Foreign Company, Deposits & Nidhi — Specialised Compliance for Three Distinct MCA Regimes.

Foreign companies, companies accepting deposits, and Nidhi companies each operate under specialised compliance regimes within the broader Companies Act, 2013 framework. A foreign company that establishes a place of business in India — whether a branch, liaison, or project office — must register with the RoC by filing Form FC-1 within 30 days of establishment, and thereafter maintain annual filings: FC-3 (financial statements of the India operation) and FC-4 (annual return of the foreign company). Any change to the foreign company's charter, directors, or India address must be notified via FC-2.

Companies accepting deposits from the public or from members are governed by the Companies (Acceptance of Deposits) Rules, 2014 — prescribing limits, repayment periods, credit rating requirements, and mandatory filings including Form DPT-3 (annual return of deposits or outstanding loans) and Form DPT-1 (circular of offer of deposits) where applicable. Most private limited companies cannot accept public deposits but may accept member deposits subject to conditions. Non-compliance with deposit rules is treated as a serious default under the Act.

Nidhi companies are a specific type of public company recognised under Section 406 of the Companies Act — they are mutual benefit societies that accept deposits from and lend exclusively to their members. They must comply with the Nidhi Rules, 2014, including a minimum of 200 members, net owned fund of ₹10 lakh, and a NOF-to-deposit ratio of 1:20 — and file NDH-1 (half-yearly return of statutory compliances) and NDH-3 (annual return). We handle the complete compliance cycle for all three entity categories.