How to Add a Nominee to Your Zerodha Account in 2023: A Comprehensive Guide

Zerodha, a leading online brokerage platform, is committed to ensuring that its clients have robust succession planning in place. In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the steps to add a nominee to your Zerodha account for the year 2023.

Overview of Nominee Addition Process

The deadline for providing nomination details has been extended to 31st December 2023, as per the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) circular. However, Zerodha account holders are exempt from this requirement. This means that while other account types are required to provide nomination details, Zerodha accounts are communicated with the exchanges at the time of account opening, ensuring that your accounts will not be blocked due to the lack of nomination details. Nevertheless, it is strongly recommended that you add a nominee to protect your investments in unforeseen circumstances.

Offline vs Online Nominee Registration

There are two methods to add a nominee to your Zerodha account: offline and online. The choice of method depends on whether the mobile number is linked to Aadhaar and whether a nominee has already been added.

Offline Nominee Addition: If your mobile number is linked to Aadhaar and a nominee has not been added previously, you can add the nominee online. However, if you prefer to add a nominee offline, follow these steps:

Nomination Form PDF: Download the Nomination form (must be in PDF format). ID Proof of the Nominee: Acceptable ID proofs include Aadhaar, Voter's ID, Driving License, etc. If only the last 4 digits of the Aadhaar number are visible, the masked copy can be downloaded from the MyAadhaar website.

Online Nominee Addition: Non-Zerodha account holders can add a nominee online through the Kite app, which is a widely-used trading platform. Here’s how:

Steps to Add a Nominee Online via Kite App

Log in to your Zerodha account. Navigate to the 'Account' section. Select 'Nominees'. Click on 'Add Nominee'. Enter the nominee details and upload the nominee ID proof. If multiple nominees are being added, select the percentage of share accordingly. For a single nominee, enter the percentage of share as 100. Select the nominee’s middle name (if applicable). Click on 'Continue'. Click on 'Proceed to e-sign'. Click on 'Sign now'. Accept the terms and conditions and enter the Aadhaar number of the account holder. Click on 'Send OTP'. Enter the OTP and click on 'Verify OTP'.

Note: Processing nominee addition requests may take up to 5 working days due to high volumes of requests. It is advisable to initiate the process well in advance.

Documents Required for Nominee Addition

To add a nominee to your Zerodha account, you will need the following documents:

Nomination form (must be in PDF format). ID proof of the nominee (Aadhaar, Voter's ID, Driving Licence, etc.). If only the last 4 digits of the Aadhaar number are visible, the masked copy can be downloaded from the MyAadhaar website.

For more detailed instructions on how to download a masked Aadhaar, refer to the provided link.

Conclusion

Adding a nominee to your Zerodha account is a simple yet crucial step to ensure the smooth transfer of your investments in case of unforeseen circumstances. Whether you choose the offline or online route, it is important to follow the steps carefully and submit all required documents in a timely manner.