Adding a nominee to your demat account is one of those tasks that feels easy to postpone — until a family finds itself untangling paperwork at the worst possible time. SEBI has made nomination effectively mandatory for every individual demat account holder: you either register a nominee or formally opt out, and there’s no third option. Here’s exactly how to add one online, in just a few minutes.
Why Nomination Matters
Before walking through the steps, it’s worth understanding what nomination actually does and why SEBI has pushed so hard on this.
- A nominee is the person you designate to receive your securities in the event of your death, ensuring a smooth transfer without lengthy legal proceedings
- Without a registered nominee, your family may need to go through succession certificates, probate, or other legal processes to claim your holdings — a genuinely difficult process to navigate while grieving
- You can nominate parents, siblings, children, a spouse, or any other individual — only individuals can be nominated, not organizations or trusts
- Nomination is allowed for individual demat account holders, whether the account is held singly or jointly
- You can add up to 3 nominees and split the allocation between them, as long as the percentages add up to exactly 100%
Method 1: Add a Nominee Through Your Broker’s App or Website
This is the quickest route for most investors, since it doesn’t require leaving your existing trading platform.
- Log in to your broker’s app or website using your mobile number, client ID, or other standard credentials
- Navigate to the “Profile,” “Account Settings,” “Demat Details,” or “Nomination” section
- Select “Add Nominee” (or “Modify Nominee” if you’re updating an existing one)
- Enter the nominee’s details: full name, relationship to you, date of birth, and address
- Specify the percentage share allocated to each nominee if you’re adding more than one — select “Add Another Nominee” to include additional names
- Verify your Aadhaar number and complete authentication using the OTP sent to your mobile number registered with UIDAI
- Your DP typically reviews and approves the request within 1–3 working days, after which you’ll receive a confirmation via SMS, email, or in-app notification
Method 2: Add a Nominee Through the NSDL Portal
If your demat account is NSDL-linked, you can also update your nomination directly through NSDL’s dedicated facility, independent of your broker’s app.
- Visit the NSDL Online Nomination facility directly
- Enter your DP ID, Client ID, and PAN card details, then submit
- You’ll receive an OTP on the mobile number registered with your demat account — enter this to proceed
- Select “I wish to Nominate” (or “Opt Out” if you’re choosing not to add one)
- Fill in the nominee’s details and allocation percentage, then click “Save & Next”
- Complete final authentication by e-signing with your Aadhaar, verified through an OTP sent to your mobile number registered with UIDAI
- Your DP reviews the request, and NSDL sends an SMS confirming whether it’s been approved or rejected, along with the reason if rejected
Method 3: Add a Nominee Through the CDSL Portal
CDSL account holders follow a broadly similar process through their own online facility.
- Log in through your broker’s Easiest interface or CDSL’s own portal, depending on what your DP has enabled
- Locate the nomination section and choose to add, modify, or explicitly opt out
- Enter nominee details and the percentage allocation for each, ensuring the total equals 100%
- Complete Aadhaar-based e-Sign authentication via OTP to finalize the submission
- You can also update or remove a nominee at any time later by filling out the same form again with the required changes
How to Check Your Current Nominee Details
If you’re not sure whether you already have a nominee registered, this is worth checking before assuming you need to start from scratch.
- Log in to your demat account through your broker’s platform, CDSL Easiest, or NSDL Speed-e
- Navigate to the Nomination section under account settings
- If no nominee appears listed, you’ll need to submit a fresh nomination request using either method above
Important Rules to Know Before You Start
A few specific details genuinely matter here, since getting them wrong can delay or invalidate your nomination.
- The maximum number of nominees is capped at 3 under rules effective from September 2026 — SEBI briefly allowed up to 10 in 2025 before settling on this lower cap
- Percentage allocations across all nominees must total exactly 100% — a mismatch, even a small one, will cause the request to be rejected
- Nomination will be mandatory for new single-holder demat accounts opened on or after September 2026, unless you formally choose to opt out at account opening
- You can change your nominee at any time by simply submitting a fresh nomination request — there’s no limit on how often you can update it
- If a structural change happens in your family — marriage, birth of a child, a falling out, or any other reason — updating your nominee promptly avoids future disputes over your holdings
FAQs
Q1. Can I add more than one nominee to my demat account, or is it limited to just one person?
Yes, you can add up to 3 nominees to a single demat account. You’ll need to specify what percentage of your holdings each nominee should receive, and these percentages must add up to exactly 100%.
Q2. What happens if I don’t add a nominee at all?
SEBI requires you to either register a nominee or formally opt out — you cannot simply leave it blank indefinitely on new accounts, and existing account holders are strongly encouraged to do one or the other. Without a nominee, your legal heirs would need to go through a more involved succession process, including possibly a succession certificate or probate, to claim your holdings after your death.
Q3. Do I need to visit my broker’s office or submit physical documents to add a nominee?
No, the entire process is now digital and paperless. You can complete it entirely online through your broker’s app, the NSDL portal, or CDSL’s facility, using Aadhaar-based e-Sign and OTP verification for final authentication.
Q4. Can I change my nominee later if my family situation changes, like after marriage or the birth of a child?
Yes, you can update or modify your nominee details at any time by submitting a new nomination request through the same online process, whether via your broker’s platform or directly through NSDL or CDSL. There’s no restriction on how frequently you can make these updates, so it’s worth revisiting after any major life change.