Unclaimed Shares Search by Folio Number: IEPF, Company and Registrar Lookups
A folio number is the strongest thing you can search with. Here is where to find it, the three places it unlocks, and what to do if you do not have one.
What a folio number is, and where to find it
A folio number is the shareholder’s account number in a company’s register of members. Each company gives its own, so a family that held ten companies has ten folio numbers.
For shares held on paper, it is printed on the share certificate, next to the certificate number and the distinctive numbers. It also appears on dividend warrants, on letters from the company or its registrar, and on the address slip of annual reports that arrived by post.
For shares held in demat, the equivalent is the DP ID and client ID: for NSDL accounts, a DP ID beginning with “IN” followed by an 8-digit client ID; for CDSL accounts, a single 16-digit number. Both are on any demat statement.
Three places a folio number unlocks
- The IEPF search facility. At www.iepfa.gov.in, one of the three search methods is by company name with a demat ID or folio number — for shares already transferred to the IEPF. Step-by-step guide.
- The company’s investor page. Listed companies publish unpaid and unclaimed dividends year by year, and many let you search by folio number or by DP ID and client ID. This finds money that has not yet reached the IEPF, which is far easier to claim.
- The registrar’s investor services. Registrars run lookups for the companies they serve. KFin Technologies, for example, has an “Unclaimed Data” page on its investor site where you enter a folio number, or a DP ID and client ID, to see unpaid dividends and shares liable for transfer to the IEPF. MUFG Intime runs SWAYAM, a self-service portal for investors. Which registrar serves a company.
What a folio search tells you
- Unpaid dividends, year by year — each a reason the shares are at risk of moving to the IEPF.
- Shares liable for transfer — if your folio is on this list, act before the transfer date. What to do with a transfer notice.
- Shares already transferred — recoverable on Form IEPF-5. How an IEPF claim works.
- What the folio holds today — after bonuses, splits and demergers, often much more than the certificate shows. A registrar can confirm this. What old certificates are worth.
If you do not have a folio number
- Ask the registrar. Write with the holder’s name, the address at the time and the company name; registrars can usually trace the folio.
- Search by name instead. Searching unclaimed shares by name.
- If the certificate is lost, the folio still exists — the holding is not lost with the paper, and a duplicate can be issued. Lost share certificates.
Sources
- IEPF Authority, “Your Money, Your Right” — Frequently Asked Questions (June 2026): the search facility, its three search methods, and that filing a claim is free.
- Companies Act, 2013, section 124(5) and 124(6): transfer of unclaimed dividends, and of shares whose dividends go unclaimed for seven consecutive years, to the IEPF.
- KFin Technologies, “Unclaimed Data” on its investor site; MUFG Intime, SWAYAM investor self-service portal.
Our Step-by-Step Process
Send the folio number
Or a photograph of the certificate, dividend warrant or company letter it appears on.
We check every record
The IEPF facility, the company’s unpaid dividend lists, and the registrar.
You learn what it holds
Shares, unpaid dividends, anything transferred to the IEPF, and the value today.
Recover it if you want
No advance fee: we are paid only when the shares reach your demat account.
The Global Equity Solutions Advantage
Folio traced across corporate actions
Bonuses, splits, mergers and demergers, so you see the full entitlement.
Before and after the IEPF
We check company records as well as the IEPF, so nothing is missed.
Lost certificates handled
A missing certificate does not end the claim; we arrange duplicates where needed.
Free check
No charge to check a folio, and no obligation afterwards.
Ready to recover your assets?
Free initial assessment — zero commitment.
Send us a folio number — we check it free
Common Questions Answered
Yes. The IEPF search facility accepts a company name with a folio number or demat ID, and many companies and registrars let you search unpaid dividends by folio.
On the share certificate, next to the certificate and distinctive numbers; on dividend warrants; on letters from the company or registrar; and on the address slip of annual reports sent by post.
No. Each company assigns its own folio number, so you need the right one for each company.
The DP ID and client ID: for NSDL, a DP ID beginning with “IN” plus an 8-digit client ID; for CDSL, a single 16-digit number.
Write to the company’s registrar with the holder’s name, the address at the time and the company name, or search by name in the IEPF facility. Search by name.
No. The folio and the holding remain on the company’s register, and a duplicate certificate can be issued. Lost share certificates.
Enter the folio number on the company’s unpaid dividend page or the registrar’s lookup — such as KFin Technologies’ “Unclaimed Data” page — to see unpaid dividends year by year. For dividends already with the IEPF, search the IEPF facility by company name with the folio number.
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