Documents Required to Open a Demat Account

 

 

Overview

A Demat account holds your shares and securities in electronic format. You need to select a depository participant (DP), which can be banks, financial institutions, brokers, or any entity authorised by SEBI to open your Demat account. Once you’ve chosen your trusted DP, you can proceed to read all the terms and regulations to understand the documents required to initiate your account opening process.

Eligibility to Open a Demat Account

A person can open a demat account if they are:

  • Resident individuals
  • Minors
  • Non-resident Indians

In the case of minors, the account is to be operated by a guardian/parent till the minor turns 18.

Non-individuals in the following categories are also eligible to open a Demat account:

  • Corporate entities
  • Partnership firms, with the Demat account in the partner's name
  • Registered/unregistered trusts, the Demat account being in the name of the trustees
  • Registered/Unregistered societies, with the Demat account being in the name of the members
  • An Association of Persons (AOP)
  • Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)

Banks and mutual funds can also open Demat account. Foreign Institutional Investors and Foreign Portfolio Investors can open trading accounts.

Types of Documents Required for Demat Account Opening

Documentation requirements for demat account opening process are as follows.

  • A proof of identity
  • A proof of address
  • A proof of income

Other required documents include:

  • Bank account proof, such as a cancelled cheque or passbook
  • Recent passport-sized photograph

List of Documents Qualifying Identity Proof.

Any government registered document is identity proof. Here are some options:

  • Your PAN card with a valid photograph
  • Any document with a Unique Identification Number (UID), such as Aadhaar, passport, voter ID card, or driving license
  • Your ration card, provided it contains your photograph
  • Any identity card or document containing your photo, issued by one of the following bodies:
    1. Central or State Government
    2. statutory or regulatory authorities
    3. Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs)
    4. scheduled commercial banks
    5. Public Financial Institutions

University-affiliated college credit cards or debit cards Member IDs issued by professional bodies like ICAI, ICSI, ICWAI, or the Bar Council.

List of Documents Qualifying as Address proof

Documents required as address proof to open your Demat account are:

  • Your passport
  • Your voter’s card
  • Your ration card
  • Any registered lease or sale agreement of current residence
  • Your driver’s license
  • Any utility bill with your address, provided they’re not older than three. months from the application date
  • An insurance copy
  • A copy of your bank account statement or passbook, not more than three months older than the date of application date
  • Government or statutory authority document
  • Address proof issued by one of the following:
    1. Bank managers of commercial banks, co-operative banks, or multinational foreign banks
    2. Any gazetted officer
    3. A notary public
    4. Legislative Assembly or the Parliament represent
  • Any identity card or document containing your address, issued by:
    1. Central or state government and Statutory or regulatory authorities
    2. Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs)
    3. scheduled commercial banks
    4. Public financial institutions
    5. University-affiliated colleges.

Professional bodies like the ICAI, the ICWAI, the ICSI, or the Bar Council A high court or supreme court judge needs to give a self-declaration of the new address for opening a Demat account. Address proof in the spouse’s name is acceptable.

List of Documents Qualifying as Proof of Income

Examples of income proving documents are:

  • Income Tax Return copy, as submitted to the Income Tax Department
  • A Net Worth Certificate certified by a Chartered Accountant
  • Salary proof Demat account holdings statement with other Depository Participant
  • A current bank account statement showing the history of past six months income before the date of application

Documents Needed to Open a Demat Account for a Minor

IIFL offers you the facility to open a demat account for a minor. The minor is required to be the sole holder of the account, meaning that no joint holders or nominees can be appointed. Furthermore, the account of the minor can only be operated by the parent or guardian concerned.

In case you’re planning to open an online demat account in the name of your minor child, you’ll need to produce the relevant documents to proceed with this undertaking. Here’s what we require.

Documents Required to Open Minor Demat Account

  • A copy of the minor’s PAN card
  • A copy of the minor’s birth certificate
  • A copy of the PAN card of the guardian, with the photo clearly visible
  • ny proof of bank accounts held in the name of the minor
  • Any proof of address of the guardian

Only the minor’s father or mother can be considered as a guardian. In case the guardian’s relationship with the minor is not parental, then the said guardian should have been appointed by a court order.

Attestation of Documents Needed to Open a Demat Account

Here’s a list of people who are authorised to attest to your proof:

  • Authorized officials of overseas branches of scheduled commercial banks that are registered in India
  • The manager of the branch of any public sector Indian bank located in your area of residence
  • A notary public
  • Any court magistrate
  • A judge
  • An Indian Embassy or the Consulate General in the country where you residence

The documents should be attested with the name, designation, and seal affixed on the copy of the relevant document.

A a non-resident Indian wating to open a demat account with an India based DP has to choose between non-resident external or non-resident ordinary. The documents required are listed here:

  • proof of your Indian address proof, required in the case of an NRO account
  • proof of your foreign address proof, required compulsorily in both cases
  • Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS) letter issued by the RBI
  • copy of your PAN card

Any proof of your bank, indicating NRE or NRO savings account.

If bank proofs don’t mention the account category (whether NRE or NRO), a verification letter is required from the bank. Any qualified entity should attest to all copies of KYC documents.

Conclusion

After having these documents ready, you can open a Demat account and begin your investing/trading journey. The process of your application gets quicker, faster and smoother by having the documents ready.

Frequently Asked Questions Expand All

Ans: Yes. Linking a bank account with a Demat account is compulsory. You will need to give your bank details at the time of the Demat account opening.

Ans: Yes, a parent or a guardian can trade on behalf of the minor, but only in equity delivery trades. SEBI doesn’t allow intraday trading using a minor’s Demat account.

 

Ans: The investor must submit a cancelled cheque and two photographs to provide bank details.