Every company and LLP registered in India has a public record with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. That record is called master data, and it answers the questions you actually have about a business: is it real, is it still active, who is on the board, how much capital does it have, and when did it last file anything.
This guide explains every field in a master data record, how to read it when you are checking out a supplier or a client, where to view it now that the MCA has moved to the V3 portal, and what master data will never tell you.
What MCA Master Data Is
Master data is the summary record the MCA maintains for each registered entity, assembled from what the company itself has filed since incorporation. It is not a credit report, a rating or an opinion. It is the register: identity, status, address, capital, directors and filing history.
Because it is built from statutory filings, it is authoritative on the things companies are legally required to report — and silent on everything else.
Every Field, and What It Actually Means
| Field | What to read into it |
|---|---|
| CIN / LLPIN | The unique 21-character identity number. Encodes listing status, industry, state, year and registration number. |
| Company name | The legal name, which is often not the brand name on the website. |
| Date of incorporation | Real trading age. A company incorporated last month claiming a decade of experience is worth a second look. |
| Company status | Active, Dormant, Under Strike Off, Struck Off, Amalgamated, Under Liquidation. |
| Registered office address | The official address for legal notice. Not necessarily where anyone works. |
| Email on record | The address the MCA uses to reach the company. |
| Authorised capital | The ceiling on shares the company may issue. A number chosen on paper. |
| Paid-up capital | What shareholders actually put in. Usually the more informative of the two. |
| Class and category | Private or public; limited by shares or by guarantee. |
| ROC | Which Registrar of Companies the entity files with. |
| Directors and DINs | Current board with appointment dates. |
| Date of last AGM | Whether the company is holding meetings it is required to hold. |
| Date of last balance sheet filed | The single best freshness signal in the record. |
How to Read a Record for Due Diligence
Most people read the status field, see “Active”, and stop. That is the wrong order.
Read the filing dates first
“Active” only means the company has not been struck off the register. A company can be Active and have filed nothing for three years. If the last balance sheet is stale, treat everything else on the page as stale too. Persistent non-filing is also what precedes a strike-off, so it is a leading indicator, not a footnote.
Compare paid-up capital against the deal
Authorised capital is a formality. Paid-up capital is real money that went in. A company with ₹1,00,000 paid-up capital asking for a ₹2 crore advance is not automatically a problem, but it is a question. Our guide to authorised versus paid-up capital covers the distinction properly.
Follow the directors, not just the company
A DIN is attached to a person, not a company, so you can see every board that person sits on. A cluster of dormant or struck-off entities sharing directors is a pattern. See how to find who runs any Indian company and DIN search by name or PAN.
Check the charges before extending credit
The index of charges shows loans and mortgages secured against the company’s assets — in other words, who already has a claim ahead of you. See checking a company’s loans and mortgages.
Viewing Master Data on the MCA V3 Portal
The MCA has completed its move from the V2 portal to MCA21 V3. E-filing of the last 38 company e-forms was disabled on V2 on 18 June 2025 and those forms went live on V3 on 14 July 2025, with the legacy portal’s final decommissioning set for 30 June 2026. Any walkthrough written before mid-2025 describes screens that no longer exist.
There is a second change that matters more for anyone who just wants to look a company up. In December 2025 the Ministry switched off no-login access to Company and LLP master data on V3. The Institute of Company Secretaries of India has since made a formal representation asking for free public access to be restored, arguing that quick verification is essential for professionals, stakeholders and third parties. Whether you meet a login wall on mca.gov.in depends on when you visit.
If you do want an MCA account — because you also need to file forms or download filed documents — our MCA V3 login and registration guide covers the user tiers and the errors that block most first attempts.
Viewing Master Data Without an Account
The filings behind master data are public record, and they remain accessible through platforms that index them. WeeDoo’s company search is free and needs no login: search by company name or CIN and you get status, incorporation date, registered address, authorised and paid-up capital, directors and last-filing dates on a single page. Director search does the same for a DIN or a director’s name.
For step-by-step help on the search itself, see MCA company search.
What Master Data Does Not Tell You
Knowing the limits saves you from over-reading the record.
- Revenue, profit or turnover. Capital is not revenue. Financial figures sit inside the statements filed with AOC-4 — see how to find a company’s turnover using MCA data.
- Shareholding. Who owns what is disclosed in the annual return, not in master data.
- Employees, customers or operations. None of it is filed.
- Litigation or tax standing. Different registers entirely.
- GST registration. A separate system — start with GST number search and GSTIN verification.
- Real-time changes. The record reflects filings. A director who resigned last week appears until DIR-12 is filed.
LLP Master Data
LLPs have their own equivalent record. The structure is similar with different vocabulary: an LLPIN instead of a CIN, designated partners with DPINs instead of directors with DINs, and total contribution in place of share capital. Annual filings are Form 8 and Form 11 rather than AOC-4 and MGT-7.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is MCA master data free?
Viewing basic master data has historically been free. The open no-login route on V3 was disabled in December 2025 and ICSI has asked for it to be restored. Downloading filed documents through View Public Documents has always carried a prescribed fee. Free no-login alternatives such as WeeDoo company search index the same public filings.
What is the difference between master data and a company’s financial statements?
Master data is the summary register — identity, status, capital, directors. Financial statements are documents filed annually containing the actual numbers. Master data tells you the balance sheet was filed and when; the statement tells you what is in it.
How often is master data updated?
Whenever the company files something that changes it. There is no periodic refresh, which is why the last-filing dates matter so much.
Can I look up a company if I only know a director’s name?
Yes. Search the director and work back to their companies — see how to find a director’s master data.
What does “Under Strike Off” mean?
The Registrar has begun removing the company from the register, usually for prolonged non-filing. It is not yet struck off but is heading there. Our guide on company status explains each label.
Using Master Data Well
Read the filing dates before the status field, treat paid-up capital as the real number, follow the DINs when something feels off, and remember the record is silent on revenue and ownership. When you need to check an entity rather than file for one, search it free — no account required.
