DIR-3 KYC — every director, once every three years by 30-Jun
Every DIN holder files DIR-3 KYC Web — from 31 March 2026, once every three financial years, by 30 June, not every 30 September as before. Directors who completed KYC by 31 March 2025 next file by 30 June 2028. A change of mobile, email or address must be updated within 30 days. Miss it and MCA deactivates the DIN.
The basics
DIR-3 KYC was introduced in FY 2018-19 to flush out shell companies and unverified directors. From 31 March 2026, every individual holding a DIN as on 31 March of a financial year files DIR-3 KYC Web once every three consecutive financial years, by 30 June. Until then it was annual, due 30 September.
Before 31 March 2026 there were two filing modes; both are now replaced by a single DIR-3 KYC Web form:
- DIR-3 KYC (eForm) — first-time filing, or any year with a change in mobile / email / address.
- DIR-3 KYC-Web — quick re-verification (no change in particulars). One-click web form with OTP verification on the registered mobile and email.
What you need to file
- DIN number.
- PAN (mandatory for resident; foreign nationals provide passport).
- Aadhaar (for residents; linked with PAN).
- Current personal mobile number — OTP verified.
- Personal email ID — OTP verified.
- Permanent and present address proof (utility bill / bank statement / passport copy, not older than 2 months).
- Photograph (passport-sized).
- Director's DSC (Class 3).
- Certification by a practicing CA / CS / CMA with their DSC.
Fee structure
| Scenario | Fee |
|---|---|
| Filed on / before the due date (30 June of the filing year) | NIL |
| After the due date (DIN deactivated) | ₹5,000 (no relief; same in any later year) |
There's no daily multiplier — it's a flat ₹5,000 the moment you miss the deadline. The "good" news for backlogs: filing today for a multi-year backlog still costs only ₹5,000 per director, not ₹5,000 per missed year.
What happens when DIN is deactivated
- Director cannot sign any MCA form. AOC-4, MGT-7, DPT-3, DIR-12 — all freeze.
- If the director is the only / authorised signatory, the entire company's filings halt.
- Banks check active DIN status for KYC of director-authorised accounts; some banks flag deactivated DIN accounts.
- The director cannot be appointed to a new company or get reappointed at AGM.
- The DIN deactivation cascades to every company the director is on — even if the director is dormant in some of them.
How to actually file (DIR-3 KYC-Web)
- Log in to MCA21 (V3 portal) using the director's own user ID — not the company secretary's.
- Go to MCA Services → Director Services → DIR-3 KYC Web.
- Enter DIN, system pulls registered mobile / email.
- OTP sent to mobile + email — enter both.
- Confirm captcha → submit.
- SRN generated → save the acknowledgement PDF.
- Done. No DSC needed for the web variant if no particulars are changing.
How to file the eForm DIR-3 KYC
- Download the eForm from MCA portal.
- Fill PAN, Aadhaar, current address, photograph attachment, ID + address proof attachment.
- Affix director's DSC.
- Get the form certified by a practicing CA / CS / CMA with their DSC.
- Upload to MCA21, pay fee (NIL if on time, ₹5,000 if late).
- Save SRN.
Foreign directors
Foreign nationals with a DIN file the same DIR-3 KYC eForm. Differences:
- Passport (instead of Aadhaar) — notarised and apostilled / consularised.
- Permanent address: home-country address with utility bill / equivalent.
- Mobile / email: any working international number / email; OTP from international SMS providers can be slow — plan for 24-hour buffer.
- Photograph and signature attestation by a notary in the country of residence.
For foreign directors of Indian subsidiaries, we typically batch-file all directors in mid-September to avoid mailing/courier hold-ups of apostilled documents.
Common defaults
- Director assumes "company secretary will file". The eForm must be filed by the director on the director's MCA login. CS / CA can prepare and certify, but the OTP arrives on the director's personal mobile / email.
- Old mobile / email on record. If the registered contact details are stale and you can't receive OTP, you must first file an eForm DIR-3 KYC (not the web variant) to update particulars. This takes 1-2 days.
- Losing track of the three-year cycle. Note the year your next KYC falls due (30 June 2028 for most directors who filed by 31 March 2025) and set a reminder for 1 June of that year.
- Dormant director assumes "no company = no need to file". Wrong. As long as you hold a DIN, you must file in each three-year cycle — even if you're not on any company.
- Spouse / family member's DIN. Often forgotten. If you incorporated a company with a family member as the second director, their DIN needs KYC too. Otherwise their deactivated DIN traps the company's filings.
Reactivating a deactivated DIN
File DIR-3 KYC eForm with the ₹5,000 fee. SRN is generated, DIN is reactivated typically within 24-48 hours. If the deactivation is older than ~3 years and the director has been wholly inactive, MCA sometimes triggers manual verification — expect a 7-10 day wait and possibly a call from the ROC office.
Bottom line
DIR-3 KYC is now the lightest MCA filing of all — once in three years, on a short web form. Yet it's the most common default because it's personal to the director, not the company, and nobody owns it in the CS workflow. Put the due year and 30 June in the director's own calendar. The ₹5,000 fee + cascading late fees on every other company filing aren't worth the 60 seconds you saved.
Related
S A Mohammed Inamul Hasan
part of the Finclar team, leads the ROC compliance practice. Personally manages DIR-3 KYC for ~150 directors across Tamil Nadu companies and foreign directors of Indian subsidiaries.