DPIN - Designated Partner Identification Number

DPIN (Designated Partner Identification Number) is a unique eight-digit number the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) allots to an individual who is, or intends to become, a designated partner in a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP). It stays with the person for life, works across every LLP they join, and lets the Registrar of Companies (RoC) track who is accountable for the LLP's statutory compliance. Only a natural living person can hold a DPIN; a company or LLP cannot.

Legal basis

The requirement flows from Section 7 of the LLP Act, 2008, which mandates that every LLP have at least two designated partners who are individuals, with at least one a resident in India. Allotment and the application procedure are governed by Rule 10 of the LLP Rules, 2009.

DPIN and DIN are effectively one number

Since 9 July 2011 the MCA merged DPIN with the Director Identification Number (DIN). A person already holding a DIN does not need a separate DPIN, and the same number serves both a company directorship and an LLP designated-partner role. In practice the two terms are used interchangeably.

How it is obtained

• For a new LLP: DPIN is applied for within Form FiLLiP at incorporation, for a maximum of five proposed designated partners.
• For an existing LLP: an incoming designated partner applies through Form DIR-3 on the MCA portal.

The application must be digitally signed with a Class 3 Digital Signature Certificate and verified by a practising professional, with identity and address proof (PAN for Indian applicants, passport for foreign nationals) attached.