Under the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has made it mandatory for all eligible Indian companies to file e-Form ACTIVE (Active Company Tagging Identities and Verification — INC-22A). The primary objective of this regulatory mandate is to prevent the proliferation of shell companies, strengthen corporate governance, and verify the physical authenticity of a company's registered office address alongside the active status of its appointed Directors.
If an eligible entity fails to file e-Form INC-22A within the prescribed timeline, the MCA automatically updates the company's Master Data status to "ACTIVE-Non-compliant". Operating under a non-compliant status restricts the company from executing essential corporate actions, including capital structure expansion, changes in directorship, or updating registered office credentials. Furthermore, restoring compliance after the due date requires the payment of a mandatory government late fee penalty of ₹10,000.
To ensure seamless filing approval, all underlying corporate records and statutory obligations must be updated and verified. This includes maintaining absolute financial transparency, valid Director identification records, and up-to-date annual filings with the Registrar of Companies (ROC). Our dedicated legal corporate experts provide end-to-end guidance to maintain uninterrupted regulatory standing. For complete corporate maintenance, explore our professional services such as Company Registration, Company Annual Filing, and Annual Filing with ROC.
This comprehensive regulatory guide has been authored, curated, and validated by Practicing Company Secretaries (CS) and Chartered Accountants (CA) at LegalDev to ensure full compliance with current Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) notifications and corporate laws.
Before initiating the Form INC-22A filing process, every company must verify its eligibility and prepare mandatory documentation in accordance with strict MCA parameters. Submitting incomplete or unverified information leads to instant portal rejection or technical queries from the Registrar of Companies.
If your entity requires tax audit validations during this compliance cycle, you can utilize our dedicated Business Tax Filing services.
Filing e-Form INC-22A is a precise technical procedure on the MCA portal involving data extraction, document attachment, OTP authentication, and digital signature verifications. Follow this systematic workflow to ensure successful status validation:
Form INC-22A, officially known as e-Form ACTIVE (Active Company Tagging Identities and Verification), is an online verification form mandated by the MCA to confirm the physical registered office address and active operational status of a company.
Filing e-Form INC-22A after the government-prescribed due date attracts a mandatory statutory late fee penalty of ₹10,000.
If a company fails to file INC-22A, the MCA marks its status as "ACTIVE-Non-compliant". Consequently, the company is blocked from filing forms such as SH-07 (Capital Change), PAS-03 (Share Allotment), DIR-12 (Director Change), and INC-22 (Address Change).
Yes, it is mandatory to attach high-resolution photos showing the external view of the office (with the company nameboard) and an internal view showing at least one Director seated in the office premises.
No, a company cannot file Form INC-22A until all of its Directors have active DIN status and their DIR-3 KYC compliance is clear.
The form must be digitally signed by one active Director using their Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) and certified by a practicing Chartered Accountant (CA), Company Secretary (CS), or Cost Accountant (CMA).
Yes, all pending annual returns and financial statements (Form AOC-4 and Form MGT-7) under Company Annual Filing must be fully completed before filing INC-22A.
Form INC-22A was applicable only to companies incorporated on or before 31st December 2017. Newly incorporated companies complete this office verification during incorporation via the SPICe+ form process.
No, an ACTIVE-Non-compliant company cannot file Form INC-22 (Change of Registered Office) until its status is restored to ACTIVE by paying the ₹10,000 penalty.
LegalDev's expert CAs and CSs verify your company records, review office photos and required documentation, and successfully complete the filing on the MCA portal without technical rejections. You can also contact our helpline for Business Tax Filing and GST Return Filing.