How to open a SAMCO account
Documents, online onboarding steps, time to activate, F&O activation, and the common reasons SAMCO KYC gets rejected — for the SAMCO demat and trading account.
What you’ll need
Keep these handy before starting — saves backtracking mid-flow.
- PAN card.
- Aadhaar with the mobile number linked (for OTP-based e-KYC).
- Bank cancelled cheque or recent statement showing name, account number and IFSC.
- Passport-size photo (front-facing, clear background).
- Signature on a blank white sheet of paper.
- Income proof (salary slip, ITR, or 6-month bank statement) — needed only if you want to activate F&O.
SAMCO account opening — step by step
Fully online for resident Indians with Aadhaar. No branch visit, no paperwork courier.
- 1Open www.samco.in and start the account-opening application.Enter your registered mobile and email — both will receive OTPs through the flow.
- 2Verify PAN, fetch Aadhaar via OTP and confirm your address.SAMCO pulls your address from the UIDAI Aadhaar record — make sure the Aadhaar address is current.
- 3Add bank details and upload the cancelled cheque or bank statement.Your name on the bank account must match the PAN exactly. Joint accounts and minor accounts have separate flows.
- 4Record the in-person verification (IPV) video and upload your signature.A short selfie video proves you’re a real person. Good lighting and a steady camera prevent retries.
- 5e-Sign the account-opening agreement using Aadhaar OTP.The e-sign is legally equivalent to a physical signature under the IT Act, 2000.
- 6Wait 1–3 working days for SAMCO and the depository (CDSL or NSDL) to activate the account.You’ll receive client ID, user ID and login credentials via email when it’s ready. After that, log in and start trading.
Activating F&O on SAMCO
Equity delivery and intraday work the moment your account is live. Futures & options trading needs a separate activation step — SEBI requires brokers to verify that F&O applicants can absorb the leverage. SAMCO asks for one of the following as income proof: latest salary slip, latest ITR acknowledgement, latest Form 16, six months of bank statements, or a holding statement showing existing investments. Upload via the F&O activation flow in your SAMCO profile; activation typically completes in 1–2 working days.
Things to watch with SAMCO
Broker-specific catches worth knowing before you start — the details that trip people up on SAMCO specifically.
- Demat is on CDSL only (DP ID IN-DP-CDSL-443-2008); no NSDL option.
- Income proof is mandatory to enable F&O for accounts without existing holdings.
- It is a standalone broker, not a 3-in-1 account, so a separate bank account must be linked for fund transfers.
After your SAMCO account is open
Once activated, the natural first steps:
- Log in at SAMCO login and set up biometric / PIN for the app.
- Review the SAMCO charges so you know what every trade costs end-to-end.
- Use the SAMCO brokerage calculator to compute the all-in cost on a sample trade.
- Transfer funds from your linked bank via UPI for the fastest settlement.
Frequently asked
What people ask about opening a SAMCO account.
Account typically activated within about 24-48 working hours after e-KYC and document verification Aadhaar e-KYC, in-person video verification (IPV) and e-sign are done online; depository activation follows. If KYC verification fails or a document needs re-upload, allow an extra 1–2 days.
For a resident Indian SAMCO account: PAN card, Recent passport-size photograph, Address proof (Aadhaar / Passport / Driving License / Voter ID), Bank proof (cancelled cheque / bank statement / passbook copy), Income proof (only for F&O/derivatives): 6-month bank statement, 3-month salary slip, Form 16, ITR acknowledgement, latest holding statement, or net worth certificate. F&O activation also needs income proof — a salary slip, ITR or a 6-month bank statement.
Account opening: Nil (free online account opening). Demat AMC: Nil for the first year, Rs. 400 per year thereafter. The recurring cost to watch is the demat AMC — see the SAMCO charges page for the full schedule.
SAMCO's account is a Standalone trading + demat account (not a 3-in-1 bank account). A 3-in-1 account bundles a bank, trading and demat account so funds move automatically; a standalone account links to an external bank that you fund via UPI / net banking.
Activate the Derivatives segment via Samco Star Back Office (star.samco.in) > Account Settings > Modify Now > Segment Addition; clients with existing holdings confirm via OTP, clients without holdings upload income proof; TAT up to 48 working hours
Yes. The entire flow is digital for resident Indians with Aadhaar — you fill the application, capture a quick video for in-person verification, and e-sign the agreement via Aadhaar OTP. No paperwork or branch visit.
Common reasons: name mismatch between PAN and Aadhaar, blurry document photo, IPV video failing to capture face / surroundings clearly, signature mismatch, or Aadhaar mobile not being current. SAMCO flags the specific reason in the rejection notification; fix and resubmit.
SAMCO typically offers an NRI demat + trading account separately from the resident product, with heavier documentation (PIS letter, NRE / NRO bank link, passport, OCI / PIO card if applicable). Confirm NRI account availability and onboarding flow on the official SAMCO site.