How can I permanently close a demat account?

You submit a formal account closure request to the broker, either through the app, a written request, or a dedicated closure form, depending on what the broker supports. Before closure can be processed, the account generally needs to have a zero holdings balance (no shares remaining, meaning you’ve sold or transferred everything out) and a zero or near-zero funds balance, since any pending balance or open position blocks closure until resolved. If you have shares you want to keep rather than sell, you initiate a transfer to another demat account first, through an inter-depository or intra-depository transfer request, before closing the original one. Closure typically takes a few business days to a couple of weeks depending on the broker’s process, and you usually receive a confirmation once it’s complete, which you keep as a record in case of any future dispute about outstanding charges or account status.