How to open a Zerodha 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.

Zerodha account opening — step by step

Fully online for resident Indians with Aadhaar. No branch visit, no paperwork courier.

1. 1
   Open zerodha.com and start the account-opening application.

   Enter your registered mobile and email — both will receive OTPs through the flow.
2. 2
   Verify PAN, fetch Aadhaar via OTP and confirm your address.

   Zerodha pulls your address from the UIDAI Aadhaar record — make sure the Aadhaar address is current.
3. 3
   Add 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.
4. 4
   Record 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.
5. 5
   e-Sign the account-opening agreement using Aadhaar OTP.

   The e-sign is legally equivalent to a physical signature under the IT Act, 2000.
6. 6
   Wait 1–3 working days for Zerodha 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 Zerodha

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. Zerodha 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 Zerodha profile; activation typically completes in 1–2 working days.

Things to watch with Zerodha

Broker-specific catches worth knowing before you start — the details that trip people up on Zerodha specifically.

• Income proof is mandatory to enable F&O; equity segment must already be active
• Demat AMC is charged quarterly; non-BSDA accounts pay ₹300/year + GST regardless of holdings value
• Standalone broker - no integrated bank account, so funds move via UPI/net banking from a linked external bank

After your Zerodha account is open

Once activated, the natural first steps:

• Log in at Zerodha login and set up biometric / PIN for the app.
• Review the Zerodha charges so you know what every trade costs end-to-end.
• Use the Zerodha brokerage calculator to compute the all-in cost on a sample trade.
• Transfer funds from your linked bank via UPI for the fastest settlement.