Guide to Know What is KYC Process

Author: Shashank Pawar

Know Your Customer, majorly known as KYC, is for the purpose of evading any money laundering issues which have taken place in recent past. It helps any financial institutions to get the details of customer's identity and thus keep watch on any illegal acts.

Let us look at what is KYC in depth.

Those who are investing for the first time in the mutual fund, for them KYC is mandatory. They have to fulfill all the requirements of KYC norms and thus it is required only once. All the norms under KYC are mainly issued by the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). It tracks if the funds invested are legal or not and stops the flow of black money. This is done through KYC registration agency such as CAMS or NSE.

KYC process is completely free and can be done in three different ways. But before that let us find out the documents which are must for KYC along with the Know Your Client application form. Also, you need to attach one passport size photograph.

  • For ID Proof: PAN Card, Driving License, Passport copy, Voter ID, Aadhaar Card or bank photo passbook.

  • For address proof: Recent landline or mobile bill, electricity bill, passport copy, recent demat account statement, latest bank passbook, ration card, Voter ID, rental agreement, Driving License or Aadhaar card

    • Physical KYC Process

  • You need to download the KYC form which you can get from the websites of mutual fund houses or registrar and transfer agents such as Karvy Computershare and Association of Mutual Funds of India (Amfi: the major body of mutual fund).

  • You can also get the form by visiting below link. http://portal.amfiindia.com/spages/CKYC-KRA-KYC-FormforIndividuals.pdf.

  • After downloading, you need to submit the physical copy of the form, duly signed with mandatory documents as mentioned above, at respective fund house or registrar and transfer agent office.

    • How to get KYC done and invest in mutual fund online?

    If you don’t want to the physical process, you can get KYC done online and thus further invest in a fund of your choice. For e-KYC, you should have your Aadhaar number. After selecting the fund house where you want to invest, visit the respective fund house website and go ahead with eKYC as per Adhaar. Fill the PAN details and select the option that you are not KYC-compliant. Further, you need to enter the mobile number which is given in Adhaar details. Now in your mobile phone, you will receive a one-time password (OTP). Once you enter that OTP, KYC process gets completed.

    However, with the above method, the yearly investment of Rs50,000 per fund house is only possible. For more investment, you need to opt for physical KYC or a biometric KYC. With the biometric device, you can apply for the KYC process wherein your thumb is scanned which ultimately gets linked with Adhaar data. After entering a few details and fingerprint match, a photo will get popped up in your phone. It means your KYC process is successful and thus you can invest further.

    Those who are investing for the first time in the mutual fund, for them KYC Process is mandatory through biometric device, you can apply for the KYC process wherein your thumb is scanned which ultimately gets linked with Adhaar data. Visit us to know more about Mutual Funds.