Jan 27, 2009

Re-submitting an eForm

In the latest form I submitted I've been asked to clarify certain points. Now what do I do?

This happened to me this week after submitting Form 1A the other day. Few days after submitting I checked the "Transaction status" and found out that it was "Waiting for Clarification". As far as I had read, it was required to re-submit the form. However, when I tried doing it, the system didn't allow me.

I contacted via e-mail the MCA people and they replied very quickly and to the point after one or two days. Now they had changed my status and I could re-submit the form.

Today, while trying to do so it took me a while to find out how to do it, but finally got it: in the home landing page there are three tabs below the main horizontal menu which say: Services, eForms and MyDocuments. My mistake was to think everything I could do in the site was under the tab services. For re-submit you have to go to "eForms", where you will find a button "eForm Upload". There, if you enter the SRN (Service Request Number) and click the Re-Submit button you will get a Java app window through which you will be able to upload.

Again, make sure you have downloaded and filled up a fresh Form 1A before you re-submit, otherwise, the system will reject you automatically.

Jan 8, 2009

e-Filing: Submitting forms at Ministry of Company Affairs

Submitting a form has always scared me as something being a waste of time: filling up a form without knowing for sure what to write, standing on a queue for a long time, getting a challan and go to pay it at another place, go back with the receipt and get the acknowledgment, etc. Or get a middle man who would do this for you and twenty other people at a much quicker pace but opening a wide space for illegalities and corruption which ultimately harm the whole system.

Thank God, the Ministry of Company Affairs decided to do away with all that not very long ago. Now-a-days, you can only submit forms through their e-Filing system at www.mca.gov.in. From there you can do everything, from downloading the pdf form to paying the fees and getting your approval or whatever you are trying to get.

Today I submitted my application for a new company which I’m opening with my friend.

First, you need to register in the site. At least, for submitting Form 1A it is enough to register as a “Registered User” (the other option is “Business User”).

Once you are inside, do read the steps for filing forms. An interesting warning they give there is that you should download the latest form every time you want to submit a form as they change often (in my case I had filled up an old Form 1A I had saved from last year, and had to do it again in a newly downloaded form).

You will see it is quite a simple procedure: download the form, fill it up, pre-scrutinize it (correct any errors you may get), add your digital signature to the form, submit it… all of this through a Java applet (get ready to wait for few seconds/minutes while the whole thing is uploaded). Then, you will be re-directed to the payment get-way which may be through net banking (there are only a few options of banks), credit card or printing a challan and paying at the bank physically (I guess this is in case you want to remain in the old good times).

After you have paid you will get a confirmation message, but which disappears in almost no time. Thus, just in case, check the payment status. If it says PAID, then great, otherwise you will have to use the re-submission facility (you should have taken note of your SRN) and pay again.

All of this is, of course, for Form 1A, where you don’t need the signature of a Company Secretary or Chartered Accountant. Later on, for other forms you will need it and most probably they will do the for you.

By the way, as a correction to my previous post a name through Form 1A is now only for 60 days, instead of 6 months as it used to be earlier. For renewing you have to pay Rs.250 in case you haven’t incorporated your company yet.