Become an MFD

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October 28, 2026

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AssetPlus Academy

Published on

October 28, 2026

ARN Code: What It Is and How to Get One

Key takeaways

An ARN code is AMFI's unique ID for a mutual fund distributor. Distributors need it to empanel with a fund house and get their commission.
The path to an ARN: pass NISM Series V-A, complete KYD online with Aadhaar and PAN, apply on the AMFI portal, and register an EUIN for any staff who deal with investors.
An individual pays ₹3,000 plus GST to register and ₹1,500 plus GST to renew. AMFI issues the ARN within T+3 business days of a complete application.
The ARN identifies the distribution business. The EUIN identifies the employee who dealt with the investor.
An ARN is valid for three years, in line with the NISM certificate. Renewal can be filed up to six months before expiry.
Investors can run an ARN search on AMFI's website to check a distributor's name, registration dates and current status.

Every mutual fund distributor in India holds an ARN code. AMFI issues it after the distributor clears the NISM Series V-A exam, and the number is listed on AMFI's website, where anyone can look it up.

For an investor, an ARN search on that website answers three questions: who the distributor is, when they registered, and whether their registration is still active.

Below: why you need an ARN code, how the ARN works, how AMFI registration happens on the portal (field by field), what it costs, how long it takes, and how to run an ARN search on any distributor.

Why do you need an ARN code

An ARN code is what lets a distributor do business with mutual fund houses at all. It does five jobs:

Empanelment: every fund house asks for a valid ARN before it empanels a distributor, and distribution platforms ask for it before onboarding a partner.
Commission tracking: the ARN on an investor's application tells the fund house whose business it is. Commission on that investment is credited to that ARN for as long as the ARN stays valid and the folio stays mapped to it.
Client transfers: when an investor moves an existing folio to you, the change-of-broker request is made in your ARN's name.
Investor trust: clients can run an ARN search on AMFI's website to confirm who you are and that your registration is current.
Access to more products: registration to distribute Specialised Investment Funds (SIFs) is linked to your ARN.

What is an ARN code

An ARN code (AMFI Registration Number) is the unique number AMFI assigns to a registered mutual fund distributor. Without a valid ARN, a fund house will not empanel the distributor or pay commission on their business.

Format: "ARN-" followed by a number. AssetPlus, for example, is ARN-114376.
Issuer: AMFI. CAMS acts as AMFI's registrar and runs the online portal where distributors apply, renew and update details (CAMS AMFI services).
Validity: three years, aligned to the validity of the holder's NISM certificate.
One per distributor: AMFI allows a distributor to hold only one ARN.

The ARN code also decides who gets paid. When an investor fills the "Broker / ARN code" box on an application, the commission on that investment is credited to that ARN. When an investor moves a folio to a new distributor, the change-of-broker request is made by ARN code too (CAMS change of broker form).

What an ARN tells an investor

A public ARN search answers three questions about any distributor before an investor hands over a cheque or a SIP mandate.

Question	Where the answer shows up	What to look for
Who is this distributor?	ARN holder's name, address and city on the AMFI search result	The name matches the person or firm you are dealing with
When did they register?	The "valid from" date on the ARN record	How long they have held a registration
Are they still active?	The "valid till" date and KYD status, plus AMFI's suspended, terminated and invalid ARN lists	A future expiry date, KYD compliant, and no entry on any of the three lists

An ARN confirms a distributor is registered and current, but it does not rate their advice.

ARN vs EUIN: what is the difference

The ARN identifies the distribution business. The EUIN (Employee Unique Identification Number) identifies the individual salesperson inside that business who spoke to the investor.

SEBI introduced the EUIN through its circular dated September 13, 2012, so that every transaction could be traced to a named person.

Feature	ARN	EUIN
Identifies	The distributor: an individual MFD, firm, company or bank	The employee, relationship manager or salesperson dealing with the investor
Format	ARN- followed by a number	"E" followed by six digits, e.g. E012345
When someone changes jobs	Stays with the MFD	Stays with the employee and is re-mapped to the new employer's ARN
Registration fee (ex-GST)	₹3,000 for an individual	₹1,500 per employee
Box on the application form	Broker / ARN code	EUIN

Transaction forms have three distributor boxes: the main ARN, a sub-broker ARN and the EUIN (PPFAS EUIN FAQ). If the EUIN box is left blank, the investor has to sign a declaration that the transaction was "execution-only", with no advice from the distributor's staff. Fund houses can reject applications that have neither, and commission on them can be withheld (Sharekhan).

For an individual MFD working alone, the ARN identifies them. Once they hire someone who speaks to clients about mutual funds, that person needs their own NISM V-A certificate and an EUIN mapped to the MFD's ARN (Canara Robeco EUIN FAQ).

Steps to get an ARN: NISM V-A, KYD, AMFI registration, EUIN

Mutual fund distributor registration runs in four steps, and only the first one involves study.

Clear NISM Series V-A. Register at cert.nism.ac.in, pay ₹1,500 plus taxes and book a test centre slot. The exam has 100 one-mark questions in 120 minutes, a 50% pass mark and no negative marking (NISM FAQ). NISM issues the passing certificate only if your PAN is on your NISM profile, so add it before you sit the exam.
Complete KYD (Know Your Distributor). KYD has applied to every fresh ARN since September 1, 2010 (HDFC MF). Until 2024 it meant a fingerprint scan at a CAMS office. From October 1, 2024, AMFI dropped the physical biometric step: applicants now authenticate with Aadhaar and PAN online, or use a KYC record that shows "Validated" status with a KRA (AMFI).
Apply on the AMFI portal. Fresh ARN and EUIN applications are accepted only online from October 1, 2024 (Cafemutual). Go to the AMFI registration page, choose "ARN" as the application type, fill the form, upload documents and pay the fee. The next section walks through the form.
Register EUINs for anyone who sells. A firm or company cannot run on a corporate ARN alone. AMFI issues it provisionally and requires at least one employee's EUIN to be mapped within six months, failing which the ARN is cancelled and the fee forfeited (AMFI undertaking format).

With the ARN issued, the next step is empanelment: with each fund house directly, or through a distribution platform that handles empanelment and transactions across fund houses.

Inside the AMFI registration form, field by field

The AMFI registration page, run by CAMS, opens with a short screen of five fields. What you enter here decides your fee, your ARN series and the contact details AMFI will use for the next three years.

Field	What it asks	What to know before you fill it
Choose application type	ARN or EUIN	Pick ARN if you are registering yourself or your firm. Pick EUIN only if you are an employee of an existing ARN holder.
ARN Category	Individual, Employee, New Cadre, Corporate, or Overseas	This sets your fee and your eligibility rules. The next section explains each one.
PAN Number	10 characters	Use the same PAN that is on your NISM certificate. A mismatch holds up verification.
Email Address	Your email ID	Becomes your official contact with AMFI. Use an address you will keep for years, since renewal and service OTPs go here.
Mobile Number	Your 10-digit mobile number	Same as above. After registration you log in with your ARN as the username, and an OTP goes to this number and email (CAMS).

After OTP verification, the form moves to identity, address, NISM certificate and bank details, followed by document upload and payment.

Your NISM certificate number becomes part of your AMFI record, and CAMS lets you track the application by PAN, ARN, EUIN or NISM certificate number (CAMS status enquiry).

Two details that save trouble later:

Your address decides your GST status on commission invoices. If you are GST-registered, CAMS marks your invoices "Registered" only when the state in your ARN address matches the state code in your GSTIN. If they differ, invoices are marked "Unregistered" (CAMS). GSTIN can be added after registration from the "GST Information" menu.
Firms: check your name before you apply. AMFI declared ARNs invalid from July 1, 2021 for non-individual distributors whose registered names used terms such as "Adviser", "Wealth Adviser" or "Wealth Manager", following SEBI's 2020 amendments to the Investment Advisers Regulations (AMFI invalid ARN list).

ARN categories and sub-categories

The AMFI portal offers six registration categories, and the Corporate category opens a list of sub-categories (AMFI registration FAQ). Most first-time MFDs choose Individual.

Category	Who it is for	What is different
Individual	A person distributing in their own name, including senior citizens and sole proprietors	Needs NISM V-A. ARN usually issued within T+3 business days.
Employee	A salesperson working under someone else's ARN	Leads to an EUIN, not an ARN
New Cadre	Postal agents, retired government officials (Class III and above), retired teachers and retired bank officers with at least 10 years of service, bank correspondents, and agents of other regulated products such as insurance or FDs with at least 5 years' experience (AMFI, Baroda BNP Paribas MF)	Needs NISM V-B (Mutual Fund Foundation) instead of V-A. ARN starts with "SD". Can sell only "simple and performing" schemes: diversified equity, FMPs and index funds that matched or beat their benchmark in each of the last three years (Quantum MF).
Corporate (non-individual)	Firms and institutions distributing as an entity	Needs at least one NISM-certified employee with an EUIN. Issued provisionally until the EUIN is mapped.
Overseas Individual (OD Individual ARN)	Individuals distributing from outside India	Documents submitted at a CAMS office. Fee of USD 100 by NEFT.
Overseas Corporate (OD Non-Individual ARN)	Entities distributing from outside India	Documents submitted at a CAMS office. Fee of USD 1,000 by NEFT.

An individual MFD who later sets up a company or LLP does not have to stop business during the switch. AMFI offers a provisional ARN for moving from individual to non-individual registration, with employee mapping done through its Annex-A and Annex-C formats (AMFI registration FAQ).

Documents and fees for ARN registration

An individual pays ₹3,000 plus 18% GST (₹3,540) for a fresh ARN, and half that to renew. AMFI set this rate from October 1, 2024, when it restored the pre-Covid fee schedule after halving fees in May 2021 (Cafemutual).

Documents for an individual applicant

Valid NISM Series V-A certificate
PAN
Aadhaar, for online KYD authentication, or a KRA KYC with "Validated" status
Bank account details for commission credit
GST certificate, only if you are GST-registered (can be added later)

Non-individual applicants add entity documents such as the entity PAN, registration certificate from the ROC, board resolution and list of authorised signatories, and for banks a copy of the RBI licence (AMFI fee and document schedule).

ARN and EUIN fees by category (₹, excluding 18% GST)

Category	Registration	Renewal
Employee (EUIN)	1,500	750
New Cadre	1,500	750
Individual (incl. senior citizens), Proprietorship	3,000	1,500
Post Office, Micro Finance Institution	15,000	7,500
Partnership Firm, Urban Co-op Bank, Society, Trust, HUF	20,000	10,000
Private Ltd, One Person Company, LLP	40,000	20,000
RRB, District Central Co-op Bank, NBFC	1,00,000	50,000
Bank, Public Ltd Company	4,00,000	2,00,000
Overseas Individual / Overseas Corporate	USD 100 / USD 1,000	—

Renewal fees come from AMFI's renewal schedule; registration is twice the renewal fee under AMFI's rules.

How long it takes to get an ARN

The AMFI part is fast: an individual ARN is generated within a maximum of T+3 business days of a complete application (AMFI registration FAQ). Most of the calendar goes into exam preparation.

Stage	Typical time
NISM profile approval after sign-up	2 to 3 working days
Preparing for NISM V-A	2 to 6 weeks, depending on your background
NISM certificate after passing	Up to about two weeks, provided your PAN is on your NISM profile
KYD	Same day when done online through Aadhaar and PAN, or an existing validated KYC
ARN generation	Within T+3 business days (individuals and New Cadre)
ARN generation for firms and companies	Within T+3 business days after name and document verification
EUIN generation	Within T+3 business days

NISM approval and certificate timings are indicative and may vary. For someone starting from zero, four to eight weeks from NISM sign-up to a working ARN is a realistic plan. Empanelment with fund houses or a distribution platform comes after that.

ARN validity and renewal

An ARN is valid for three years, and its validity is tied to the holder's NISM certificate (Canara Robeco). Renewing the ARN therefore starts with renewing the NISM credential, either by passing the exam again or by completing NISM's Continuing Professional Education (CPE) programme.

When to apply: AMFI accepts renewal applications up to six months before the expiry date (Canara Robeco partner FAQ).
Renew before expiry: if the application reaches AMFI before the ARN expires and is in order, the new validity continues from the old expiry date with no gap.
Renew after expiry: the new validity starts from a later date, and the gap is a period in which you hold no valid ARN for new business.
Renewal fee: half the registration fee, so ₹1,500 plus GST for an individual.
Every year, not just every three: AMFI also asks distributors to file an annual Declaration of Self Certification (DSC) confirming they follow its Code of Conduct (AMFI Distributor Corner).

How to check an ARN: AMFI ARN search

Anyone can run an ARN search on the AMFI website, free and without logging in. It takes under a minute.

Open AMFI's Locate a Mutual Fund Distributor page.
Enter the distributor's name or ARN code, or filter by location.
Check the result: the name should match the person or firm you are dealing with, and the "valid till" date should be in the future.
On the same page, open AMFI's three public lists: ARNs suspended or terminated from mutual fund business, cases of mis-selling or misconduct reported by fund houses, and ARNs declared invalid for not completing a mandatory name change.

Two quick cross-checks for investors:

The ARN printed against your investments on your account statement should match the ARN of the distributor you actually deal with.
If someone recommends a scheme but cannot share an ARN code, or the ARN search shows a different name, ask before you invest.

For distributors, the same search is the fastest way to confirm what your clients see when they look you up.

Frequently asked questions

What is ARN (AMFI Registration Number)?

ARN stands for AMFI Registration Number. It is the unique code AMFI gives a registered mutual fund distributor, written as "ARN-" followed by a number. Fund houses need a valid ARN to empanel a distributor and pay commission.

How can I get an ARN number?

Pass NISM Series V-A, complete KYD online with Aadhaar and PAN, apply on the AMFI portal run by CAMS and pay the fee (₹3,000 plus GST for an individual). AMFI generates the ARN within T+3 business days of a complete application.

Is an ARN code the same as an ARN number?

Yes. ARN code, ARN number and AMFI registration number all refer to the same identifier.

Can I sell mutual funds without an ARN?

No. Distributing mutual funds for commission requires a valid ARN, and fund houses do not pay commission on business routed through an expired or invalid one.

Can one person hold two ARNs?

No. AMFI allows only one ARN per distributor.

What is the difference between ARN and EUIN?

The ARN identifies the distribution business. The EUIN identifies the individual employee who dealt with the investor, and it moves with that person if they change employers.

Do I need GST registration to apply for an ARN?

No. A GSTIN is needed only if you are GST-registered, and it can be added to your ARN record later through the AMFI portal.

What happens if my ARN expires?

You cannot take new business under it until it is renewed, and the new validity starts from a later date. Apply up to six months before expiry to avoid a gap.

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