Bihar has a significant base of retail investors who subscribed to government company IPOs in the 1980s and 1990s — ONGC, SAIL, NTPC, BPCL. When these investors pass away, their families need a legal heir certificate to transmit shares. Bihar's RTPS portal makes applying online straightforward, but understanding the Circle Officer and Amin process helps you get it right the first time.
By RK Gupta, Company Secretary · Updated June 2026 · 11 min read
In Hindi, it is called Uttradhikaari Praman Patra (उत्तराधिकारी प्रमाण पत्र) — also referred to as "Waris Praman Patra" or simply "Heirship Certificate." Bihar is one of India's most populous states and has a significant base of retail investors, many of whom subscribed to government company IPOs in the 1980s and 1990s — ONGC, SAIL, NTPC, BPCL — and whose share certificates now lie in their families' custody decades later.
When such investors pass away, their families need a legal heir certificate to transmit the shares. The certificate is issued by the Revenue Department of Bihar. It is an administrative document identifying all surviving legal heirs — spouse, children, parents, siblings as applicable under personal law. It is distinct from a succession certificate, which is a court order, and is the first and most critical document in the share transmission process.
For share transmission to legal heirs, the legal heir certificate is listed as mandatory by KFintech and MUFG Intime India for claims below ₹5 lakh. Getting it right the first time — with complete and accurate documentation — is what determines how quickly the transmission proceeds.
Bihar's revenue administration differs from most states in its structure. The issuing authority is the Circle Officer (CO) — the revenue officer at the Anchal (Revenue Circle) level. The Anchal Karyalay (Revenue Circle Office) is where the application is processed and where the certificate originates.
Before the Circle Officer signs the certificate, the Amin — Bihar's field revenue official responsible for physical verification — conducts a mandatory enquiry. The Amin visits the household, checks local revenue records, interviews family members and neighbours, and submits a report to the Circle Officer. The Amin in Bihar corresponds to what the Lekhpal is in UP or the Patwari is in Punjab. He is the revenue department's eyes and ears at the ground level.
In complex or high-value cases, the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) may be involved above the CO. In Patna city, the relevant office is the City Circle Office covering that particular ward or area of Patna. Patna has multiple revenue circles, each covering a different part of the city.
Bihar's RTPS portal — "Right to Public Services" — at rtps.bihar.gov.in is the state government's digital platform for citizen services. The legal heir certificate (Heirship Certificate) is available under the Revenue and Land Reforms Department services category. Here is the step-by-step process:
Bihar also has facilitation centres at block and Anchal offices where government staff can assist with online applications for those not comfortable with technology. The CM helpline and Bihar's grievance portal can be used for escalations if processing takes longer than expected.
Assemble these before beginning the application. A missing document at any stage delays the entire process.
The Amin's field visit is the step that most applicants underestimate — and the one that most determines the actual processing time. The Amin is the revenue department's field verification officer at the Anchal level. Their job is to visit the household, check the ration card against the application, speak with family members present, and confirm the family composition as stated. They may also speak with immediate neighbours to cross-verify.
In rural Bihar, Amins can be harder to reach. They handle multiple pending cases across their jurisdiction simultaneously, and in districts like Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, and Araria, pending work can create backlogs. In Patna urban areas, the process is generally faster because access is easier and the volume of officials is higher.
One practical step that helps significantly: make sure the family's Bihar Bhumi portal land records are current and correctly show the family relationships. When the Amin can cross-reference the Khata records at biharbhumi.bihar.gov.in with the application details, it reduces back-and-forth and gives the Amin independent corroboration for the family composition you have declared.
Ensure a family member — ideally someone named as a legal heir in the application — is available at the Bihar address on the day of the Amin's visit. If the Amin arrives and finds no one at home, this triggers a second visit attempt, adding days to the timeline. If the situation is unavoidable, a trusted local representative with a notarised Power of Attorney can be present on behalf of the family.
The official processing time under Bihar's RTPS Act is 15 working days from the date of complete application. In practice, 21–45 working days is more realistic depending on the district and the Amin's availability. Patna urban is typically faster. Rural Bihar — Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Araria — can take longer due to higher workloads and greater geographic spread for the Amin to cover.
| Fee Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RTPS portal government fee | Free / Nominal | Many certificate categories are free on the RTPS portal for standard applicants |
| Facilitation centre service charge | ₹20–₹50 | Small nominal amount at assisted application centres |
| Stamp paper for affidavit | ₹10 | Standard Bihar non-judicial stamp paper |
| Notary fee for affidavit | ₹100–₹200 | Varies by notary |
The total out-of-pocket cost is typically ₹150 to ₹300 — substantially less than a succession certificate through court. The government fee itself is minimal; the main costs are the affidavit preparation and, if you use a facilitation centre, the small service charge.
Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) issues death certificates in Patna city. PMC's Birth and Death Registration section handles death registration both online and in-person. Make sure you have the PMC-issued death certificate — not a hospital death summary, but the formal registered death certificate — before applying on the RTPS portal.
For the legal heir certificate itself, the relevant Circle Office depends on which part of Patna the deceased resided in. Patna has multiple revenue circles, and the application must go to the correct Anchal. When entering the address on the RTPS portal, select the Anchal that corresponds to the deceased's residential locality — the portal's dropdown will guide you based on the district selected.
Patna urban applications are processed faster than those from rural districts. The concentration of government offices and the proximity of Anchal Karyalayas to each other in the city helps move things along. For families in Patna, a realistic timeline is 21–30 working days when documents are complete.
Bihar has 38 districts, each with its own Circle Offices and Amins. Some districts of particular relevance to investor families:
Gaya: South Bihar's major district. Gaya Municipal Corporation or Gaya Municipal Council handles death registration. The RTPS portal routes the application to the relevant Anchal within Gaya district. Gaya is home to many long-standing government employee and trader families with old shareholdings.
Muzaffarpur: North Bihar's commercial hub. Muzaffarpur Municipal Corporation for urban death registration. The district has multiple Anchals with their respective Circle Officers.
Bhagalpur: East Bihar, known historically for the silk industry. Bhagalpur Municipal Corporation. Many manufacturing and trading families from Bhagalpur subscribed to PSU IPOs in the 1980s and 1990s.
Darbhanga: North Bihar, Mithilanchal region. Darbhanga has a significant population of retired government employees and teachers who held PSU shares. Processing times can be longer than Patna due to higher rural-to-urban ratios in the district.
Purnia: Northeast Bihar. Purnia Municipal Corporation for the urban area. The district includes both urban and rural zones, with varying Amin availability.
Sitamarhi: Border district with Nepal. Predominantly rural-dominated. Processing times are typically among the longer in the state — 30 to 45 working days is realistic for Sitamarhi applications. Families should ensure documents are complete before submitting to avoid additional delays.
Begusarai: Industrial Bihar, known for Barauni Refinery (BPCL). Many BPCL and IOC employee families and their descendants hold shares in these companies. Begusarai Municipal Council handles urban death registration. This district is notable precisely because of the Barauni Refinery heritage — a substantial number of BPCL share transmission cases originate from Begusarai.
The Bihar Bhumi portal at biharbhumi.bihar.gov.in is one of the better-developed land records systems in North India. Families can view Jamabandi (rights of record), Khata (ledger entries for each landowner), and Khesra (field-level plot records) online without visiting any office.
While land records are not a mandatory part of the legal heir certificate application on the RTPS portal, they play an important supporting role during the Amin's field enquiry. The Amin routinely cross-references the Khata records to confirm the family composition declared in the application. If the deceased held land in Bihar and the Bhumi portal records are current, this gives the Amin an independent data point to verify against your application — reducing the chances of the Amin raising queries or requesting additional documents.
Before applying, it is worth checking the Bihar Bhumi portal to see what the current Khata records show. If there are discrepancies — a deceased family member still listed as a current Khata holder, or names not matching what is in the application — it is better to know this in advance. Families should review biharbhumi.bihar.gov.in before submitting their RTPS application.
Bihar legal heir certificates are issued in Hindi. For RTAs handling transmission of shares in companies headquartered in other states, a certified English translation may occasionally be requested. However, Hindi legal heir certificates are generally accepted by major RTAs like KFintech and MUFG Intime India without translation for North India-based investor accounts — these RTAs are well accustomed to processing Hindi-language certificates from Bihar, UP, MP, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand.
If a specific RTA does request an English translation — which is uncommon but does happen — obtain one from a government-empanelled translator and have it notarised, then attach it to the original Hindi certificate when submitting to the RTA. The language difference does not affect legal validity in any way. A Hindi-language certificate issued by the Bihar Circle Officer is as legally valid and authoritative as a certificate from any other state.
For large estates, disputed successions, or when specifically required by the RTA or the company itself, a succession certificate must be obtained from the District Civil Court at the relevant district headquarters in Bihar. For high-value or particularly complex cases, the Patna High Court is the appropriate forum.
Succession certificates in Bihar take 6–18 months, involve court fees calculated as a percentage of the estate value, and typically require a lawyer. The process is thorough but time-consuming. For routine share transmission where the holding per company is below ₹5 lakh, the Circle Officer-issued legal heir certificate from the RTPS portal is fully sufficient — you do not need to approach a court at all. The general legal heir certificate guide covers the succession certificate route in detail for cases where it becomes necessary.
If the shares of the deceased family member were transferred to the IEPF (Investor Education and Protection Fund) due to unclaimed dividends for 7 or more consecutive years, the process is different from a standard transmission. IEPF claims require filing Form IEPF-5 on the MCA portal at iepf.gov.in, and the Bihar Circle Officer's legal heir certificate is one of the required supporting documents for the claim.
Our IEPF claim assistance service covers this entire process end to end. A Bihar legal heir certificate is acceptable for IEPF claims without needing a court succession certificate in most cases — the administrative certificate from the Circle Officer is treated as sufficient proof of heirship for the IEPF claim process as well. Begusarai and Patna families with BPCL, ONGC, or other PSU shares that have moved to IEPF are a common case type we handle.
Disclaimer: Investor Helpdesk provides documentation support and process guidance only — we are not affiliated with any government body, SEBI, MCA, or any RTA, and this is not legal or investment advice.
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