How to Get a CRD Number for Individuals and Firms

To get a CRD number, an individual must be sponsored by a firm that is already registered with FINRA or a national securities exchange; that firm files a Form U4 on their behalf through FINRA’s Web CRD system, and the number is issued as part of the registration. Firms get their own Organization CRD number by filing Form BD (for broker-dealers) or Form ADV through the IARD system (for investment advisers). You cannot apply for a CRD number on your own.¹

Why You Need a Sponsoring Firm First

The Central Registration Depository is the licensing database for the U.S. securities industry, maintained by FINRA with NASAA. It holds the licensing, employment, and disciplinary history of more than 630,000 securities professionals and thousands of firms.² Because entries into that database are tied to a registration, and registrations are firm-sponsored, individuals cannot generate their own CRD number by walking up to FINRA.¹

There is one thing you can do before you have a job offer: the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam. Anyone 18 or older can register and sit for the SIE without firm sponsorship. Passing it, however, does not create a registration and does not give you a CRD number on its own. It is a credential you can show to employers.³

Working in the securities business without proper registration can lead to civil penalties or a permanent bar from the industry, so the sequence matters: sponsorship first, filing second, number after.

What You Need Before the Form U4 Is Filed

Form U4 is the uniform application for securities industry registration. Your firm files it, but you supply almost all of the information. Expect to pull together:⁴

Ten years of employment history, with no gaps longer than three months left unexplained.
Five years of residential history, again with no gaps over three months.
Yes-or-no answers to disclosure questions covering criminal charges, civil lawsuits, bankruptcies, compromises with creditors, unsatisfied judgments, and liens.
Any outside business activities where you act as an owner, partner, officer, director, employee, or agent.
The qualification exams you intend to take, such as the Series 7 or Series 63.

Fingerprints are part of the package. FINRA’s fingerprint provider sends them to the FBI for a criminal history record check. FINRA charges $20 for electronic submissions and $30 for hardcopy cards, and the vendor collecting the prints may add its own fees.⁵⁶

Answer everything carefully. False or misleading information on a Form U4 can bring administrative, civil, or criminal penalties, and an affirmative answer to certain disclosure questions can trigger a statutory disqualification review that delays or blocks the registration.⁷

What the Firm Verifies

Your sponsor is not just a middleman. Under FINRA Rule 3110(e), the firm must investigate your character, business reputation, qualifications, and experience before it even files the Form U4. Within 30 calendar days after filing, it must also complete a verification that includes, at minimum, a national public records search covering criminal records, bankruptcy filings, judgments, and liens. If that search turns up anything that conflicts with what you disclosed, the firm has to file an amended Form U4. If you were registered somewhere before, the firm must review your most recent Form U5 within 60 days of filing.⁸

Qualification Exams

You have to pass the exams that fit the securities work you’ll actually do. FINRA administers all of them.⁹

Securities Industry Essentials (SIE): 75 questions, 1 hour 45 minutes, $100. No sponsorship needed. Results are good for four years.³
Series 7 (General Securities Representative): 125 questions, 3 hours 45 minutes, $395. Firm sponsorship required.
Series 63 (Uniform Securities Agent State Law): 60 questions, 1 hour 15 minutes, $147.

The SIE and a representative-level exam are separate steps. The SIE proves general knowledge; you still need a sponsor and a representative exam like the Series 7 before you can register and work with the public.³

How the Filing and Number Issuance Work

The Form U4 goes in electronically through FINRA’s Web CRD portal. Inside your firm, the Super Account Administrator handles the submission.¹⁰ The firm has to keep a flex-funding account topped up to pay fees, which include a $125 initial processing fee for each Form U4.¹¹

Fingerprints must reach FINRA within 30 days of the filing. If they don’t, the registration is flagged as “Inactive Prints” and stalls until the prints arrive. Missing or unreadable information anywhere else on the form produces a deficiency notice.¹²

Clean applications with no disclosure issues typically clear in a few business days, and the CRD number is issued as part of that process. Applications with affirmative disclosure answers (past bankruptcies, criminal charges, regulatory actions) take longer. Your firm’s compliance team, or FINRA Gateway, will show the current status.

How a Firm Gets Its Own CRD Number

Firms need an Organization CRD number, sometimes called an Org ID, before they can sponsor anyone. The path depends on what kind of firm you are.

Broker-Dealers: Form BD

A broker-dealer files Form BD through the CRD system. Form BD is the uniform application for broker-dealer registration with the SEC, self-regulatory organizations, and state jurisdictions, and it requires detailed disclosures about ownership structure, control persons, and intended lines of business.¹³¹⁴

The firm also has to apply for FINRA membership, which carries a separate New Member Application fee that scales with firm size:¹¹

Small firms (1–150 registered persons): $7,500 to $20,000
Medium firms (151–500 registered persons): $25,000 to $30,000
Large firms (501+ registered persons): $35,000 to $55,000

Firms that plan to clear and carry customer accounts pay an additional $5,000 surcharge. Broker-dealers must also join SIPC, maintain adequate net capital, and carry a fidelity bond. The minimum bond coverage is the greater of 120% of the firm’s required net capital or $100,000 for firms with a net capital requirement under $250,000, with tiered coverage of $600,000 to $5,000,000 for larger firms.¹⁵

Investment Advisers: Form ADV and IARD

Investment advisers use a different system, the Investment Adviser Registration Depository (IARD), and file Form ADV rather than Form BD. IARD operates alongside CRD, and advisers get their CRD number through this process.¹⁶ Whether the adviser registers with the SEC or with a state regulator depends mainly on assets under management: advisers managing $100 million or more generally register federally, and those below that threshold register with their state.

If You Already Have a CRD Number

A CRD number stays with you permanently, even during gaps in registration. If you’ve been registered before, you don’t get a new one when you join a new firm; the new firm files a Form U4 using your existing number. The fastest way to look yours up is FINRA’s BrokerCheck: search by name and the results show the CRD number along with employment history, licensing, and any regulatory actions.¹⁷ It also appears on your Form U4, so any current or former firm’s compliance department can provide it.

When Registration Can Be Blocked

Certain criminal convictions and regulatory actions can prevent you from getting a CRD registration at all. Under Section 3(a)(39) of the Securities Exchange Act, these events trigger a statutory disqualification:¹⁸

Any felony conviction, or a misdemeanor involving securities transactions, false filings, or conduct related to the investment business, within ten years of the conviction date.
Temporary or permanent court injunctions related to unlawful investment activity, regardless of age.
Expulsion or a bar from membership or association with a self-regulatory organization for conduct inconsistent with just and equitable principles of trade.

A statutory disqualification is not automatically the end. A firm that wants to employ a disqualified person can file a Form MC-400 requesting eligibility relief from FINRA. The application costs $5,000 and must be filed within 10 business days of FINRA’s notice of disqualification. FINRA weighs whether allowing the person to work would be consistent with the public interest and investor protection, and even if FINRA approves, the SEC must sign off before the decision takes effect.¹⁹ Approval is slow and far from guaranteed; the firm has to persuade regulators its supervision plan is strong enough to manage the risk.

1
FINRA.org. Central Registration Depository (CRD)
2
NORTH AMERICAN SECURITIES ADMINISTRATORS ASSOCIATION. CRD and IARD Resources
3
FINRA.org. Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) Exam
4
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Form U4 Uniform Application for Securities Industry Registration or Transfer
5
FINRA.org. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Fingerprint Processing
6
FINRA.org. Fingerprint Fees
7
FINRA. Form U4 Uniform Application for Securities Industry Registration or Transfer Instructions
8
FINRA.org. SEC Approves Consolidated FINRA Rule Regarding Background Checks on Registration Applicants
9
FINRA.org. Qualification Exams
10
FINRA. Super Account Administrator (SAA)
11
FINRA. Schedule of Registration and Exam Fees
12
FINRA.org. Submit Fingerprints
13
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Form BD
14
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Guide to Broker-Dealer Registration
15
FINRA.org. 4360 – Fidelity Bonds
16
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Electronic Filing for Investment Advisers on IARD
17
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. BrokerCheck – Find a Broker, Investment or Financial Advisor
18
FINRA.org. General Information on Statutory Disqualification and Eligibility Requirements
19
FINRA.org. Funding Portal Statutory Disqualification Process