listing status, NIC industry code, state, year, ownership type, registration number — which means you can tell things about the entity just by reading the string.
Every Indian Private Limited, Public Limited, One Person Company, Section 8 non-profit, government company, and state government company has a CIN. A CIN is allocated at incorporation but can change following certain corporate or jurisdiction changes. Check current and former identifiers against official records.
Companies display their CIN on letterheads, invoices, notices, and websites under Section 12 of the Companies Act. If a counterparty you are transacting with is an Indian company, the CIN should be visible on their communications. Our guide What Is a CIN? walks through each segment in detail.
LLPIN — the Limited Liability Partnership identifier
An LLPIN is the MCA identifier for every Limited Liability Partnership registered under the LLP Act 2008. Unlike a CIN, an LLPIN is a 7-character alphanumeric string — short and unstructured. You cannot infer the LLP's state, industry, or year from the LLPIN alone; you have to look up the master record.
LLPs are structurally different from companies. They file annual returns under the LLP Act (not the Companies Act 2013), they have designated partners rather than directors, and their governance is bound by the LLP Agreement rather than an MOA/AOA. Treating an LLP as a company on a filing or a contract is a material error.
FCRN — the foreign company identifier
An FCRN is issued by the MCA to a foreign company that has established a place of business in India under Chapter XXII of the Companies Act 2013. A foreign company with an Indian branch office, liaison office, or project office files Form FC-1 to register within 30 days of setting up operations, and receives an FCRN.
Foreign subsidiaries of foreign parents — where the Indian entity is a separately incorporated company — get a regular CIN (not FCRN), typically with 'FTC' or 'FLC' in the ownership segment of the CIN indicating that a majority foreign ownership is declared. This distinction trips up a lot of first-time users: the Indian subsidiary of a multinational has a CIN, not an FCRN.
Which identifier to ask for
Ask the organisation for its legal identifier and confirm it against the relevant official register. A name suffix is only a clue: Section 8 companies may omit Limited, and a foreign-style suffix alone does not establish a registered foreign-company presence.
Do not manufacture a CIN from a name or substitute a GSTIN for a company identifier. GST registrations and corporate identities answer different questions, and multiple GST registrations can exist within one state under applicable rules.
Related identifiers you'll encounter
DIN and DPIN: director identifiers. DIN for company directors, DPIN historically for LLP designated partners. In practice DIN is the broader identifier and MCA now treats it as covering both.
PAN: the 10-character Income Tax identifier every company, LLP, and taxpayer has. Distinct from the MCA identifier.
TAN: the Tax Deduction Account Number, for TDS and TCS compliance. Again, distinct from the MCA identifier.
Confirm identifiers against the relevant official register. This article does not promise complete LLP or foreign-company coverage in CorpIntel.
Each of these is in our glossary if you want the long definition.