ISR-4 Form: Duplicate Share Certificates and Service Requests
Form ISR-4 is the general-purpose service request form for physical folios. Its most common use is applying for a duplicate certificate, and the process differs meaningfully from the older route most websites still describe.
We at ClaimMyFunds handle duplicate certificate applications regularly, and the single biggest surprise for clients is that the replacement arrives in demat form rather than as paper.
In short
ISR-4 is used to request a duplicate share certificate, claim shares from a company's unclaimed suspense account, or ask for consolidation, sub-division, renewal or exchange of certificates. Securities issued against it come in dematerialised form.
When This Applies to You
- Your original share certificate is lost, misplaced, stolen or destroyed
- The certificate is damaged, defaced or has become illegible
- Your shares are sitting in the company's unclaimed suspense account
- You need several small certificates consolidated into one holding
- A certificate needs renewal or exchange after a corporate action
Field by Field
What to write in each box, and the entries that most often cause a form to be returned.
What to Attach
- Completed Form ISR-4
- Self-attested PAN and address proof for every holder
- Demat account statement showing DP ID and Client ID
- An indemnity bond on stamp paper, notarised, where the RTA requires it
- An affidavit setting out the circumstances of the loss, where required
- A police complaint or FIR copy — still asked for by many RTAs, particularly for higher-value holdings
- Newspaper advertisement copy, where the value crosses the RTA's threshold
- Form ISR-2 if there is any signature mismatch
Where to Send It
Submit to the company's RTA. Requirements above a certain holding value are heavier — some steps such as the newspaper notice and FIR are applied by RTAs based on value thresholds, so confirm what your specific case needs before spending money on them.
Stuck on this?
Lost a certificate and unsure what your case actually needs? We will tell you whether a newspaper notice and FIR apply before you spend anything on them.
Free first assessment — we tell you what is recoverable before any fee is discussed.
Why These Get Rejected
Across the files we handle at ClaimMyFunds, almost every returned form fails for one of these reasons.
How Long It Takes
Indicative timings from cases we have handled. The variable that matters most is whether the file is complete when it arrives.
| Stage | Typical | What affects it |
|---|---|---|
| Establish the holding with the RTA | 1-2 weeks | Confirm the folio and share count before building the file. |
| Prepare bond, affidavit and any notice | 2-4 weeks | The newspaper notice period, where required, runs within this. |
| RTA scrutiny | 3-8 weeks | Higher-value cases attract closer examination. |
| Credit to your demat account | 1-3 months total | Longer where a query, notice or signature mismatch is involved. |
What It Actually Costs
Indicative only. Stamp duty, notary rates and RTA service charges vary by state and by registrar, so treat these as what to budget for rather than a price list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I get a paper certificate back through ISR-4?
No. Duplicate securities are issued in dematerialised form, credited to your demat account. This is the biggest single change from the older process and it catches most people out.
Do I still need an FIR and a newspaper advertisement?
It depends on the value of the holding and your RTA's threshold. These requirements have not vanished, but they are not applied to every case. Confirm with the RTA before incurring the cost.
What is the difference between ISR-4 and ISR-5?
ISR-4 is for a living holder's own service requests, including duplicates. ISR-5 is for claims where the shareholder has died. If you are an heir, ISR-5 is your form.
How long does a duplicate certificate request take?
Straightforward cases are commonly processed in one to three months. Cases with a value-threshold newspaper notice, an indemnity bond query or a signature mismatch run considerably longer.
My shares are in the unclaimed suspense account, not IEPF. Which form?
ISR-4 covers claims from a company's unclaimed suspense account. Once holdings have moved on to the IEPF Authority, the route is Form IEPF-5 instead. The two are frequently confused and the distinction determines who you deal with.
Can ClaimMyFunds handle a duplicate certificate application?
Yes, this is one of our most common cases. We confirm the holding with the Registrar, work out which value-threshold requirements genuinely apply, draft the indemnity bond on the correct stamp paper, and follow the file to credit.
About ClaimMyFunds
You have just read a detailed walkthrough of a SEBI investor form. We publish these because the same handful of mistakes cost investors months, and most of them are avoidable.
We are a share recovery practice based in Ahmedabad, working with investors, legal heirs and NRIs across India. We have resolved more than 2,500 cases covering IEPF claims, unclaimed dividends, duplicate certificates, transmission and physical-to-demat conversion. We handle the paperwork end to end, and we tell you at the outset whether a case is worth pursuing.
Want Us to Handle the Paperwork?
We at ClaimMyFunds prepare the correct forms, tell you exactly what to get notarised or attested locally, and follow the file through with the Registrar. The first assessment is free.
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