LEI questions, answered

A Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) is a unique 20-character alphanumeric code based on the ISO 17442 standard. It identifies legal entities — companies, LLPs, partnership firms, trusts, funds and government bodies — that take part in financial transactions. LEIs are issued by GLEIF-accredited Local Operating Units (LOUs) and published in the free Global LEI Index.

As per RBI and SEBI directions, an LEI is required for: borrowers with total exposure of ₹5 crore and above with banks and NBFCs; participants in OTC derivatives, money-market, G-sec and forex markets; entities sending or receiving single cross-border or large-value (RTGS/NEFT) payments of ₹50 crore and above; issuers of listed non-convertible securities; and FPIs. Many banks also ask for an LEI during corporate KYC and trade-finance onboarding.

No. GST, CIN and PAN are India-specific identifiers. An LEI is a globally recognised identifier managed by GLEIF (Switzerland) and used for cross-border financial transparency. All four can co-exist for the same entity, and your CIN/PAN is used to validate your LEI application.

Individuals acting in a personal capacity are not eligible. Sole proprietorships that operate as a business can obtain an LEI in India using their GST registration, Udyam certificate or shop & establishment licence as the registration proof.

With IndoglobalLEI, a new LEI is typically issued in about 40 minutes after successful document verification by our GLEIF-accredited LOU partner. Renewals and transfers usually complete in the same timeframe.

For an Indian company you typically need the Certificate of Incorporation / CIN, PAN of the entity, a registered address proof and an authorisation letter or board resolution signed by an authorised signatory. Partnerships, trusts and societies use their deed and registration certificate. See our Required Documents tool for your entity type.

IndoglobalLEI pricing starts at ₹3,499 per year for a 1-year new LEI and drops to ₹2,999 per year with a 5-year plan. Renewal and transfer start at ₹3,349 per year. All plans include GLEIF fees and a free digital LEI certificate. See the LEI pricing page for full details.

Yes. Once your LEI is issued you receive a digital LEI certificate (PDF) containing your 20-character LEI code, legal name, registered address and next renewal date — accepted by Indian banks and regulators.

An LEI must be renewed every year to stay in "ISSUED" (active) status on the GLEIF registry. With a 3-year or 5-year plan the renewal fees are prepaid, and we handle the annual re-validation for you.

A lapsed LEI still exists, but banks and regulators treat it as non-compliant. RBI-regulated transactions may be blocked until it is renewed. You can renew a lapsed LEI through IndoglobalLEI at any time — the LEI code itself never changes.

Yes. Your 20-character LEI code stays the same; only the managing LOU changes. Transfers are free of downtime and usually complete in about 40 minutes, and you can combine the transfer with a multi-year renewal for the lowest price.

Yes. Simply search your LEI on our Renew LEI page — we auto-fill your entity data from GLEIF, transfer the management to our LOU partner and renew it in one step.