You have a company name on an invoice, a business card or a term sheet, and you want to know whether the company is real, who runs it, and whether it is still active. That is what an MCA company search is for — every company and LLP registered in India files with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, and a large part of that record is public.
This guide covers what you can search by, what each search actually returns, where the MCA portal stops being useful, and how to get the same information without an account.
What You Can Search By
| You know | What you can find |
|---|---|
| Company name (even partial) | CIN, status, incorporation date, registered address, directors |
| CIN or LLPIN | The exact company record, no ambiguity |
| Director name or DIN | Every company that director is or was on the board of |
| GSTIN | The trade name and the entity behind a GST number |
Name search is the usual starting point and also the messiest one. Indian company names repeat constantly — dozens of companies contain “Sharma Enterprises” or “Sunrise Technologies” — and the legal name on the register often differs from the brand you know. If you have the CIN, use it; it is unique and it ends the guesswork. Our guide to what a CIN is and how to read it breaks down the format.
What a Company Search Returns
A basic search gets you the master data record. Expect these fields:
- CIN — the 21-character corporate identity number
- Company status — Active, Dormant, Under Strike Off, Struck Off, Amalgamated or Under Liquidation
- Date of incorporation and the Registrar of Companies the entity falls under
- Registered office address and email on record
- Authorised and paid-up capital
- Company class and category — private or public, limited by shares or guarantee
- Directors with DINs and appointment dates
- Date of last annual return and balance sheet filed
That last field is the one experienced users read first. A company whose last balance sheet was filed three years ago is telling you something, whatever its status field says.
Reading the Results Like a Diligence Check
The record is only useful if you know which fields carry weight.
Status is not the whole story
“Active” means the company has not been struck off. It does not mean the company is trading, solvent or filing on time. Cross-check the last filing dates and, if it matters, the charges registered against the company. Our guide on Active, Struck Off and Dormant status goes through what each label allows.
Directors tell you about the network
Search the DIN rather than the company and you see every other board that person sits on. Shared directors across a cluster of dormant entities is a pattern worth noticing before you sign anything. See how to find who runs any Indian company.
Charges show who has a claim
The index of charges lists loans and mortgages secured against the company’s assets. If you are extending credit or buying assets, read it — details in our guide to checking a company’s loans and mortgages.
Where the MCA Portal Falls Short
The official register is the source of truth, but it is built for filing, not for research.
- Exact-ish name matching. Partial and fuzzy searches are unforgiving. Miss a “India” or a “Pvt” and you get nothing.
- One company at a time. There is no way to compare entities, list companies at an address, or export a set.
- Financials are locked behind documents. Master data shows capital, not revenue or profit. Actual numbers live inside filed AOC-4 attachments, which cost a fee per company to download.
- Access has tightened. In December 2025 the Ministry disabled no-login access to Company and LLP master data on the V3 portal. ICSI has formally asked for free public access to be restored, on the grounds that fast verification matters to professionals and third parties.
If you do need to file rather than look, our MCA V3 login and registration guide covers account types and the errors that block first-time registration.
Searching Without an MCA Account
The same filings are available through independent platforms that index MCA data. WeeDoo’s company search is free and needs no login: search by name or CIN, and you get status, incorporation date, registered address, capital, directors and last-filing dates on one page. Director search works the same way for DIN and director names.
For a GST number rather than a company name, start with GST number search and GSTIN verification.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is MCA company search free?
Master data has historically been free to view. Downloading filed documents through View Public Documents carries a prescribed fee. Since December 2025 the no-login route to master data on V3 has been restricted, which is why many people use free third-party search instead.
Can I find a company’s turnover from an MCA search?
Not from master data. Master data shows authorised and paid-up capital, which are not revenue. Turnover appears in the financial statements filed with AOC-4 — see how to find a company’s turnover using MCA data.
How do I check whether a company name is available for registration?
That is a different check — availability depends on trademark conflicts and MCA naming rules, not just on whether an identical name exists. See how to check company name availability.
How current is the data?
Master data reflects what the company has filed. A director who resigned last week shows until the company files DIR-12. Treat filing dates as the freshness signal.
The Short Version
Search by CIN when you have it and by name when you do not, then read the last-filing dates before you read the status field. If you are verifying a counterparty rather than filing a form, you do not need an MCA account at all — start with a free company search.
