Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) Registration in India
An LEI is a 20-character code that identifies your company in financial transactions worldwide. In India it is issued by Legal Entity Identifier India Limited, and without a valid one your bank can refuse to renew a facility, process a ₹50 crore transfer, or let you deal in the markets at all. Apply below — we check your eligibility, prepare the file and run it through to the code.
What changed on 27 March 2026
The Reserve Bank issued the Master Direction – Reserve Bank of India (Unique Identifiers in Financial Markets) Directions, 2026, notification FMRD.MIOD.10/11.01.057/2025-26. It consolidated five separate LEI circulars going back to 2017 into one instrument, and the LEI section came into force the day it was issued.
Two things in it matter to ordinary companies rather than only to banks:
A USD 1 million trigger for foreign exchange
Under paragraph 4(2), a user or client doing a non-derivative foreign exchange transaction of USD 1 million or more, or the equivalent in another currency, needs an LEI. That is a far lower bar than the ₹50 crore figure most companies have in mind, and it catches mid-sized importers, exporters and companies remitting to a foreign parent.
Roughly ₹9 crore, not ₹50 croreA lapsed LEI is treated as no LEI
Paragraph 5(4) requires participants to keep the LEI current under the global system, and says an entity without one shall not be eligible to undertake transactions in RBI-regulated financial markets. There is no grace period written into the Direction. An LEI that quietly expired on its anniversary is, for this purpose, the same as never having had one.
Renewal is not optionalWhat the Master Direction did not replace. It consolidates the financial-markets circulars only. The separate RBI requirements for borrowers and for large-value payments continue to apply on their own terms, and are set out in the next section.
Do you need an LEI? Four separate triggers
These are independent. Hitting any one of them means you need a code, and they are all confined to non-individual entities — companies, LLPs, firms, trusts, societies, co-operatives.
| Trigger | Threshold | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Borrowing from banks, NBFCs or HFCs | Aggregate exposure of ₹5 crore and above — fund-based plus non-fund-based, credit plus investment, taking the higher of sanctioned limit or outstanding. Phased in from 30 April 2023 to 30 April 2025; all phases have passed. | RBI/2022-23/34, DOR.CRE.REC.28/21.04.048/2022-23, dated 21 April 2022 |
| RTGS or NEFT payments | ₹50 crore and above per transaction, by any non-individual customer, whether sending or receiving. The LEI travels inside the payment message. | RBI/2020-21/82, DPSS.CO.OD No.901/06.24.001/2020-21, dated 5 January 2021, effective 1 April 2021 |
| Cross-border transactions through your AD bank | ₹50 crore and above per transaction, capital or current account, for resident entities. Once you hold an LEI it must be quoted on all your AD bank transactions, whatever their size. | A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 20 dated 10 December 2021, applicable from 1 October 2022 |
| Dealing in RBI-regulated markets | Any non-individual participant in government securities, money market instruments, foreign exchange instruments or derivatives. For non-derivative forex, the requirement bites at USD 1 million or equivalent. | Master Direction FMRD.MIOD.10/11.01.057/2025-26, dated 27 March 2026, paras 4(1) and 4(2) |
The borrowing one is the one that catches people. ₹5 crore of aggregate exposure is not a large company. If you do not have an LEI, the circular says no new exposure may be sanctioned and no existing facility may be renewed or enhanced — so the problem surfaces at renewal, usually with no notice and at the worst possible moment. Central and State Government departments are exempt; their PSUs registered under the Companies Act are not.
What the code actually is
An LEI is a 20-character alphanumeric code built to ISO 17442. It identifies one legal entity, globally and permanently — it does not change if you move bank, change address or rename. The code itself carries no meaning you need to decode, but it is structured:
Behind the code sits a public record: your legal name, registered address, legal form, registration authority and registration number, and — this is the part that creates the paperwork — your ownership relationships. The global system asks who your direct parent is and who your ultimate parent is, wherever any entity holds more than 50%. That is why the application needs your shareholding, not just your incorporation certificate.
Who issues it in India. Legal Entity Identifier India Limited (LEIL), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Clearing Corporation of India, is the GLEIF-accredited Local Operating Unit headquartered in India and is recognised by the RBI as an issuer under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007. The code is issued by LEIL whoever prepares the file for you — agents and consultants differ only in what they charge and how much of the work they do.
LEIL's fee, and ours
Two costs, and they are separate. LEIL's fee goes to the issuer and is published on their site. Our fee covers preparing and running the application. An LEI runs for one year from issue, so the multi-year plans below are simply the renewals prepaid.
LEIL's published fee
5 years
₹2,660
per year
Total ₹13,300
4 years
₹2,762.50
per year
Total ₹11,050
3 years
₹2,883.33
per year
Total ₹8,650
2 years
₹3,075
per year
Total ₹6,150
1 year
₹3,500
per year
Total ₹3,500
LEIL's published plans, plus 18% GST. The same plans cover a new application and a renewal. Fees are set by LEIL and revised from time to time — we confirm the current figure before you pay anything.
TAXAJ's professional fee
| Service | Our fee | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| New LEI application | ₹2,500 plus GST and LEIL's fee | Eligibility check against the four triggers, document preparation, ownership and parent-entity mapping, filing with LEIL, follow-up through queries to code issue |
| LEI renewal | ₹2,500 plus GST and LEIL's fee | Annual data revalidation, updating any change in name, address or shareholding, renewal filing before the anniversary date, confirmation of the refreshed record |
If you do not need an LEI, we will say so on the first call. Three of the four triggers are value-based, and plenty of companies are told they need a code when nothing they do crosses a threshold. The eligibility check costs you nothing.
What to have ready
Five things. Have them to hand and the form below takes a few minutes; chase them afterwards and the application sits waiting.
How it runs, start to code
- You submit the form belowEntity details, the stakeholder contacts, your Registration ID and the documents. It takes a few minutes with the papers to hand.
- We check eligibility and the fileWhich of the four triggers applies to you, whether you need one at all, and whether the shareholding and parent position is going to raise a query. We come back to you on anything missing before it goes anywhere.
- Application filed with LEILWe submit against your entity with the supporting documents, and you pay LEIL's fee for the plan term you have chosen.
- LEIL validates and raises any queriesEntity data is checked against the registry and the parent relationships against the global system. We answer the queries; you only hear from us if something genuinely needs your decision.
- Code issued, and diarised for renewalYour 20-character LEI is issued and published in the global index. We note the anniversary date and come back to you before it, because a lapsed code counts as no code.
Start your LEI application
Fill this in and we take it from here. Nothing is filed with LEIL until we have confirmed with you that you need a code and the file is complete.
Form not loading? Open it in a new tab, or send the documents on WhatsApp 8802912345 and we will fill it with you.
Renewal — the part that catches people out
An LEI is valid for one year from issue. Renewal is not a formality: the data behind the code has to be revalidated, so a change of registered office, a change of name, or a shift in shareholding has to be reflected before the record will refresh.
What lapsing actually costs you
- In RBI-regulated markets, the March 2026 Direction says an entity without a current LEI is not eligible to transact
- A lender can decline to renew or enhance a facility until the code is live again
- A ₹50 crore RTGS or NEFT payment can be held up
- Your record shows as lapsed in the public global index, which counterparties can see
How we keep it from happening
- Anniversary date recorded when the code is issued
- We come to you ahead of it rather than waiting to be asked
- Changes in name, address or shareholding since last year picked up at the same time
- Multi-year plans available if you would rather not think about it annually
Already holding a lapsed LEI, or one issued by someone you have lost touch with? We can renew an existing code and, where needed, transfer it so it sits with us for future years. Use the form above and pick the matching application type.
Frequently asked
Is an LEI mandatory for every company in India?
No. It is mandatory only once one of the four triggers applies — ₹5 crore of aggregate borrowing, a ₹50 crore RTGS or NEFT payment, a ₹50 crore cross-border transaction, or dealing in RBI-regulated markets, where non-derivative forex bites at USD 1 million. A company below all four does not need one. Individuals are outside all of these.
How long does it take to get an LEI?
With complete documents and a clean shareholding position, it is usually a matter of days rather than weeks. What stretches it is a registered address that does not match the registry, an unclear parent-company position, or an authorised signatory who cannot be reached for verification. We check all three before filing.
What does an LEI cost in total?
LEIL's own fee starts at ₹3,500 for a single year and works out cheaper per year on the longer plans, down to ₹2,660 a year on the five-year plan, plus 18% GST. Our professional fee is shown in the fees table above and is separate. There is no government levy beyond LEIL's fee.
Does my LLP, trust or society need one, or is it only companies?
The requirements are written for non-individual entities, not for companies specifically. An LLP, partnership firm, trust, society or co-operative that crosses a threshold needs an LEI on the same footing as a company. What changes is the registration authority and the registration number you quote.
Why do you need my audited financials and shareholders list just for a code?
Because the global system records ownership, not just identity. The application has to state whether any entity holds more than 50% of you, who the direct parent is and who the ultimate parent is, and whether that parent consolidates your accounts. Last year's audited statements and the shareholding are what establish that. If nobody holds more than 50%, that is declared too.
I already have an LEI from another agent. Can you take it over?
Yes. An existing code can be renewed through us, and where it sits with a different Local Operating Unit it can be transferred. The code itself does not change — an LEI belongs to the entity, not to whoever filed it.
What happens if my LEI has already lapsed?
It is revived by renewing and revalidating the underlying data, and the same code comes back rather than a new one being issued. Do it before the next bank renewal or large payment rather than after, because the Direction gives no grace period and a lapsed code is treated as no code.
How TAXAJ helps
We handle LEI alongside the rest of a company's banking and FEMA compliance, which is usually where the requirement surfaces in the first place — at a facility renewal, on a large remittance, or when a bank asks for the code before releasing a payment.
On the application
- Eligibility checked against all four triggers before anything is filed
- Shareholding and parent-entity position mapped the way the global system expects it
- Documents prepared and the file run through LEIL's queries
- Authorisation and board resolution drafted where you need one
After the code is issued
- Renewal diarised and raised with you before the anniversary
- Changes in name, address or shareholding carried into the record
- LEI supplied to your bank for AD, RTGS and NEFT purposes
- Handled with your FEMA and ROC filings rather than as a loose end
Related compliance
Sources
Master Direction – Reserve Bank of India (Unique Identifiers in Financial Markets) Directions, 2026, notification FMRD.MIOD.10/11.01.057/2025-26 dated 27 March 2026 · RBI/2022-23/34, DOR.CRE.REC.28/21.04.048/2022-23 dated 21 April 2022, Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) for Borrowers · RBI/2020-21/82, DPSS.CO.OD No.901/06.24.001/2020-21 dated 5 January 2021, Introduction of LEI for Large Value Transactions in RTGS and NEFT · A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 20 dated 10 December 2021 · Fee plans as published by Legal Entity Identifier India Limited. Read 8 October 2026. This page describes the position generally and is not advice on your specific facts; thresholds and fees are revised from time to time, so confirm your own position before acting.