IEPF Indemnity Bond for Form IEPF-5: Format and Filing

To claim shares or dividends from the IEPF, file Form IEPF-5 on the MCA portal, which then generates an indemnity bond. Sign it with two witnesses, on stamp paper where needed, and post it to the company’s Nodal Officer with your documents. After the company verifies the claim, the IEPF Authority credits the shares or pays the money.

Key facts

When shares go to the IEPF

Under Section 124(5) of the Companies Act, 2013, dividend lying unpaid in a company’s Unpaid Dividend Account for seven years moves to the Investor Education and Protection Fund. Section 124(6) adds that shares on which no dividend has been paid or claimed for seven consecutive years also move to the Fund. If you claimed a dividend in any year of that period, the shares stay with you.

Under Rule 6 of the IEPF Rules, the company must write to you at your latest known address at least three months before the transfer and publish a newspaper notice. If your address on record is out of date, you may never see the letter. The proviso to Section 124(6) lets you claim the shares back.

Before you file

Form IEPF-5: online filing steps

1. Log in to the MCA portal as a registered user.
2. Go to MCA services, then IEPF related services, then “IEPF-5 Web Form-Claiming unpaid amounts & shares”.
3. Answer whether the company issued an entitlement letter, and upload it if it did.
4. Enter your details, verify your mobile number by OTP, and verify your PAN.
5. Enter the company’s CIN, the type of claim (amount, shares, or both), and the folio or demat account from which the transfer was made.
6. For dividend claims, add the year-wise amounts. Up to 15 folios and 15 year-wise claims are allowed.
7. Enter your demat account and click Validate so that the bank details fill in.
8. Attach the client master list (CML) or transaction statement, share certificate details and a cheque copy, each in PDF or JPG up to 2 MB.
9. Submit the form and note the SRN.
10. Download the acknowledgement and the generated indemnity bond.

Indemnity bond: components, stamp value and signatures

The bond is addressed to the IEPF Authority, Ground Floor, Jeevan Vihar Building, 3 Sansad Marg, New Delhi 110001. It records the amount and number of shares claimed, the company and the financial years. Through it, you promise to indemnify the Authority up to that amount if anyone else later makes a valid claim.

Stamp paper

Share registrar instructions say the bond must be franked, carry special adhesive stamps, or be reproduced on non-judicial stamp paper. The value follows the Stamp Act of the state where you live. Two rates we confirmed:

Other states differ; check with your state’s registration department. For claims of dividend only, companies such as Reliance Industries accept the bond on plain paper when the amount is below ₹10,000. Claims involving shares need stamp paper.

Signing

• Every claimant registered on the folio or demat account signs.
• Two witnesses sign with their full names and addresses.
• Date and place of signing are filled in, and are the same for claimants and witnesses.
• Buy the stamp paper in the claimant’s name. One registrar asks that the bond be signed within six months of buying the paper.
• NRIs usually need the bond apostilled.

Other documents to send

Companies publish their own lists. A typical set:

• Self-attested copy of the filed IEPF-5 and its acknowledgement.
• The original, signed indemnity bond.
• Self-attested PAN and Aadhaar of each claimant (passport, OCI or PIO for NRIs).
• Original share certificates, for physical shares.
• Demat transaction statement showing the debit to IEPF, for demat shares.
• Original cancelled cheque with your name printed, or an attested passbook copy.
• Client master list of your demat account.
• The entitlement letter, if the company issued one.

An “advance receipt” appears in older company lists. The rule’s reference to advance receipts was removed in 2021, and the current form generates only the acknowledgement and the bond. Send one only if the company asks. Lost certificates, name or address mismatches and transmission cases need extra affidavits or court documents. A lawyer or company secretary can help if the claim is large or disputed; see also claiming a deceased relative’s assets.

Sending the documents to the company’s Nodal Officer

1. Find the Nodal Officer’s name and email on the company’s website; the rules require the company to display them.
2. Post the documents to the company’s registered office, marked for the Nodal Officer. Writing “Claim for refund from IEPF Authority” on the envelope is the practice described in the IEPF Authority’s 2026 consultation paper.
3. Keep the postal receipt and upload it on the MCA portal against your SRN.

Timeline and tracking the claim

Under Rule 7(3), the company has 30 days from receiving the claim to file an online e-verification report. A late report costs the company ₹50 a day, up to ₹2,500. If the report and documents do not reach the Authority within 60 days of filing, it may reject the claim after giving you 15 days to respond.

Once a complete report arrives, the Authority has 60 days to decide. If it finds defects, you get 15 days to fix them. Approved shares go to your demat account; amounts go to your bank account.

In January 2026 the IEPF Authority released draft rules for comment until 27 February 2026. They proposed 45 days for company verification and simpler documents for low-value claims. We could not confirm that these have been notified, so the 30-day rule above still applies.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I get the indemnity bond for IEPF Form 5?

The MCA portal generates it with the acknowledgement once you submit Form IEPF-5.

What stamp paper value is needed for the IEPF indemnity bond?

The value set by the Stamp Act of your state, for example ₹500 in Maharashtra. Small dividend-only claims below ₹10,000 are often accepted on plain paper.

Does the IEPF indemnity bond need notarisation?

The generated bond needs signatures of all claimants and two witnesses. Notarised affidavits are needed only in special cases, such as name mismatches or lost certificates.

What documents are required with Form IEPF-5?

The signed bond, form and acknowledgement, PAN and Aadhaar, a cancelled cheque, your client master list, and share certificates or a demat statement.

Is there a fee to file Form IEPF-5?

No. The MCA instruction kit states that fee rules do not apply.

How long does an IEPF claim take?

The company has 30 days to verify, and the Authority has 60 days after a complete report, plus any time spent fixing defects.

Can a legal heir claim shares from the IEPF?

Yes. Complete transmission with the company first, get the entitlement letter, then file Form IEPF-5.

Sources

• The Companies Act, 2013 (Section 124) — India Code (checked 16 Sep 2026)
• Instruction Kit for Form No. IEPF-5 (MCA, March 2026 version), hosted by a listed company (checked 16 Sep 2026)
• Rule 7, IEPF Authority Rules, 2016 as amended — ca2013.com (checked 16 Sep 2026)
• MCA notification of 6 October 2025 substituting Form IEPF-5 — Mehta & Mehta (checked 16 Sep 2026)
• Notice inviting comments on draft rules for refund process, 28 January 2026 — IEPF Authority (checked 16 Sep 2026)
• Documents required with Form IEPF-5 — Reliance Industries (checked 16 Sep 2026)
• IEPF indemnity bond format and instructions — MUFG Intime (registrar) (checked 16 Sep 2026)
• Schedule I, Maharashtra Stamp Act — IGR Maharashtra (checked 16 Sep 2026)
• Karnataka Stamp Act, 1957 as amended — Government of Karnataka (checked 16 Sep 2026)