Indian corporate glossary

A

• AGILE-PRO — The linked form that bundles GSTIN, EPFO, ESIC, and bank-account registration alongside SPICe+.
• Articles of Association· AOA — The document setting out the internal governance and management rules of a company.
• Authorised Capital — The maximum share capital a company is legally permitted to issue.
• Annual General Meeting· AGM — The annual shareholder meeting every Indian company must hold.
• Amalgamation — The merger of two or more companies into a single surviving entity.

B

• Beneficial Owner — The natural person who ultimately owns or controls a company, behind any legal intermediaries.

C

• Corporate Identification Number· CIN — The 21-character alphanumeric code assigned to every Indian company at incorporation.
• Companies Act 2013 — The primary Indian legislation governing company incorporation, management, and dissolution.

D

• Director Identification Number· DIN — The 8-digit unique identifier assigned to every individual who serves as a director of an Indian company.
• Designated Partner Identification Number· DPIN — The LLP equivalent of DIN — unique identifier for designated partners of Limited Liability Partnerships.
• Dormant Company — A company that has declared inactivity under Section 455 of the Companies Act.
• Digital Signature Certificate· DSC — A cryptographic signing certificate required for signing MCA forms.

F

• Foreign Company Registration Number· FCRN — The identifier assigned to a foreign company that has established a place of business in India.
• Form MGT-7 (Annual Return)· MGT-7 — The annual return every Indian company must file with the ROC.
• Form AOC-4 (Financial Statements)· AOC-4 — The form used to file audited financial statements with the ROC.
• Form DIR-12 (Director Particulars)· DIR-12 — The form used to notify the ROC of director appointments, cessations, and changes.
• Form DIR-3 KYC· DIR-3 KYC — The annual KYC update that every DIN holder must file to keep their DIN active.
• Form SH-7 (Capital Changes)· SH-7 — The form used to notify the ROC of any change in a company's authorised share capital.
• Form INC-20A (Commencement of Business)· INC-20A — The declaration every new company must file before commencing business or exercising borrowing powers.

G

• Goods and Services Tax Identification Number· GSTIN — The 15-character identifier assigned to every GST-registered business.

L

• Limited Liability Partnership Identification Number· LLPIN — The identifier assigned to every Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) at registration.
• Liquidation — The formal winding-up of a company, realisation of its assets, and distribution to creditors and shareholders.
• Listed Company — A company whose shares are listed on a recognised stock exchange in India.

M

• Ministry of Corporate Affairs· MCA — The Government of India ministry that regulates Indian corporate law and company filings.
• MCA21 portal — The MCA's online statutory filing and master-data portal.
• Memorandum of Association· MOA — The constitutional document defining a company's name, objects, registered office state, and capital.
• Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation· MoSPI — The GoI ministry responsible for India's statistical system, including the NIC taxonomy.

N

• Nidhi Company — A mutual-benefit society in company form, regulated under Section 406 of the Companies Act.
• National Industrial Classification· NIC — India's 5-digit hierarchical classification of economic activities, maintained by MoSPI.

O

• One Person Company (OPC)· OPC — A company form that allows a single individual to incorporate a limited-liability entity.

P

• Paid-up Capital — The amount of share capital actually subscribed and paid by shareholders.
• Private Limited Company (PTC)· PTC — The default legal form for Indian companies — limited liability, restricted share transfer, 2–200 members.
• Public Limited Company (PLC)· PLC — A company permitted to offer shares to the public, subject to stricter governance under the Companies Act.
• Producer Company — A specialised company form for primary producers — farmers, horticulturists, forestry workers.
• Permanent Account Number· PAN — The 10-character tax identifier issued by the Income Tax Department.

R

• Registrar of Companies· ROC — The statutory authority for company registration and filings under the Companies Act 2013.

S

• SPICe+ (Incorporation form) — The unified online incorporation form for new Indian companies.
• Subscribed Capital — The portion of issued share capital that investors have agreed to take up.
• Securities Premium — The amount received by a company on issue of shares in excess of their face value.
• Section 8 Company — A non-profit company formed under Section 8 of the Companies Act for charitable or social purposes.
• Strike-off — The removal of a company's name from the Register of Companies.
• Section 165 (Director cap) — The Companies Act section that caps simultaneous directorships at 20, with at most 10 public companies.
• Small Company — A private company that meets specified paid-up capital and turnover thresholds.
• Significant Beneficial Owner· SBO — An individual with ultimate beneficial ownership above the SBO threshold, disclosed under Section 90.

T

• Tax Deduction Account Number· TAN — The 10-character identifier issued to entities that deduct or collect tax at source.