Convert physical shares to demat with the help of Zerodha

We often hear stories of people stumbling upon old share certificates tucked away in cupboards or piles of documents—sometimes worth lakhs. However, the initial excitement usually gives way to a common question: What should I do with these?

There was a time when owning shares meant holding actual paper certificates with your name on them. Buying or selling meant dealing with couriers, signatures, and long wait times. And with that came the risk of loss, damage, or even forgery.

To solve these problems, India introduced Demat accounts in 1996. Just like email replaced letters and UPI made cash transfer easier, demat accounts digitised shareholding. It made investing faster, safer, and far more convenient.

But even today, many investors—especially from older generations—still hold physical certificates. Some people even discover forgotten certificates in the names of their parents or grandparents. Either way, there’s one thing you need to know: you can’t sell or transfer these shares until they’re converted into demat form.

Why should you dematerialize your shares?

If you’re holding shares in physical form—whether they’re yours or inherited—it’s important to convert them. Once dematerialized, your shares are secure, easy to manage, and ready to be sold or transferred anytime you want. To dematerialize the physical shares, you will need a demat account in the shareholder’s name, and you can open one with Zerodha for free.

How to convert physical shares to demat?

Before you start the process, check for a few key details:

• Correct company name and face value: The share certificate must reflect the current name of the company and its current face value. You can check it on the NSE and BSE websites.
• Matching names: The name on the certificate should exactly match the name on your demat account.
  • If your name has changed (e.g., after marriage), you’ll need a notarized marriage certificate
  • Or a gazette notification/affidavit stating that both names refer to you

For spelling differences across multiple certificates, you’ll need notarized copies for each company.

• Joint holdings: If the shares are jointly held, the name sequence must match what’s in the demat account. You can’t convert single-name shares into a joint account, or vice versa.

What you’ll need

Here are the documents required:

• Dematerialization Request Form (DRF) (PDF). Use a separate DRF for each company. Use the DRF annexure (PDF) if you run out of space. For locked-in shares with different release dates, use separate DRFs.
• Address proof: If your address has changed since you received the shares, you’ll need to submit self-attested copies of both:
  • Old address proof (e.g., dividend warrant, allotment advice)
  • New address proof (e.g., Aadhaar or passport)
• Self-attested copy of your PAN
• Original share certificate

Once you’ve gathered all the documents, fill out the DRF form. Need help? Watch this step-by-step guide, or check out this support article.

After filling out the form, create a ticket and share a soft copy so we can verify everything. If you don’t have a Zerodha account, select “No” while creating a ticket.

Once we’ve verified and confirmed your documents, send the original documents to the following address:

Zerodha Customer Support Centre
192A, 4th Floor, Kalyani Vista
3rd Main Road, JP Nagar 4th Phase
Bengaluru – 560076

Note: Dematerialisation charges include ₹150 per share certificate and a courier charge of ₹100 per dematerialisation request, as Zerodha must courier the forms to the RTA. Additionally, a GST of 18% is applied to the total amount.