KYC - NEW FORMALITY REQUIREMENT

Effective February 1, 2008, mutual fund investing would not be that simple for those who wish to invest Rs 50,000 and above. This is subsequent to the guidelines issued by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) relating to the requirements of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. As per the new rule all mutual funds are now required to verify the identity and maintain records of all their investors through the mandated Know Your Customer (KYC) process effective today.

KYC formalities are required to be completed for all unit holders, including power of attorney holders and guardians, for any investment (new/additional purchase/new SIP) of Rs 50,000 and above.For the convenience of investors, all mutual funds have made special arrangements with CDSL Ventures Ltd. (CVL). The investors can download the form from the AMFI website and submit the same with the following required documents at designated centres.
Required Documents
• PAN Card • Proof of Identity • Proof of Address • Passport Size Photograph

(You can refer to the AMFI website for details of list of documents and designated centers for submission of the same)Investors should note that they need to carry original documents for verification along with a copy each to be presented. To make the process simpler, investors also have the option of providing an attested copy (attested by Notary Public/Gazetted Officer/Manager of a Scheduled Commercial Bank) of the relevant documents. This is a one time process and investors will be issued an acknowledgement when they submit the form. The copy of acknowledgement receipt alongwoth mutual fund application will be a mandatory requirement for investment of above Rs 50,000.Earlier AMFI had started issuing MIN (Mutual Fund Identification Number) to make the investing process 'transparent and easier'. Subsequently MIN was withdrawn and PAN was declared as the sole identification number for investing in funds. Though this facility (of KYC) is being provided free of cost to the investors, it is certainly not going to be as easy as it seems.