NGO Darpan (NITI Aayog) Registration
The NGO Darpan Unique ID issued by NITI Aayog is the gateway to central government grants. No ministry will process a grant application from an unregistered NGO. We enrol your trust, society or Section 8 company and obtain the Unique ID.
What it is
NGO Darpan is the NITI Aayog portal on which voluntary organisations enrol themselves and receive a Unique ID. It is not a registration in the legal sense — your trust, society or Section 8 company is already registered — but no central ministry will process a grant application from an organisation that does not hold one.
The portal has been run by NITI Aayog with the National Informatics Centre since 2015. It exists so that every ministry looking at a grant application can see the same record: who runs the organisation, where it works, what sectors it operates in and what it has filed. The Unique ID is what ties your organisation to that record.
There is no government fee. What takes the time is getting the details to agree with your registration certificate and your PAN, and getting three office bearers through Aadhaar and mobile verification without the application being kicked back.
Who it applies to
Any legally constituted not-for-profit body in India can enrol, and in practice any body that intends to approach government for funds should.
Trusts
Public charitable trusts registered under the Indian Trusts Act 1882 or the relevant state trusts Act, with a registered trust deed.
Societies
Societies registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860, including welfare associations and resident bodies, with their memorandum and rules on record.
Section 8 companies
Not-for-profit companies licensed under Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013, using their certificate of incorporation and licence.
Bodies already receiving grants
If you hold a grant from any central ministry or intend to apply for one, the Unique ID is a precondition, not an optional extra.
Why it matters
The Unique ID has quietly become the key that opens four separate doors.
Central government grants
Ministries route grant applications through the portal. Without a Unique ID the application does not reach the assessment stage.
CSR funding
Corporates carrying out CSR through an implementing agency look for the Darpan record alongside your Form CSR-1 registration with the MCA.
FCRA
Organisations seeking or renewing permission to receive foreign contribution are expected to have a current Darpan profile.
Donor confidence
A published profile that a donor can look up independently does more for credibility than anything you can put in a brochure.
Documents required
Everything below is uploaded as a scan or typed in. Nothing needs to be couriered.
- Registration certificate of the trust, society or Section 8 company
- PAN card of the organisation — not of the trustees personally
- Address proof for the registered office, such as a utility bill or the rent agreement
- PAN and Aadhaar of three office bearers, with a mobile number and email for each
- Details of the chief functionary: name, designation, contact
- Sectors you work in and the districts or states you work in
- Details of any government grant already received, if applicable
How it works
The portal is straightforward once the inputs line up. Most of our work is making sure they do before anything is submitted.
We check your papers agree with each other
The commonest cause of rejection is a name or address on the registration certificate that does not match the PAN. We reconcile these first.
We create the login and verify
The account is opened against the chief functionary’s mobile and email, both verified by one-time password.
We complete the organisation profile
Legal details, office bearers, sectors, areas of operation and any existing government funding, entered to match your records exactly.
We upload and submit
Registration certificate, PAN and address proof go up with the application.
Unique ID issued
The ID is issued and the profile published. We hand you the ID, the login and a note on what to keep updated.
Timelines
Verification usually completes within seven to thirty days of a clean submission. Where the portal raises a query, the clock restarts, which is why we would rather spend an extra day on the file than submit early and be sent back.
The profile is not a one-time exercise. Office bearer changes and new grants should be updated as they happen, and a stale profile is noticed when a ministry looks at your application.
Frequently asked questions
Is NGO Darpan registration mandatory?
Not as a matter of law. In practice it is mandatory in effect: central ministries will not process grant applications without a Unique ID, and CSR donors and FCRA renewals look for it.
Is there a government fee?
No. Enrolment on the portal is free. Any fee you pay is a professional fee for preparing and running the application.
Can a newly registered NGO enrol?
Yes. You need a registration certificate and a PAN in the organisation’s name. There is no minimum period of existence.
Why do you need three office bearers?
The portal requires details of three members of the governing body, each with PAN and Aadhaar, and verifies at least one by one-time password. It is an anti-fraud measure.
What if our details change later?
Update the profile. A Darpan record that still names an office bearer who left two years ago undermines the application it is supposed to support.
Does the Unique ID give tax exemption?
No. Exemption comes from 12A and 80G registration with the income tax department. The Darpan ID sits alongside those and is often asked for at the same time.
What it costs
Our fee plus the government fee that applies to your case, quoted before you commit. Tell us the situation and we will price it exactly.
Ready to begin?
Tell us the situation and we will confirm what applies, what it costs and how long it takes.