Recovering Indian Shares and IEPF Holdings from the USA
If your family held Indian shares and the certificates, dividends or folios have gone quiet, you can recover them from the United States without flying to India. We handle the registrar correspondence, the IEPF filing and the documentation from our office in Gurugram.
The first assessment is free. There is no advance professional fee: we charge an agreed percentage once the shares are credited to your demat account.
Claims from the United States, handled from our Gurugram office · Reviewed 21 September 2026
Why so many Indian holdings sit unclaimed in American households
Two generations of Indian migration to the US produced the same pattern twice. Parents who stayed in India bought shares on paper in the 1980s and 1990s; children who settled in the US inherit certificates for companies they have never dealt with, held by registrars they have never heard of. Where dividends went unclaimed for seven years, the company transferred both the money and the shares to the Investor Education and Protection Fund.
The second pattern is the shareholder’s own: people who bought Indian shares before emigrating, left an Indian address on the folio, and have had no contact from the company since. Nothing is lost in either case. The holding still exists, usually larger than expected after decades of bonus issues and splits, and there is a defined route back.
Getting American documents accepted in India
The United States has been party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention since 1981, and India joined in 2005. That makes authentication straightforward: a document you sign in the US is notarised locally and then apostilled, and no Indian consulate attestation is needed on top.
Apostilles on notarised documents are issued by the Secretary of State of the state where the notarisation took place, so a New Jersey notarisation is apostilled in Trenton and a California one in Sacramento. Federal documents go to the US Department of State. Send the original apostilled document to India; registrars want originals, not scans.
What you will need
- Affidavit-cum-NOC and indemnity bond, signed before a US notary and apostilled by that state
- Passport, OCI card if you hold one, and PAN — the name should read the same on all three
- Proof of your US address for KYC
- A demat account in India, usually linked to an NRO account, opened before the claim is filed
Where the shares land, and moving money out
Recovered shares are credited to an Indian demat account. Shares inherited or bought while you were resident in India are generally held on a non-repatriable basis, which in practice means an NRO-linked account; your bank will confirm what applies to you.
From NRO balances, NRIs can remit up to USD 1 million per financial year, with Form 15CA and a chartered accountant’s certificate in Form 15CB. Separately, US persons have their own reporting to think about — FBAR on foreign financial accounts and Form 8938 thresholds — so speak to a cross-border tax adviser before you sell anything.
What we handle
Questions from the USA
Do I need to travel to India to claim shares or IEPF holdings?
No. Documents are signed and notarised where you live, apostilled by the state, and couriered to India. The shares are credited to your Indian demat account. Where something must be done in person, a power of attorney to someone in India generally covers it.
Can a US citizen of Indian origin claim inherited Indian shares?
Yes. Inheritance of Indian securities by a person of Indian origin is permitted, and the shares are usually held on a non-repatriable basis in an NRO-linked demat account. Your bank applies the FEMA rules to your specific status.
How long does an IEPF claim from the USA take?
The rules give the company 30 days to verify a claim and the IEPF Authority 60 days after that. In practice it runs longer, and the slow part is usually company verification rather than anything on your side.
What if my parent died in India and the shares are in their name?
That is transmission rather than an IEPF claim, unless the shares have already moved to IEPF. Under SEBI's July 2026 framework, holdings up to ₹10 lakh per company need an indemnity bond and an affidavit-cum-NOC from the other heirs, with no court document.
What do you charge?
Nothing for the assessment and nothing in advance. An agreed percentage of the recovered value is charged after the shares are credited. Statutory costs — stamp duty, notarisation, apostille fees, any court fee — are paid by you at actuals.