A net worth certificate is a chartered accountant's signed statement of a person's or entity's assets less liabilities as at one specified date, verified against records and issued with a UDIN.
The arithmetic is total assets less total liabilities. For an individual that usually means documented bank balances, investments and property interests, less the loans and other liabilities outstanding. For a company or other entity, the figure is normally derived from its financial statements and accounting records, subject to the purpose and reporting basis of the certificate. Exactly what is counted, and how, can differ with the bank, consulate, regulator, investor or contract asking for it.
What it is not matters as much. It is not a valuation, because assets are stated on a disclosed basis rather than appraised for market price. It is not an audit, and it carries no opinion on whether you can repay anything. It speaks to one date and to the records that were produced, and the certificate names both on its face.
No Indian statute defines the document. There is no section of any Act you can point a bank to. What gives the certificate its weight is the professional framework the signatory works within, which is why the identity and standing of the signatory is the whole of the certificate's value.
The document is the same shape in every case. What changes is the format the recipient expects, the date the figure must speak to, and which holdings they will count. Pick the route that matches who asked.
| If the request came from | You need | Fee from | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nobody specific, or general purpose | This page. Ask us directly. | ₹1,499 | 24 to 72 hours |
| A consulate or visa centre | Net worth certificate for visa | ₹1,499 | 24 to 72 hours |
| A bank, for a CC, OD or term loan | Net worth certificate for turnover | ₹1,499 | 24 to 72 hours |
| A tender or GeM bid document | Net worth certificate for tender | ₹1,499 | 24 to 72 hours |
| A broker or depository participant | Net worth certificate for demat | ₹1,499 | 24 to 72 hours |
| You are in or near Kolkata | Net worth certificate, Kolkata office | ₹1,499 | 24 to 72 hours |
If you are not sure which of these the request maps to, send us the exact wording the recipient used. That one line usually decides the whole engagement, and getting it wrong is the most common reason a certificate is returned.
No net worth certificate is accepted everywhere by default. Banks, embassies, immigration authorities, universities and government departments each set their own format, certificate date, supporting documents and level of attestation, and some prescribe a certificate of their own. Acceptance is decided by the recipient; we cannot guarantee it.
What we can do is draw the certificate to what the recipient actually asked for. Where they have issued a prescribed format, send it to us before the engagement begins, so it is reviewed before we quote rather than discovered after signature.
Consulates and visa centres. Most consulates publish a document checklist that asks for evidence of funds rather than for a net worth certificate by name. The certificate is how applicants evidence holdings that a bank statement alone does not show, such as property and investments. Acceptance is the consulate’s decision, so treat the certificate as strong supporting evidence rather than as a guaranteed outcome. We format it to the checklist the consulate publishes, sign it through a practising chartered accountant and carry a UDIN the visa officer can verify. What we will not do is promise acceptance, because that is not ours to promise, and any provider who does is telling you something they cannot control.
Lenders. A bank assessing a credit facility wants the position after encumbrances. Adding up what you own without deducting what is charged against it produces a larger number and a shorter conversation, because the credit officer performs the subtraction anyway and then wonders what else was left out.
Tender and procurement bodies. Read the eligibility clause carefully, because most of them ask for turnover rather than net worth. The standard GeM clause asks for minimum average annual turnover over three years, evidenced by certified audited balance sheets or a certificate from a chartered accountant or cost accountant. Individual tender conditions from PSUs, railways and state works departments frequently add a separate net worth threshold on top. Those are two different certificates and bidders routinely supply one where the other was wanted. DPIIT recognised startups are exempt from the GeM bidder turnover and experience criteria, subject to meeting the quality and technical specifications.
Brokers and depository participants. This is where the internet is most confidently wrong. SEBI does not require a net worth certificate to open an ordinary demat account. Income proof is required only to activate the derivatives, currency or commodity segments, and a net worth certificate is one acceptable proof among several. A Form 16, an ITR acknowledgement or a six month bank statement will satisfy most brokers. Where a certificate genuinely is required is for a non individual account, such as a partnership firm, LLP or company opening a demat account, and for SEBI intermediary registrations that carry their own prescribed net worth thresholds. If a broker has asked you for one, ask them which of those situations applies before you commission anything.
There is no minimum net worth for a US B1/B2 visa, and no fixed figure for a Canadian or UK visitor visa either. What each country asks for is evidence that you can pay for the trip. Fixed amounts appear mainly for study permits and in Schengen border rules. The table sets out the official position as of October 2026.
| Visa | Official funds requirement | Where the certificate fits |
|---|---|---|
| US visitor (B1/B2) | No fixed amount. The US State Department says applicants may be asked for evidence of their ability to pay all costs of the trip, or that another person will cover them. | Supporting evidence of assets alongside bank statements and income tax returns, especially where wealth sits in property or investments. |
| Canada visitor visa | No fixed amount. IRCC asks that you have enough money for your stay, which depends on how long you stay and where. | Supporting evidence of financial standing and ties to India. |
| Canada study permit | CAN$23,448 a year for living expenses for a single student outside Quebec, for applications made on or after 1 September 2026. Tuition and travel are on top. | IRCC’s listed proofs are bank statements, education loans, GICs and sponsor letters. A certificate can support a sponsor’s standing but does not replace those. |
| UK Standard Visitor | No fixed amount. You must be able to support yourself and any dependants and pay for your return or onward journey, or have someone fund it. | Supporting evidence where funds are held outside a bank account. |
| Schengen short stay | Each member state sets its own daily reference amount, and the European Commission publishes the current table. | Check the embassy checklist. Most ask for bank statements first, with the certificate as supporting evidence. |
So the honest answer to "how much net worth do I need for a US visa" is that no figure is published. The officer looks at whether your finances fit the trip you describe. A certificate helps by putting property, investments and loans on one page signed by a CA with a UDIN the officer can check. It does not stand in for bank statements and returns, and no certificate guarantees a visa.
Where a consulate wants the figure in its own currency as well as rupees, we state both, with the exchange rate, its source and its date written on the certificate. For students and their sponsors, see also the net worth certificate for an education loan. Foreign nationals, OCI and PIO cardholders should read net worth certificates for foreign nationals.
What can be counted depends on the purpose and on the evidence available. Not every asset goes in automatically at an assumed market value. Each one enters on the basis that suits the purpose and that the records can support.
Property. Usually the most sensitive line in an individual's figure. Depending on what the recipient requires, the basis may be the registered purchase consideration, book value, the government or stamp duty valuation, an independent valuation report, or another basis the recipient specifically accepts. A chartered accountant should not present an unsupported property figure as an independently determined market value. Where an independent valuation is required, it comes from an appropriately qualified valuer, and you provide the report for us to consider in the certificate.
Unlisted shares and business interests. Shares in a private company, partnership interests and other privately held investments can need additional valuation evidence. We do not assign a market value to an unlisted holding merely from its face value or what was paid for it, unless that basis suits the stated purpose. Where the recipient prescribes a valuation method or asks for a valuation report, the certificate is prepared on that supporting documentation.
A salaried individual needs a certificate for a visitor visa. The figures below are illustrative. They show how each line enters on a stated basis and how liabilities come off before the total is certified.
| Line | Basis stated in the annexure | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Savings account balances | Bank statements as at the certificate date | ₹4,50,000 |
| Fixed deposits | FD receipts, principal plus interest accrued | ₹3,00,000 |
| Mutual funds | Consolidated account statement, NAV on the certificate date | ₹6,20,000 |
| Residential flat | Purchase price in the registered sale deed | ₹42,00,000 |
| Total assets | ₹55,70,000 | |
| Less: home loan secured on the flat | Lender’s outstanding balance statement | (₹18,40,000) |
| Less: car loan | Loan statement | (₹2,10,000) |
| Less: credit card dues | Latest card statement | (₹35,000) |
| Net worth certified | Assets less liabilities as at the certificate date | ₹34,85,000 |
| Deliverable | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Signed certificate | On letterhead, naming the person or entity, the date the figure speaks to and the purpose it was issued for, with a UDIN generated against it on the ICAI portal. |
| Statement of affairs annexure | Every asset and liability on its own line with the valuation basis stated beside it, so a reader who disputes one figure can see the reasoning rather than only the number. |
| Valuation basis note | A short note giving the basis chosen for each asset that has no quoted price, in particular immovable property and unlisted shareholdings. |
| Charge and encumbrance summary | Which assets carry a registered charge, and what is left once those charges are set against the borrowings they secure. |
| Drafted to the recipient's format | The certificate drawn to the wording the consulate, bank, tender committee or broker asks for, confirmed with you before signature. |
| Signed PDF plus letterhead copies | A signed PDF for immediate submission and hard copies. |
| Net worth computation | The supporting calculation from the asset and liability schedule to the certified figure, on the basis agreed at scope. |
| Reissue on a changed date | A fresh certificate on refreshed records where the recipient wants a later date. Never a re dating of the certificate already issued. |
Physical attestation, notarisation, apostille, embassy legalisation and submission to the recipient are separate requirements. They are not part of the certificate unless the engagement explicitly includes them, so tell us at the first call if the receiving body, particularly a foreign one, expects any of them.
Source records, not summaries. Each figure in the statement is traced back to the document that governs it.
The final list depends on the certificate date, what the recipient requires and which assets and liabilities are included. We do not issue a certificate on unsupported figures or on a declaration alone.
| Problem | Why it happens | How we handle it |
|---|---|---|
| Returned for the wrong format | Consulates, banks and tender committees each prescribe their own wording. A general template matches none of them. | The recipient's format is confirmed before drafting, not after signature. |
| Holdings counted that cannot be evidenced | Household gold, money lent to a friend and property in a relative’s name all feel like wealth, but no record ties them to the person certified. | Anything untraceable is put back to you, then either evidenced properly or shown on the certificate as excluded. |
| A gross total where a net position was wanted | Assets added up without deducting what is secured against them. | Borrowings are netted against the assets securing them and every registered charge is disclosed. |
| No basis given for an unquoted asset | A number with no stated basis invites the reader to substitute their own, and theirs is always more conservative. | Every asset without a market price carries its valuation basis in the annexure. |
| The date has drifted | No statute sets a validity period, so each recipient applies its own recency rule while the application sits in a queue. | A later date is treated as a new engagement on refreshed records. |
When a file runs past the usual turnaround, it is almost always waiting on one of these.
A net worth certificate from CorporateWalla costs from ₹1,499 plus GST, with UDIN included and no government fee. The starting fee is the same for every purpose. What moves the final figure is how many assets and liabilities have to be traced, not who asked for the certificate.
| Certificate | Professional fee | Government fee | UDIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| General purpose, individual | From ₹1,499 | None | Included |
| General purpose, firm, LLP or company | From ₹1,499, quoted on scope | None | Included |
| For demat or broking | From ₹1,499 | None | Included |
| For visa or immigration | From ₹1,499 | None | Included |
| For turnover, bank facility | From ₹1,499 | None | Included |
| For tender or GeM | From ₹1,499 | None | Included |
| Kolkata office | From ₹1,499 | None | Included |
| What raises the fee above the starting price | Why |
|---|---|
| Several properties, or property held jointly | Each title has to be traced to its registered deed and the holder’s share worked out. |
| Unlisted shares, partnership or LLP interests | They need a supportable valuation basis, usually from the entity’s own financial statements. |
| An entity rather than an individual | The figure is built from books and schedules that have to be reconciled to the certificate date. |
| A recipient-prescribed format or foreign currency conversion | The certificate is drafted to that wording, and conversion rates and their source are stated. |
Talk to a CA. Call +91 72783 76654, WhatsApp the same number, or email info@corporatewalla.com. Callback in 30 minutes.
Twenty four to seventy two hours from the point your records are complete, across every certificate in the cluster. That qualifier carries the weight. The variable is almost never the drafting, which is a day’s work. It is how long it takes you to produce a title document, a demat statement as at the right date, or a loan balance confirmation the bank has to issue on its own timetable. A straightforward individual file with bank statements and one property closes inside 24 hours. A file with unlisted shareholdings, several properties or records that need reconstructing takes the full 72, and occasionally longer, in which case we tell you that at the first call rather than at the deadline.
On the UDIN itself, ICAI allows 60 days from the date of signing for the number to be generated, extended from 15 days by the Council in September 2021 to align with SQC 1 and SA 230. In practice we generate it at signature, because a certificate handed over without its UDIN is a certificate the recipient cannot verify.
| Document | What it states | Typically asked for by |
|---|---|---|
| Net worth certificate | Assets less liabilities on one date, on the stated records and valuation basis | Consulates, lenders, brokers, tender committees |
| Property valuation report | An estimate of the value of a specified property under the valuer's methodology | Recipients who want the value of a particular property |
| Turnover certificate | Revenue over a stated period, usually three years | Tender and GeM bid eligibility, current account opening |
| Solvency certificate | Solvency or financial position for a specified purpose and basis, typically that obligations can be met up to a stated sum | Courts, tender earnest money, some licensing bodies |
| Audited financial statements | A full audited position and performance for a financial year | Statutory filing, investors, larger credit facilities |
| Bank balance confirmation | Balances held with one bank on one date | Visa evidence of funds, simple credit checks |
If a bank has asked for audited accounts off a statutory audit, a net worth certificate adds nothing. If a tender named a sum you must be good for, a solvency certificate answers that and a net worth certificate does not. If the requirement is a valuation of one property, a registered valuer is the right professional and a chartered accountant is not. We would rather tell you that on the first call than issue a document that comes back.
These documents are not interchangeable, so the recipient's exact requirement is confirmed before anything is issued. The same goes for a company's financial statements. Its net worth can often be derived from audited or otherwise reliable records, but a certificate for a specific recipient may need additional schedules, a different date, valuation evidence or representations. Where the certificate has to speak to a current date, the closing equity figure from an old balance sheet is not simply copied across.
Because no statute defines this document, anyone can produce something that looks like one. What a recipient can actually check is the signature. The UDIN is the mechanism, and it is worth understanding what it does.
ICAI made UDIN mandatory for all certification by practising chartered accountants with effect from 1 February 2019, following the Council decision at its 379th meeting in December 2018. GST and tax audit reports followed on 1 April 2019 and all other attest functions on 1 July 2019. The number is an 18 digit string generated on the ICAI portal, and it lets a bank, consulate or broker confirm that a practising chartered accountant issued the document, without contacting the firm at all. A certificate without one invites a query at the point in your process where you have the least time to answer it.
A UDIN (Unique Document Identification Number) is an 18 character number a practising chartered accountant generates on the ICAI portal for each document certified. It is mandatory on a net worth certificate, and anyone holding the certificate can check it online without contacting the CA.
| Part of the UDIN | What it shows |
|---|---|
| First 2 digits | Last two digits of the year it was generated |
| Next 6 digits | The signing CA’s ICAI membership number |
| Last 10 characters | Random letters and numbers generated by the system |
A UDIN can be generated up to 60 days after the certificate is signed, but not before signing. We generate it at the time of signing, so the certificate you receive can be checked the same day. A certificate with no UDIN, or one whose UDIN does not match, should not be submitted anywhere.
Official sources: icai.org, udin.icai.org, mca.gov.in, incometax.gov.in, gem.gov.in. Visa funds positions: travel.state.gov, canada.ca (IRCC), gov.uk and home-affairs.ec.europa.eu, checked October 2026.
At CorporateWalla a net worth certificate starts at ₹1,499 plus GST, with the UDIN included and no government fee. The starting price is the same whether the certificate is for a visa, a bank, a tender or a broker. It rises with the work involved: several properties, unlisted shares, an entity rather than an individual, or a format the recipient prescribes. We confirm the fee before starting, and take 50 per cent upfront and 50 per cent on delivery.
Yes. ICAI has made a UDIN mandatory for certificates issued by practising chartered accountants that are signed on or after 1 February 2019. A net worth certificate without one can be rejected, and the CA who signed it is exposed to disciplinary action. The UDIN is printed under the signature and can be verified by anyone on the ICAI UDIN portal.
There is none. The US State Department publishes no minimum net worth or bank balance for a B1/B2 visa. It says applicants may be asked to show they can pay all costs of the trip, or that someone else will. A net worth certificate is supporting evidence of that, alongside bank statements and income tax returns. It does not guarantee a visa.
IRCC does not ask for one by name. For a visitor visa you must show you have enough money for your stay, with no fixed figure. For a study permit filed on or after 1 September 2026, a single student outside Quebec must show CAN$23,448 a year for living costs, plus tuition and travel, mainly through bank statements, loans or GICs. A certificate can support a parent or sponsor’s financial standing.
Yes. A practising chartered accountant can issue one within the scope of professional competence and the applicable ICAI standards, based on the information and evidence examined. The exact format and the procedures followed depend on the purpose the certificate is for.
Not necessarily. It states a net worth figure on a specified basis and the evidence examined. It is not an independent valuation of every asset. Where a recipient needs the market value of a property, that comes from a valuation report by an appropriately qualified valuer.
No statute sets a validity period, because the certificate speaks to one named date rather than to a window of time. Each recipient applies its own recency rule instead. Consulates and lenders commonly want a date within the last three to six months. Where an application has been sitting in a queue, expect to be asked for a fresh certificate on a later date rather than an extension of the first.
Only assets the individual legally owns on the certificate date. Property standing in a spouse's or parent's name stays out even where the individual paid for it. So do the assets of a firm in which the person is a partner, because those belong to the firm. Jointly held assets enter at the individual's share, not at the full value.
It depends on what the recipient requires, and whichever basis is used has to be stated. The registered purchase price from the sale deed is easy to evidence and is sometimes acceptable, but not universally. Book value or the government stamp duty valuation are other possible bases. Where a current market value is required, that needs a separate valuation from an appropriately qualified valuer. Silently mixing bases across one schedule is the most common reason a lender sends a certificate back.
Usually not. SEBI does not require one to open an ordinary demat account. Income proof is required only to activate the derivatives, currency or commodity segments, and a net worth certificate is one acceptable proof among several. A Form 16, an ITR acknowledgement or a six month bank statement is generally enough. A certificate is genuinely needed where a firm, LLP or company is opening the account, or for SEBI intermediary registrations with their own net worth thresholds.
It is often requested as part of the evidence of financial capacity. Acceptance is decided by the embassy, immigration authority or institution, and we cannot guarantee it. Share the checklist or prescribed format before we start. For the visa route specifically, see the net worth certificate for visa.
Yes. Banks may ask for a net worth certificate as part of credit documentation, and a bank may prescribe its own format or want additional evidence. Send us the bank’s wording before drafting begins.
No. A professional certificate is not issued on unsupported figures. The evidence needed depends on the assets and liabilities included, the purpose and the basis adopted.
Yes. Every liability outstanding on the certificate date is deducted, including revolving card balances, personal and vehicle loans, and the drawn portion of an overdraft. We reconcile them against loan statements, because an undisclosed borrowing that surfaces later makes the whole certificate unreliable rather than just that line.
Often, yes, where sufficient records from that date exist. Certificates are routinely issued as at 31 March, or as at the date a loan application or a bid was submitted. The evidence then has to be the position on that day rather than today’s balances, so whether a particular past date can be certified is assessed case by case. The date appears on the face of the document.
Yes, and it is common for visa, immigration and property matters. We certify Indian assets from Indian evidence, and include overseas holdings only where you supply foreign bank or brokerage statements. Documents can be signed and shared electronically, so being outside India is not an obstacle. Where the same engagement also needs a return filed, that is NRI ITR filing.
No. Individuals are not required to have their personal affairs audited. The certificate rests on a statement of affairs you sign plus the underlying evidence. Where you run a business whose accounts are audited, those audited figures feed the business portion of the schedule.
Not until title passes. An asset still standing in a deceased parent's name is not yours, however certain the eventual inheritance. Once a will is probated or a succession or legal heir certificate is issued and mutation is recorded, the asset enters the schedule at your share.
Take the UDIN printed under the signature and verify it on the ICAI UDIN portal. It will confirm that a practising chartered accountant generated that number against a document of that type. Also check the firm registration number and the membership number, which appear beneath the signature on every certificate we issue.
Most people reach this page holding a requirement somebody else set. The useful next step is not to order a certificate. Go back to whoever asked and settle two things: the format they want, and the date the figure must speak to. Almost every returned certificate failed on one of those rather than on the arithmetic.
Send us the wording the recipient used and we will tell you which certificate answers it, and which of your records the position can actually be built from. Call or WhatsApp +91 72783 76654, or email info@corporatewalla.com. A CA calls back within 30 minutes.
Send us the wording the consulate, bank, tender committee or broker used, and a CA tells you which certificate answers it before anything is commissioned. Call 72783 76654. Mon–Sat, 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM IST.
