NGO Registration in India: Process, Documents and Next Steps

NGO registration in India means giving your group a legal body under one of three laws: a trust, a society or a section 8 company. Darpan Portal Guide is an independent guide, not a government website. We do not register NGOs. The official offices are your state sub-registrar or Registrar of Societies, and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs at mca.gov.in.

Many people think that signing up on NGO Darpan is the same as registering an NGO. It is not. Darpan only lists an NGO that is already registered under a law. So the legal registration comes first, and the Darpan sign up comes after.

Types of NGO registration in India: trust, society, section 8

"NGO" is not a legal word in Indian law. It is a common name for a non-profit group. To open a bank account, get a PAN, receive grants or apply for tax registration, the group must take one of these forms.

Each form has its own page here: trust registration, NGO society registration and section 8 company. If you are not sure which one suits you, use the chooser on trust vs society vs section 8.

The NGO registration process, from idea to registered body

The registration of NGO bodies follows a broad order that is the same in every state. First decide the work you will do and who will run it. Then pick the legal form, prepare the founding document, file it with the right office and wait for the registration certificate (RC). After that come PAN, bank account, Darpan and income tax registration.

Some states now take society applications online, and section 8 companies are always filed online on the MCA portal. Trust deeds still need the settlor and witnesses at the sub-registrar office in most places, even when the appointment is booked online. So online NGO registration usually means online filing plus at least one office visit. NGO online registration that skips every office is possible only for the section 8 route.

NGO registration in Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam or Gujarat follows the same three routes. Only the office, the state act and the forms change. Check your state registration department site before you prepare papers.

Documents required for NGO registration

Every office has its own list, but the core papers are similar.

• Founding document: trust deed, or memorandum and rules for a society, or MoA and AoA for a section 8 company.
• Identity and address proof of each founder, trustee, governing body member or director. PAN and Aadhaar are the usual ones.
• Photographs of the people who sign.
• Office address proof: rent agreement, ownership paper or a no objection letter (NOC) from the owner, with a recent utility bill.
• Resolution or consent of the founders to form the body and to let one person file the papers.
• For a section 8 company, digital signatures of the directors, as the MCA forms require.

The full list for each form is on its own page. For Darpan, there is a separate Darpan documents list.

How long it takes and what decides NGO registration fees

Time depends on the office and on how clean your file is. A complete file moves faster. Haryana's published service manual, for example, gives a set number of days for society registration once the file is complete, and other states publish their own service timelines. A section 8 company goes through name approval and then the incorporation form, and queries from the registrar add time.

We do not quote NGO registration fees here, because they differ by state and change. The cost depends on these points:

• Stamp duty on a trust deed, which each state sets, often linked to the value of property given to the trust.
• Government filing fee of the registrar, set by the state for societies and by the Companies rules for section 8 companies.
• Digital signatures and notary work, where needed.
• Professional help, if you choose to hire it. It is optional.

Be careful with offers of "free NGO registration online". A website form cannot create a trust, society or company. Only the registrar or sub-registrar can. Check the fee schedule on your state registration department site or on mca.gov.in.

Your NGO registration certificate and registration number

When the office approves your file, you get the registration certificate. For a trust, this is usually the registered deed with the sub-registrar's endorsement and document number, or a certificate from the Charity Commissioner where a state law applies. A society gets a certificate from the Registrar of Societies. A section 8 company gets a certificate of incorporation with a CIN and a licence.

The NGO registration number on this certificate is what Darpan, banks and the Income Tax Department ask for. Keep scanned copies in PDF. Note that an "NGO certificate of participation" given to volunteers after an event is a different thing. It is not proof that a body is registered.

After registration: PAN, bank account, Darpan, 12A and 80G

1. PAN of the NGO in the NGO's own name. For a section 8 company, PAN and TAN come with incorporation.
2. Bank account in the NGO's name, run by the people the deed or rules name.
3. NGO Darpan sign up to get a Darpan Unique ID, needed for many government grants. See Darpan ID.
4. 12A and 80G registration with the Income Tax Department, so income is exempt and donors can claim a deduction. See 12A and 80G registration.
5. CSR-1 if you want CSR funds from companies, and FCRA if you plan to take foreign money. See CSR-1 registration and FCRA registration.

NGO registration amendments: India rules for each form

Founders change, objects grow and offices move. Each form has its own way to record this. A trust usually changes its deed through a supplementary deed, as the amendment clause in the original deed allows, and states with a public trust law ask you to report changes to the Charity Commissioner. A society changes its purposes through a special meeting process under the Societies Registration Act, and files updated rules and member lists with the registrar. A section 8 company needs Central Government approval to alter its MoA or AoA. After any change, update Darpan and income tax records too.