Outgrown the 200-member cap and ready to raise from the public? Convert your Private Limited Company into a Public Limited Company and open the door to IPOs, public issues, and free share transferability. Legal Terminus manages the entire conversion under Section 14 & 18 of the Companies Act, 2013 — special resolution, MOA & AOA alteration, MGT-14 and INC-27 filing — end to end on MCA21 V3. Our professional fee starts at ₹19,999 + GST. Government fees & stamp duty are billed separately at actuals.
Conversions & Registrations
MCA21 V3 + DSC
Years of Legal Expertise
Convert your Private Limited Company into a Public Limited at pocket-friendly prices
A Private Limited Company is built for a closely held group — it caps membership at 200, restricts share transfers through its articles, and is barred from inviting the public to subscribe to its shares. That works beautifully until you need to raise real capital. A Public Limited Company removes all three limits: there is no upper ceiling on members, shares are freely transferable under Section 58, and the company can raise money from the public through a public issue, rights issue, or — eventually — an IPO on the NSE / BSE.
Converting does not start a new company. Under Section 14 and Section 18 of the Companies Act, 2013, your existing company passes a special resolution, alters its MOA and AOA to drop the private restrictions, and files MGT-14 and INC-27 with the ROC. The company must have at least 7 members and 3 directors at the time of conversion. On approval, the word "Private" is removed from the name and a fresh Certificate of Incorporation is issued — the same business, the same history, now structured for public capital and listing optionality.
Conversion is a deliberate trade — you take on heavier governance in exchange for unrestricted membership, freely transferable shares, and access to public capital. Here is exactly what shifts when a Private Limited becomes a Public Limited Company.
| Parameter | Private Limited (Before) | Public Limited (After) |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Members | 2 | 7 |
| Minimum Directors | 2 | 3 |
| Maximum Members | 200 | No limit |
| Share Transfer | Restricted by AOA | Freely transferable (Sec 58) |
| Public Fundraising | Prohibited | IPO / FPO / rights / public issue |
| Name Ending | "Private Limited" | "Limited" |
| Compliance Load | Lighter | Heavier (more meetings, disclosures) |
The default destination of a Pvt-to-Public conversion. You gain the 7-member / 3-director public structure, unrestricted membership, and freely transferable shares — without the SEBI overlay. Most companies convert to this first and raise via private placement before any listing.
The end-goal for IPO-bound businesses — shares trade on the NSE / BSE. Converting to a Public Limited is the mandatory first step; listing follows later once SEBI eligibility thresholds are met. You cannot list a Private Limited directly, which is why conversion comes first.
Convert when your company sits at the top of a group and controls one or more subsidiaries. A public holding structure supports consolidated financials, cleaner related-party disclosure under Section 188, and the ability to raise capital at the parent level for the whole group.
Where a foreign body corporate holds a significant stake, conversion to a Public Limited eases larger FDI inflows and institutional participation. The entity stays 'Indian' for the Companies Act but attracts FEMA / RBI FC-GPR reporting — which we factor into the conversion plan.
Converting ahead of a funding round signals scale to VCs, PE funds, and institutional lenders. Free share transferability and no member cap make priced rounds, ESOP pools, and preferential allotments far cleaner than they ever are inside a Private Limited.
A private company that is a subsidiary of a public company is treated as a public company under Section 2(71). Formally converting aligns your legal status with how the law already views you and removes the ambiguity around the private restrictions in your articles.
