How to import existing mutual funds into Coin

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Zerodha Coin offers two distinct meanings of “importing” existing mutual fund holdings:

  1. View-only linking: Coin fetches your external statement-of-account (SOA) folio holdings from CAMS and KFintech registrars using your PAN and shows them in the “External Funds” section. This does not move units into your demat account; you cannot redeem or switch these units through Coin.

  2. Demat conversion: A separate process through CAMS or KFintech that physically converts your SOA-folio units into demat units held in your CDSL account under Zerodha. After conversion, the units appear under “Holdings” in Coin and can be redeemed or switched through Coin.

This guide covers both processes.

Prerequisites

  • An active Zerodha trading and demat account with complete KYC.
  • PAN linked to your existing mutual fund folios.
  • Email address and/or mobile number registered with CAMS and/or KFintech (the two major mutual fund registrars in India).
  • For demat conversion: your 16-digit CDSL BO (Beneficial Owner) ID, which is your demat account number (DP ID + client ID). Zerodha’s DP ID is 12081600; your full BO ID is 12081600 followed by your 8-digit Zerodha client ID.

Regulatory background

SEBI Circular SEBI/HO/IMD/DF2/CIR/P/2019/137 (November 2019) permitted mutual fund investors to hold units in demat form as an alternative to SOA folios. SEBI Circular SEBI/HO/IMD/DF/OW/CIR/2021/629 further streamlined the demat conversion process. AMFI and the depositories (CDSL and NSDL) have prescribed the Demat Conversion Request (DCR) form and process.

The conversion of SOA-folio units to demat units is not a sale; it does not trigger any capital gains tax event and does not reset the purchase date or NAV for tax purposes.

Process 1: View-only import via External Funds

Step 1: Log in to Coin

Navigate to coin.zerodha.com or open the Coin mobile app. Log in with your Zerodha client ID, password, and TOTP.

Step 2: Navigate to External Funds

From the Coin dashboard or Portfolio menu, select External Funds (this feature may be labelled “Import” in certain versions of the Coin app). The feature is Coin’s interface for aggregating SOA-folio data using the registrar’s CAS API.

Step 3: Authenticate with your PAN

Enter your PAN. Coin uses this to query CAMS and KFintech for all mutual fund folios associated with your PAN. You will receive an OTP on the email or mobile registered with the registrar (CAMS or KFintech) to authenticate the CAS data pull.

If your email or mobile is not registered with CAMS or KFintech, you must first update this at camsonline.com or mfs.kfintech.com before the CAS import will work.

Step 4: Review fetched holdings

After OTP verification, Coin displays all your SOA-folio mutual fund holdings from CAMS and KFintech. These include:

  • Scheme names and plan types (regular or direct)
  • Folio numbers
  • Units held and current NAV
  • Invested value and current value

These are shown as external/imported positions and are not fully manageable within Coin. You can view them for portfolio tracking purposes but cannot redeem or switch them from within Coin. Any transactions on these SOA-folio units must be done through the AMC, CAMS, KFintech, or the original platform where they were purchased.

Step 5: Refresh external fund data

The external funds data is refreshed periodically by Coin. You can also manually trigger a refresh from the External Funds screen. The data is sourced from the registrar CAS and reflects the most recently available NAV.

Process 2: Full demat conversion for Coin management

To fully manage your existing mutual fund units through Coin (including redemption, switch, and pledging for margin), the units must be converted from SOA-folio form to demat units in your CDSL account.

Step 1: Obtain the DCR form

Download the Demat Conversion Request (DCR) form from:

  • CAMS Investor Portal: camsonline.com (for CAMS-serviced AMCs including HDFC, Mirae, Axis, Nippon, and others)
  • KFintech Investor Portal: mfs.kfintech.com (for KFintech-serviced AMCs including SBI, Aditya Birla Sun Life, Kotak, and others)

Identify which registrar services each of your AMCs; submit separate DCRs for CAMS-serviced and KFintech-serviced folios.

Step 2: Fill in the DCR form

The DCR form requires:

  • Folio number(s) of the schemes to be converted
  • AMC name
  • Scheme name and plan type
  • Your full 16-digit CDSL BO ID (Zerodha’s DP ID 12081600 + your 8-digit Zerodha client ID)
  • PAN and signature

For Zerodha accounts, the target DP ID is always 12081600 (CDSL). Your full BO ID is printed on your Zerodha contract notes and Console account details.

Step 3: Submit the DCR

Submit the DCR to the registrar:

Online (CAMS): Log in to camsonline.com > Service Requests > Dematerialisation Request. Fill in the online form. CAMS may require a one-time document verification.

Offline: Submit the physical DCR form at the nearest CAMS or KFintech service centre or AMC branch, along with a self-attested copy of your PAN card.

Via Zerodha back-office: Some investors submit DCR forms through Zerodha’s support desk (support.zerodha.com). Check current instructions on Zerodha’s support page.

Step 4: Track the DCR

CAMS and KFintech typically process DCRs within 15 to 30 business days. You receive an SMS or email confirmation when the conversion is complete.

Step 5: Verify units in Coin Holdings

After processing, log in to Coin. Go to Portfolio > Holdings. The converted units now appear in the Holdings section as demat-held mutual fund units, with full management options (Redeem, Switch, Pledge).

What changes after demat conversion

  • The units are now in your CDSL demat account (BO ID 12081600XXXXXXXX).
  • You can redeem or switch them through Coin, but CDSL TPIN/OTP authorisation is required for each transaction.
  • The original purchase date and NAV (cost basis) are preserved for tax purposes; no capital gains event occurs on conversion.
  • Units continue to earn dividends (if a dividend-option scheme) or growth NAV as before.
  • You can pledge the demat mutual fund units as margin collateral with Zerodha. See How to pledge mutual funds for margin on Zerodha.

What cannot be imported

  • NPS (National Pension System) units: NPS is not a mutual fund and is not importable via the CAS import flow. See Zerodha Coin NPS for NPS management.
  • Insurance-linked investments (ULIPs): ULIPs are insurance products and not reflected in CAS or Coin.
  • PPF, EPF: Not mutual funds; not importable.
  • Foreign mutual funds or ETFs held abroad: Not covered by CAMS or KFintech; not importable to Coin.

What can go wrong

PAN not linked to folio: If your PAN was added to the folio after purchase (required by SEBI since 2011), but the PAN linkage was never completed in the AMC’s records, the CAS fetch may miss those folios. Update PAN-folio linkage directly with the AMC.

Email/mobile mismatch with registrar: If the email or mobile in CAMS/KFintech differs from your Zerodha account, the OTP for CAS fetch is sent to the registrar’s record, not your Zerodha-registered contact.

DCR rejection due to lien/pledge: If the SOA-folio units are under a pledge or lien (for example, as collateral for a loan against mutual funds), the DCR is rejected until the lien is released.

ELSS lock-in: ELSS units in lock-in can be converted to demat, but they cannot be redeemed or switched until the lock-in period expires.

AMC not on CAMS or KFintech: A small number of AMCs use other registrars (for example, Franklin Templeton historically used its own registrar). For these, the CAS import may be incomplete.

References

  1. SEBI (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 1996, as amended.
  2. SEBI Circular SEBI/HO/IMD/DF2/CIR/P/2019/137 dated 12 November 2019 – Holding of Mutual Fund Units in Demat Form.
  3. SEBI Circular SEBI/HO/IMD/DF/OW/CIR/2021/629 – Streamlining Demat Conversion of Mutual Fund Units.
  4. AMFI Guidelines on CAS and registrar services.
  5. CAMS Investor Services Portal (camsonline.com).
  6. KFintech Investor Portal (mfs.kfintech.com).
  7. Zerodha Coin support documentation (support.zerodha.com).

Reviewed and published by

WebNotes Editorial Team

The WebNotes Editorial Team covers Indian capital markets, payments infrastructure and retail investor procedures. Every article is fact-checked against primary sources, principally SEBI circulars and master directions, NPCI specifications and the official support documentation published by the intermediary in question. Drafts go through a second-pair-of-eyes review and a separate compliance read before publication, and revisions are tracked against the SEBI and NPCI rule changes referenced in the methodology section.

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