Registration fees
The fee schedule an RTA pays SEBI to be registered and to stay registered — a non-refundable Rs 20,000 application fee, a Rs 6 lakh grant fee, and a Rs 2.70 lakh renewal fee every 3 years from the sixth year.
In plain language
Getting registered as a Registrar to an Issue and Share Transfer Agent is not free, and neither is staying registered. SEBI charges at three separate points in an RTA's life — applying, being granted the certificate, and keeping it valid — and each has its own rupee figure and its own deadline.
How it works
The fee schedule under the 2025 RTA Regulations runs in three stages:
| Stage | Fee | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Application | Rs 20,000, non-refundable | With Form A of Schedule I |
| Grant of registration | Rs 6,00,000 | Within 15 days of SEBI's intimation that the applicant qualifies |
| Keeping the certificate in force | Rs 2,70,000 | Every 3 years from the sixth year after grant, paid one month before the block for which the fee was last paid expires |
On top of the fee schedule, the certificate is granted subject to conditions, including maintaining the Rs 50 lakh net worth requirement at all times and taking adequate steps to redress investor grievances within 21 calendar days of receipt. Registration, once granted, remains valid unless SEBI suspends or cancels it — the periodic Rs 2.70 lakh payment keeps an otherwise open-ended registration in force, rather than renewing against a fixed-term expiry.
A worked example
Konkan Registry Services applies for RTA registration. It pays the Rs 20,000 non-refundable application fee with Form A. Six weeks later SEBI intimates that the application meets the requirements; within the following 15 days, Konkan Registry pays the Rs 6,00,000 grant fee, and its certificate of registration is issued.
The certificate stays in force without a renewal fee for the first 5 years. Starting in the sixth year, Konkan Registry must pay Rs 2,70,000 every 3 years, each payment made a month before the previous block expires.
Over a 15-year life as a registered RTA, Konkan Registry's total SEBI fee outlay is: Rs 20,000 (application) + Rs 6,00,000 (grant) + 3 × Rs 2,70,000 (three renewal cycles from year 6 to year 15) = Rs 14,30,000 — separate entirely from the Rs 50 lakh net worth it must maintain throughout, which is a capital requirement, not a fee.
Why NISM asks about it
Chapter 7 (Registrars and Transfer Agents Regulations), in the discussion of the registration process under the SEBI (Registrars to an Issue and Share Transfer Agents) Regulations, sets out all three fee figures alongside the net worth and conditions of registration. Expect the Rs 20,000 / Rs 6 lakh / Rs 2.70 lakh figures tested directly, and a question on when the renewal fee cycle begins (the sixth year, not the first).
Common exam traps
- Three different figures for three different stages — Rs 20,000 to apply, Rs 6 lakh on grant, Rs 2.70 lakh to renew. Do not merge them into one number.
- The renewal cycle starts from the sixth year, not immediately after grant — the first five years carry no separate renewal fee.
- The application fee is non-refundable, whether or not the application succeeds.
- The Rs 50 lakh net worth requirement is a separate capital condition, not a fee — do not add it into the fee total.
- Registration itself does not expire on a fixed date; it is valid unless SEBI suspends or cancels it. The periodic fee is what keeps it in force, not a renewal against a hard expiry.
Where this is taught
Free preparation for NISM Series II-BRelated terms
- Net worth requirementThe minimum capital adequacy an applicant must hold to be registered as a Registrar and Transfer Agent with SEBI — not less than Rs 50 lakh, maintained throughout the life of the certificate.
- Registrar and Transfer AgentThe SEBI-registered agency that keeps the investor records of a mutual fund — processing purchases and redemptions, updating folios and unit capital, and issuing account statements.