Know Your Customer (KYC) is a one-time process that verifies an investor’s identity before making mutual fund investments. To check your KYC status, you must visit a SEBI-registered KRA website like CVL KRA, NSE KRA, or CAMS KRA and enter your PAN number. Once you're KYC-verified, you can invest seamlessly across any mutual fund platform without repeating the process.
Know Your Customer (KYC) is a verification process carried out by financial institutions to confirm the identity of their customers. It helps reduce the risk of illegal financial activities like money laundering. As part of regulatory compliance, KYC is mandatory before carrying out any financial transaction, especially for opening bank accounts or investing in mutual funds.
The primary objective of KYC is ensuring that deposits/investments are made in the name of a real person. Also, it helps in curbing black money. Hence, KYC procedure is something that all mutual fund investors have to adhere to via a KYC Registration Agency (KRA). A SEBI-registered entity, KRA holds investors’ information in a single database that all fund houses and intermediaries have access to.
CAMS, NSE, and KDMS are a few agencies that most investors are familiar with. SEBI later announced a common Know Your Client process to bring uniformity and consistency across SEBI-registered intermediaries. It became easy for portfolio managers, mutual fund companies, venture capital funds, and stockbrokers, among others to hinder duplication of KYC documents. This makes it easier for investors to comply with it.
To check your KYC status, visit the official website of a SEBI-registered KYC Registration Agency (KRA). These agencies maintain a central database of investor KYC records. Enter your PAN to check if you are KYC compliant or not.
Popular KRA websites include CVL KRA (CDSL Ventures Limited), NSE KRA, and CAMS KRA. You can easily check your KYC status online by visiting. Follow the steps below:
Your KYC status will be displayed on the screen as one of the following:
If your KYC is verified, you can start investing in mutual funds immediately. If it is on hold or rejected, you may need to re-submit the documents or provide additional information.
Investors need to submit the following documents along with their Know Your Client application form and a passport size photograph.
The mutual fund industry has nominated and authorised CDSL Ventures Limited to conduct the Know Your Customer procedure. You can complete the process, either offline or online.
If you have Aadhaar card, then you can opt for Aadhaar-based KYC. You may request an official from the fund house or agency to visit you to collect the details. Submit a copy of your Aadhaar to the fund house or broker or distributor, and they will map your fingerprints on their scanner and link it to the Aadhaar database. By matching the fingerprint to that in the database, your details there will pop up. This means that they have validated your KYC before proceeding with your mutual fund investment.
To do your KYC process manually, an investor needs to visit a KRA for the paperwork or send the documents by post, this can be tedious and will take a minimum of seven working days. However, you may complete your KYC online with ClearTax Invest, which will take only two minutes. The entire investment process can be completed within seven minutes. The company will not use the information you provide for any other purpose.
Being KYC compliant offers several benefits that make your mutual fund investment journey more secure:
Completing your KYC is the first step toward investing in mutual funds in India. It ensures regulatory compliance and protects against financial fraud. With both online and offline options available, getting KYC compliant is now quicker and easier than ever. Make sure to check your KYC status and complete the verification process to start your investment journey with confidence.