MSME Classification: Old Registration Validity Extended to June 2022
Current · Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2022-23/52 · issued 19 May 2022 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI clarifies that EM Part II and Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum obtained before July 1, 2020 remain valid for MSME classification until June 30, 2022, following a government notification amendment.
The rule, in the simplest words
Old MSME (small business) papers called EM Part II and Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum (UAM) that you got before July 1, 2020 are still good to use until June 30, 2022.
Banks and lenders can keep using these old papers to decide if a business is a micro, small, or medium enterprise (MSME) without asking for new ones right away.
This rule gives businesses and banks a break from changing their status quickly, so they have more time to switch to the new system.
The government made this change official on May 6, 2022, and the RBI (India's central bank) told all banks and lenders to follow it.
How it plays out — a real example
A branch operations officer in Indore is reviewing a small jewelry shop's loan application. The shop owner shows an EM Part II paper from 2019. The officer knows from the RBI rule that this paper is still valid until June 30, 2022, so she accepts it to classify the shop as a micro enterprise and processes the loan without asking for a new registration.
What changed
The government amended the MSME classification rules via Gazette Notification S.O. 2134(E) dated May 6, 2022. In response, RBI clarified that existing EM Part II and UAM documents obtained till June 30, 2020 shall remain valid till June 30, 2022. Additionally, the validity of documents obtained under O.M. No.12(4)/2017-SME dated March 8, 2017, for classification of MSMEs up to June 30, 2020, has been extended up to June 30, 2022.
What it means for you
Banks and lenders can continue to rely on older MSME registration documents (EM Part II/UAM) for classification purposes until end-June 2022, avoiding immediate reclassification. This provides temporary relief for MSMEs and reduces compliance burden during the transition to the new definition. Lenders should update their systems to reflect the extended validity period.
What you must do
Update internal MSME classification systems to accept EM Part II and UAM documents as valid until June 30, 2022.
Communicate the extended validity to MSME borrowers to prevent unnecessary documentation requests.
Monitor for any further RBI or government notifications on permanent classification changes after June 2022.
Ensure loan processing and reporting systems reflect the extended deadline for MSME status verification.
Who it affects
All commercial banks including SFBs, LABs, and RRBs, Primary Urban Co-operative Banks and State/District Co-operative Banks, All-India Financial Institutions, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), MSME borrowers with EM Part II or UAM registrations
❓ Common questions
What documents are covered by this extension?
The extension applies to Entrepreneurs Memorandum (EM) Part II and Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum (UAM) obtained before July 1, 2020, as well as documents under O.M. No.12(4)/2017-SME dated March 8, 2017.
Until when are these old documents valid for MSME classification?
The validity is extended from June 30, 2020 to June 30, 2022, as per the government notification S.O. 2134(E) dated May 6, 2022.
Does this affect the new MSME classification criteria introduced in 2020?
No, this is a transitional arrangement. The new criteria remain in effect, but old registrations are temporarily accepted for classification to ease the shift.
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2022-23/52
FIDD.MSME & NFS.BC.No.7/06.02.31/2022-23
May 19, 2022
The Chairman/ Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer
All Commercial Banks
(including Small Finance Banks, Local Area Banks and Regional Rural Banks)
All Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks/State Co-operative Banks/
District Central Co-operative Banks /All-India Financial Institutions/
All Non-Banking Financial Companies
Dear Sir/Madam,
New Definition of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises - Clarification
Please refer to our circulars FIDD.MSME & NFS.BC.No.3/06.02.31/2020-21 dated July 2, 2020 , FIDD.MSME & NFS.BC.No.4/06.02.31/2020-21 dated August 21, 2020 and FIDD.MSME & NFS.BC.No.16/06.02.31/2021-22 dated February 18, 2022 , regarding revised criteria for classification of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
2. Government of India, vide Gazette Notification S.O. 2134(E) dated May 06, 2022 , has notified amendments in sub paragraph (3) paragraph (7) of the notification of Government of India, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises number S.O. 2119 (E), dated June 26, 2020 , published in the Gazette of India.
3. In view of the above amendment, it is clarified that:
the existing Entrepreneurs Memorandum (EM) Part II and Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum (UAM) of the MSMEs obtained till June 30, 2020 shall remain valid till June 30, 2022 for classification as MSMEs; and
the validity of documents obtained in terms of O.M. No.12(4)/ 2017-SME dated March 8, 2017 ( RBI Circular FIDD.MSME & NFS.BC.No.10/06.02.31/2017-18 dated July 13, 2017 ), for classification of MSMEs upto June 30, 2020, has been extended upto June 30, 2022.
Yours faithfully
(Nisha Nambiar)
Chief General Manager
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2022-23/52 · issued 19 May 2022. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
Update internal MSME classification systems to accept EM Part II and UAM documents as valid until June 30, 2022.
Ensure loan processing and reporting systems reflect the extended deadline for MSME status verification.
📜 Compliance
Communicate the extended validity to MSME borrowers to prevent unnecessary documentation requests.
Monitor for any further RBI or government notifications on permanent classification changes after June 2022.
Grouped from the action items above — a single circular may involve more than one team.
Worked example & action-note template
Example: if you are an IT/Systems lead at a bank this circular applies to (All commercial banks including SFBs, LABs, and RRBs, Primary Urban Co-operative Banks and State/District Co-operative Banks, All-India Financial Institutions, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), MSME borrowers with EM Part II or UAM registrations), your first concrete step on “MSME Classification: Old Registration Validity Extended to June 2022” is: “Update internal MSME classification systems to accept EM Part II and UAM documents as valid until June 30, 2022.” (RBI issued this 19 May 2022).
Circular: RBI/2022-23/52 -- MSME Classification: Old Registration Validity Extended to June 2022
Issued: 19 May 2022
Action required: Update internal MSME classification systems to accept EM Part II and UAM documents as valid until June 30, 2022.
Action required: Communicate the extended validity to MSME borrowers to prevent unnecessary documentation requests.
Action required: Monitor for any further RBI or government notifications on permanent classification changes after June 2022.
Action required: Ensure loan processing and reporting systems reflect the extended deadline for MSME status verification.
Owner: ____________ Target date: ____________
Board/committee approval needed? Y / N
Evidence filed in compliance register on: ____________
Built only from this circular’s own published fields — not legal advice; always confirm against the official RBI source.
💬 Banker Discussion
Discuss this circular with fellow bankers — reply, upvote what helps, report what doesn’t belong. Be professional; no client data. Views are the commenter’s own, not BankPulse’s.
BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 03 Aug 2026 · status cross-checked against RBI’s official withdrawal register (refreshed weekly). Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=12319&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
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