How to do a transmission of shares at Zerodha (death of holder)

From WebNotes, a public knowledge base. Last updated 12 May 2026. Reading time ~12 min. Level: Advanced.

Key facts

Time required	15–30 business days from submission of complete documents
Cost	Nil transmission charges for registered nominees; nominal document processing charges may apply
Regulatory basis	SEBI Depositories and Participants Regulations 2018, Reg 56–60; Companies Act 2013, Sections 56 and 72
Key distinction	Registered nominee: simplified process. No nominee or legal heir dispute: Succession Certificate or Probate required.

Transmission is the process by which securities in the demat account of a deceased holder are transferred to the rightful successor – either a registered nominee or a legal heir. It is distinct from an off-market transfer because it is not a voluntary act of the account holder; it is a legal succession event.

Transmission of shares held in a Zerodha demat account is governed by the SEBI Depositories and Participants Regulations, 2018 (Regulations 56 to 60), the SEBI Master Circular on Transmission of Securities, the Companies Act 2013 (Sections 56 and 72), and the CDSL operational instructions. Zerodha, as a CDSL depository participant, follows CDSL’s prescribed transmission procedures.

Nominee vs. legal heir: key difference

Registered nominee: If the deceased registered a nominee for the demat account, transmission is straightforward. The nominee is entitled to receive the securities. The nominee then holds the securities as a trustee for the legal heirs; they are not automatically the absolute owner. However, for the purpose of releasing the securities, Zerodha only requires the documents listed for nominee transmission.

No nominee: If no nominee is registered, the legal heir(s) must establish their right through a succession certificate (issued by a competent civil court), a probate of the will (if there is a will), or a letter of administration. The process is significantly longer and involves court proceedings.

Joint account: If the account has a joint holder and the primary holder passes away, the surviving joint holder(s) become the account holder(s) by survivorship. This is a simpler process.

Step 1: Establish the account’s nominee and joint holder status

Log in to Zerodha Console using the deceased holder’s credentials (if available) and navigate to Profile > Nominee to check whether a nominee is registered. If you cannot access the account, contact Zerodha support with the Client ID and death certificate.

Also confirm whether the account is a joint account. If it is, the surviving joint holder(s) must contact Zerodha to complete the joint-holder survivorship process (which differs from transmission to a nominee).

Step 2: Gather the required documents

Nominee transmission (nominee is registered)

Document	Notes
Death certificate of the deceased holder	Original or notarised copy
Transmission request form (from Zerodha/CDSL)	Download from support.zerodha.com or request from Zerodha support
Nominee’s PAN card	Self-attested copy
Nominee’s proof of identity	Aadhaar, passport, or voter ID
Nominee’s proof of address	As above, or a recent utility bill not older than three months
Nominee’s photograph	Passport-size
Indemnity bond	On stamp paper; format provided by Zerodha

Transmission to legal heir (no nominee, or nominee is deceased)

All documents listed above, plus:

Document	Notes
Succession certificate	If no will; issued by a civil court of competent jurisdiction
Probate of will	If there is a will and a probate has been obtained
Letter of administration	If the estate is being administered by a court-appointed administrator
Indemnity bond	On Rs 100–200 stamp paper (state-specific); notarised
NOC from other legal heirs	If multiple heirs; each must provide a no-objection letter

SEBI’s Transmission Master Circular (SEBI/HO/MIRSD/MIRSD-PoD-1/P/CIR/2022/154, 19 November 2022) mandates simplified transmission for holdings up to Rs 5 lakh per account per depository, allowing transmission based on an indemnity bond and affidavit alone (without Succession Certificate) for small estates. Confirm the current applicable threshold with Zerodha at the time of submission.

Step 3: Open a demat account for the nominee or heir

The securities can only be transmitted to a demat account in the name of the nominee or legal heir. If the nominee does not already hold a demat account, they must open one.

The nominee can open an account at Zerodha (new account opening via zerodha.com) or at any other broker. A Zerodha account opening requires PAN and Aadhaar-based KYC and is completed in 1–3 business days. Provide the 16-digit BO ID of the nominee’s target demat account when submitting the transmission documents.

Step 4: Submit the transmission request to Zerodha

By email: Send all scanned documents (minimum 300 DPI, clearly legible) to support@zerodha.com from the nominee’s or heir’s email address. Use the subject line:

Demat transmission request – [Deceased’s Zerodha Client ID]

Include a cover letter stating:

The deceased holder’s full name and Client ID
The date of death
The claimant’s relationship to the deceased
The target demat account BO ID

By courier (recommended for originals): Post notarised copies (and originals where required) to Zerodha’s registered address. Keep photocopies of everything submitted.

Zerodha will acknowledge receipt and issue a document checklist within two to three business days.

Step 5: Document verification by Zerodha and CDSL

Zerodha’s DP team verifies all submitted documents. For nominee transmissions with standard documents, this typically takes 7–10 business days. Where legal documents (Succession Certificate, Probate) are involved, the process may take 15–30 business days after submission of complete documents, as CDSL also validates the transmission instruction.

If any document is deficient or requires clarification, Zerodha will contact the claimant by email.

Step 6: Transmission and account closure

On successful verification, CDSL processes the transmission:

All holdings (equity shares, ETFs, bonds, demat mutual fund units) in the deceased’s account are transferred to the nominee’s or heir’s demat account.
The deceased’s Zerodha demat account is closed.
Zerodha sends a confirmation email to the claimant.

The trading account associated with the demat account is also marked as closed. No trading account in the deceased’s name can be used after this point.

Joint account survivorship process

If the deceased was the primary holder of a joint account:

The surviving joint holder contacts Zerodha support with the death certificate and the surviving holder’s KYC documents.
Zerodha modifies the account to reflect only the surviving holder(s).
No Succession Certificate is required for joint account survivorship.
The process typically takes 7–10 business days.

If the deceased was the secondary holder, the primary holder’s account is unaffected; a notification and minor account modification request is submitted.

Physical shares and company registrar

If the deceased also held shares in physical (certificate) form (not in demat), transmission to the company’s register of members requires submission of a Transmission Form (Form SH-5 under the Companies Act 2013) directly to the Registrar and Share Transfer Agent (RTA) of each company. This is a separate process from CDSL demat transmission and takes longer. Once physical shares are transmitted to the heir’s name, they can be dematerialised subsequently.

What can go wrong

Nominee details not registered: If no nominee was registered before the account holder’s death, the legal heir process is significantly more complex and requires a court-issued Succession Certificate or Probate. This can take months. The lesson for active investors is to always register nominees in demat accounts.
Succession Certificate disputes: If there are multiple claimants (competing heirs), the civil court process may take a year or more. Securities remain frozen in the deceased’s account during the dispute.
Indemnity bond not on correct stamp paper: Indemnity bonds must be on non-judicial stamp paper of the value required by the state in which the document is executed. An unstamped or inadequate bond will be rejected.
Nominee’s KYC not verified: If the nominee has not completed KYC with any broker, transmission cannot be credited. The nominee must complete KYC and open a demat account first.
Pledged holdings: If any holding is pledged for margin (by the deceased), the pledge must be released before transmission. This requires estate paperwork and may involve the broker’s risk management team. Contact Zerodha support for guidance specific to pledged holdings in a deceased account.
Corporate actions during processing: Dividends, bonus shares, or rights issues announced during the transmission processing period may complicate the process. Confirm with Zerodha how pending entitlements are handled.

References

SEBI, Depositories and Participants Regulations, 2018, Regulations 56–60 (transmission of securities in demat accounts).
SEBI Master Circular on Transmission of Securities, SEBI/HO/MIRSD/MIRSD-PoD-1/P/CIR/2022/154, 19 November 2022.
Companies Act, 2013, Section 56 (transfer of securities) and Section 72 (nomination by holders of securities).
CDSL Operating Instructions, OI-00-028, Transmission of Securities.
Zerodha Support, “Transmission of shares after death”, support.zerodha.com (accessed May 2026).

WebNotes Editorial Team prepares factual how-to guides based on publicly available regulatory documents and broker disclosures. WebNotes is not affiliated with Zerodha Broking Limited. Legal procedures described are general summaries; consult a qualified legal adviser for estate-specific guidance. Procedures and charges are subject to change; verify current requirements at support.zerodha.com before acting.

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.

Last reviewed: 12 May 2026
Conflicts of interest: WebNotes is independent. No relationship with any broker, registrar or bank named in this article.