ISR-5 Form: Claiming Shares of a Deceased Holder
Form ISR-5 is the transmission request used when a shareholder has died and the shares must pass to a nominee or to the legal heirs. Which supporting documents you need depends on whether a nominee was registered and on the value of the holding.
Transmission cases are a large part of what we do at ClaimMyFunds, and the outcome usually turns on one question: whether a nominee was registered before the shareholder died.
In short
ISR-5 is the form heirs or nominees file with the RTA to transmit shares out of a deceased holder's name. With a registered nominee the paperwork is light; without one, proof of heirship is required and above a value threshold that usually means a succession certificate.
When This Applies to You
- You are the registered nominee on a folio and the holder has died
- You are a legal heir and no nominee was registered
- You are a surviving joint holder and need the deceased holder's name removed
- You are an executor administering an estate that includes physical shares
- You are an heir living abroad claiming shares left in India
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-5
- Original or certified copy of the death certificate
- Self-attested PAN and address proof of the claimant
- Demat account statement of the claimant
- Where a nominee is registered: usually the death certificate and nominee KYC are sufficient
- Where there is no nominee: legal heir certificate, or a succession certificate for higher-value holdings
- No-objection certificates from all other legal heirs
- An indemnity bond and affidavit, where required by the RTA
- Form ISR-2 for signature verification of the claimant
Where to Send It
Submit to the company's RTA. If the shares have already been transferred to the IEPF Authority, ISR-5 alone is not enough — the transmission is established first and a Form IEPF-5 claim is then filed to recover the shares from IEPF.
Stuck on this?
Dealing with a deceased relative's shares? Send us the names and we will tell you which route applies and what it will realistically involve.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Gather death certificate and heirship documents | 2 weeks to 6 months | The single biggest variable. A registered nominee makes this fast; a succession certificate makes it slow. |
| Submit ISR-5 with the document set | 1-3 days | Send by registered post. |
| RTA scrutiny and verification | 4-10 weeks | Heavier where there is no nominee and multiple heirs are involved. |
| Shares credited to the claimant's demat | 1-3 months with a nominee | Without a nominee, and particularly where a court certificate is needed, considerably longer. |
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
What if a nominee was registered — is it simpler?
Considerably. With a valid registered nomination the RTA generally needs the death certificate, the nominee's KYC and the completed form. No succession certificate, no NOCs from other heirs. That is the whole practical argument for nominating.
When is a succession certificate unavoidable?
When there is no nominee and the value of the holding exceeds the threshold the RTA applies. Below that threshold a legal heir certificate with NOCs and an indemnity bond is usually accepted. Thresholds differ between RTAs, so ask before going to court.
Can an heir living abroad file ISR-5?
Yes. Documents executed outside India generally need attestation at an Indian consulate or apostille, depending on the country. The claimant will also need an NRO or NRE-linked demat account in India.
What if the share certificate is also lost?
Then duplicate issuance and transmission run together rather than in sequence. Tell the RTA up front so the file is handled as one case — pursuing them separately wastes months.
How long does transmission take?
With a registered nominee and clean paperwork, commonly one to three months. Without a nominee, expect longer, and if a succession certificate is required the court process alone typically adds six months or more.
Can ClaimMyFunds handle a transmission claim for our family?
Yes. We establish whether a nominee was registered, identify whether a legal heir certificate will suffice or a succession certificate is unavoidable, prepare the whole document set, and deal with the Registrar throughout. We regularly act for heirs living outside India.
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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