How to check if someone is SEBI registered

Who needs a SEBI registration

• Stock brokers (the company that places your trades). Registration numbers start with INZ.
• Investment advisers, who give personal advice for a fee. Registration numbers start with INA.
• Research analysts, who publish buy, sell or hold calls and research reports. Registration numbers start with INH.
• Portfolio managers, who manage your money for you. Registration numbers start with INP.
• Mutual fund distributors are different: they hold an ARN from AMFI, which you can check on the AMFI website.

Check it in five steps

1. 1Ask for the exact registered name and the SEBI registration number. A genuine intermediary shares both readily.
2. 2Open sebi.gov.in yourself (type the address; do not use a link someone sent you). Go to Intermediaries / Market Infrastructure Institutions, then Recognised Intermediaries.
3. 3Choose the category (for example Investment Advisers or Research Analysts) and search by name or registration number.
4. 4Match every detail: name, registration number, address, email and phone number, and that the registration is currently valid.
5. 5Contact the entity using the phone number or email shown on SEBI's site, and confirm that the person who approached you really works for them.

Check where the money goes

Fraudsters often copy the name and registration number of a real registered entity. The registration can be genuine while the person using it is not.

Pay only to a bank account or UPI ID in the registered entity's own name, never to a personal account. Since October 2025, SEBI-registered intermediaries that collect money from investors use validated UPI handles containing "@valid", and SEBI's "SEBI Check" tool lets you verify an intermediary's bank account and UPI ID before you pay.

Registration is not a guarantee

• A registered adviser or analyst is still not allowed to promise or guarantee returns.
• Registration means the person is accountable to SEBI. It does not mean their advice will make money.
• Be careful if a registered name is being used on Telegram or WhatsApp groups. Confirm through the contact details on SEBI's site.

If it does not match

• Do not pay and do not share OTPs, passwords or screen-sharing access.
• For a complaint against a registered intermediary, use SEBI's SCORES portal (scores.sebi.gov.in).
• If you have lost money to fraud, call the national cybercrime helpline 1930 as soon as possible and file a report at cybercrime.gov.in. Speed matters for freezing the money.
• Keep screenshots of chats, payment receipts and account details.

Common questions