What Are Physical Share Certificates?

What Are Physical Shares?

Physical shares are paper certificates issued by companies representing ownership of shares. Before the introduction of demat accounts, investors received printed share certificates containing details like shareholder name, certificate number and number of shares owned.

Today, most securities are held electronically in a demat account. However many investors still possess old physical share certificates.

Why Physical Shares Create Problems

• Paper certificates can be lost or damaged
• Name or signature mismatch issues
• Transmission complications after death
• Companies require demat format for transfers
• Dividends may become unclaimed

Physical Shares to Demat Process

1. Open a demat account with a depository participant.
2. Fill a Dematerialisation Request Form (DRF).
3. Submit original share certificates.
4. Registrar verifies certificates.
5. Shares are credited to your demat account.

Dematerialisation Timeline

Documents Required for Conversion

• Original share certificates
• PAN Card
• Aadhaar Card
• Demat account details
• Cancelled cheque

What If Physical Shares Are Lost?

If physical share certificates are lost, investors must first apply for a Duplicate Share Certificate . After receiving the duplicate certificate, shares can be converted to demat form.

How ClaimMyFunds Helps Investors

ClaimMyFunds assists investors across India with complex share recovery cases including physical shares conversion, duplicate certificates and IEPF claims.

• Physical shares to demat conversion
• Duplicate share certificate assistance
• Transmission of shares
• IEPF share recovery

Frequently Asked Questions

Can physical shares still be converted to demat?

Yes. Investors can convert physical share certificates into demat form by submitting a dematerialisation request through their depository participant.

Are physical shares still valid?

Yes, physical shares remain valid but must be converted to demat for transfer or sale.

What happens if physical shares are lost?

Investors must apply for duplicate share certificates before converting them into demat.