NGO Darpan is the NITI Aayog portal on which voluntary organisations — public trusts, registered societies and Section 8 companies — enrol to receive a system-generated Unique ID. Most Central Government ministries, grant portals such as e-Anudaan, and the FCRA process ask for this ID before an organisation can apply. This page explains what Darpan is, what it is not, the documents needed, the process, and the mismatches that most often delay a Mumbai trust’s application.
In one line: NGO Darpan registration is free, done online at ngodarpan.gov.in, and takes roughly one to three weeks once the organisation’s PAN, registration certificate and office-bearer details all match one another. The work lies in making them match.
Who needs an NGO Darpan Unique ID
Any registered public trust, society or Section 8 company that intends to apply for government grants, empanelment with a ministry or department, CSR funding through the MCA’s CSR-1 route, or FCRA registration will normally be asked for its Darpan ID first. Since the 2023 amendments to the Prevention of Money Laundering (Maintenance of Records) Rules, banks in Mumbai have also begun to ask for the Darpan ID as part of due diligence before opening, or continuing to operate, an NGO’s account.
Darpan is separate from, and additional to, registration under the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, 1950 — see public trust registration. A trust must already be registered with the Charity Commissioner before it can enrol on Darpan.
What NGO Darpan is — and is not
Darpan is
- A registration and reporting platform run by NITI Aayog
- The source of the Unique ID quoted on grant, FCRA and CSR applications
- A public listing of the organisation’s registered details and sector
Darpan is not
- Trust, society or company registration — that remains with the Charity Commissioner, Registrar of Societies or Registrar of Companies
- 12AB or 80G registration under the Income-tax Act
- FCRA registration under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010
- CSR-1 filing with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs
Documents required
- Registration certificate of the trust or society (or the certificate of incorporation for a Section 8 company), showing the registration number, date and registering authority
- PAN card of the organisation
- PAN and Aadhaar of at least three office bearers or members of the governing body, with their designations, mobile numbers and email addresses
- Registered address of the organisation, as it appears on the Charity Commissioner’s records or the most recent change report
- The trust deed or memorandum, for the objects and sector of work
The registration process
- Create the account. Sign up on the NGO Darpan portal using the organisation’s PAN and the mobile number and email of an authorised office bearer. The PAN is verified against Income-tax records, so the name must match exactly.
- Enter organisation details. Registration number, date and authority; the Act under which the organisation is registered; its objects and sector; and its address — all exactly as they appear on the registration certificate and trust deed.
- Enter office-bearer details. Name, designation, PAN and Aadhaar for at least three members. These are verified electronically.
- Upload the documents — registration certificate, PAN and the deed or memorandum.
- Verification and issue of the Unique ID. The application is checked, and where the details reconcile a Unique ID is generated. Discrepancies are returned for correction, which is where most delay occurs.
Why Mumbai trusts get held up
Almost every rejected or delayed Darpan application comes down to a mismatch between records held in different offices:
- The trust’s name as spelt on its PAN differs from the name on the Charity Commissioner’s registration certificate — a dropped “The”, a different transliteration, or “Trust” versus “Charitable Trust”.
- The address on Darpan does not match the address on the registration certificate or the last Section 22 change report.
- Trustees named on Darpan are not the trustees currently recorded in Schedule I with the Charity Commissioner, because a change report was never filed or is still pending.
- An office bearer’s PAN and Aadhaar carry different spellings of their name or different dates of birth.
The practical remedy is to put the records right at the source — a change report before the Charity Commissioner, a correction of the trust’s PAN, or an Aadhaar update — and then enrol on Darpan once, with details that agree everywhere.
Assistance offered
The chambers assist trusts and societies in Mumbai with the whole sequence: checking the trust deed, registration certificate, PAN and Schedule I entry against each other; filing any change report needed before the Charity Commissioner; preparing the office-bearer particulars; and completing the Darpan enrolment. Where an application has already been returned, the reason is identified and the underlying record corrected rather than the form merely resubmitted.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a government fee for NGO Darpan registration?
No. Enrolment on the NGO Darpan portal is free of charge. Professional fees, where assistance is taken, are for organising and reconciling the documents and completing the application.
How long does it take to get the Darpan Unique ID?
Where the PAN, registration certificate and office-bearer details all reconcile, the Unique ID is typically generated within one to three weeks of submission. Applications with mismatched records are returned for correction and can take considerably longer.
Can an unregistered NGO or an informal group register on Darpan?
No. Darpan requires a registration certificate from a statutory authority — the Charity Commissioner or Registrar of Societies in Maharashtra, or the Registrar of Companies for a Section 8 company — together with the organisation’s own PAN.
Does the Darpan ID need renewal?
The Unique ID itself does not expire, but the organisation’s profile should be kept current — particularly the office bearers and address — because grant and FCRA applications are checked against it. A change of trustees should be reflected both in a Section 22 change report before the Charity Commissioner and on Darpan.
Is NGO Darpan required for 80G or 12AB registration?
It is not a statutory precondition, but the Income-tax e-filing forms ask for the Darpan ID where one exists, and having it is now common practice before applying for 80G and 12AB. Similarly, the FCRA portal requires a Darpan ID for registration and prior-permission applications.
Which authority verifies a Darpan application from Mumbai?
Verification is electronic through NITI Aayog’s system, cross-checking the PAN and, where required, the registering authority’s records. There is no visit to a local office, which is why the accuracy of the uploaded documents matters so much.
Related: Public trust registration · Section 22 change reports · Trust accounts and compliance · GST registration for trusts and businesses
Where DARPAN sits among the other registrations
NGO DARPAN is a registration with NITI Aayog which gives the organisation a unique ID. It is not a legal status and it does not grant any exemption; what it does is make the organisation visible to, and eligible to apply to, government ministries and departments for grants. Several ministries will not accept an application without it.
It is therefore one link in a chain rather than a step on its own:
- Registration with the Charity Commissioner as a public trust or society.
- PAN and a bank account in the organisation’s own name.
- NGO DARPAN, for government grant eligibility.
- 12A registration and 80G approval, for the tax position and for donors.
- CSR-1, where corporate funding is in view.
The registration itself is a portal process and location makes no difference to it. What causes difficulty is the same thing that causes difficulty everywhere else: the details entered must match the Charity Commissioner’s register and the organisation’s own documents. A trustee list that differs from the register is the single most common reason an organisation cannot complete its funding paperwork — see change reports.
Common questions
What is NGO DARPAN?
A registration with NITI Aayog that gives a voluntary organisation a unique ID and makes it visible to government ministries and departments. It is not a legal status and grants no tax exemption — it is what makes the organisation eligible to apply for government grants, and several ministries will not accept an application without it.
Who can register on NGO DARPAN?
A registered entity — a public trust, a registered society, or a Section 8 company. The organisation needs its registration details, PAN, and details of its office bearers, and the information given has to match its registration records.
Is NGO DARPAN the same as 12A or 80G?
No. DARPAN is with NITI Aayog and concerns eligibility for government grants. Registration under Section 12A and approval under Section 80G are income tax matters, applied for separately, and concern the organisation’s own exemption and its donors’ deductions. Most funded organisations need all of them.
Does DARPAN registration expire?
The registration itself is maintained rather than periodically renewed, but the details on it must be kept current — particularly the office bearers. An organisation whose DARPAN record names trustees who left years ago will run into difficulty when a ministry checks it against other records.
What if our trustee details have changed?
Update them, and make sure the Charity Commissioner’s register is updated too. Where trustees have changed without a change report being filed under Section 22, the register and the DARPAN record will disagree, and the funder will notice.
NGO DARPAN portal workflow in detail
- Sign-up and OTP: select Register on the NPO-DARPAN portal and enter the organisation’s name, registration number, type of organisation, sector, address and contact details. An OTP is sent to the contact details to verify them.
- Credentials: set a password and a numeric m-PIN, which are used along with one-time codes for later logins.
- Profile: complete the profile sections — basic details, objects, areas of work, beneficiary groups, governance and office bearers.
- Uploads: upload clear scans of the documents listed below.
- Witness and e-sign: give the details of a witness; the chief functionary then signs the declaration electronically, which involves an OTP on the Aadhaar-linked mobile number.
- Acknowledgement and ID: an acknowledgement is issued on submission, and once approved the NGO DARPAN ID is issued. A certificate carrying the ID can be downloaded from the portal.
Documents commonly uploaded
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Registration proof | Trust deed and registration certificate (trust); society registration certificate and memorandum (society); incorporation certificate and MoA/AoA (Section 8 company) |
| PAN of the organisation | Must match the name on the registration documents |
| Address proof of the registered office | Utility bill or rent agreement with owner’s consent, as applicable |
| Bank details | Cancelled cheque or bank certificate |
| Identity of key office bearers | PAN or Aadhaar of the chief functionary and other trustees/directors |
| Witness details | Identity and signature of the witness |
| Supporting documents (optional) | 12A/80G certificates, audited accounts, annual report, authorisation letter |
Fees, validity and keeping the profile current
- There is no government fee for registering on the NGO DARPAN portal.
- The DARPAN ID does not have an expiry date, but the profile should be updated when trustees, address or bank details change — alongside any change report filed with the Charity Commissioner under Section 22.
DARPAN, banks and the PMLA rules
Under the 2023 amendment to the Prevention of Money-Laundering (Maintenance of Records) Rules, banks and other reporting entities are required to register the details of a client that is a non-profit organisation on the NGO DARPAN portal, if it is not already registered, and to keep those records for five years after the relationship ends. In practice this is why banks now ask trusts and societies for a DARPAN ID, and why the details on the portal should match the trust’s registration records.
Maharashtra: two separate sets of records
For a public trust in Maharashtra, registration under Section 18 of the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, 1950 (within three months of creation) and change reports under Section 22 (within 90 days of a change) are separate from the DARPAN profile. A trust that changes its trustees should update both: the Charity Commissioner’s register through a change report, and the DARPAN profile. See change reports before the Charity Commissioner.
Further reading
- NGO DARPAN vs 12AB, 80G, FCRA and CSR-1: What Each Registration Does
- NGO Bank Accounts and NGO DARPAN: The 2023 PMLA Rules
Assistance with this matter
If you need assistance with NGO DARPAN registration or aligning your organisation’s records across DARPAN, the Charity Commissioner, and other registrations, you may contact this office through the Contact page.
See also: The Trust & NGO Desk: everything for trusts and NGOs in one place.
See also: Why DARPAN applications get rejected.
Related guides
- NGO Darpan: Which Registering Authority to Choose in Maharashtra
- Documents Required for NGO DARPAN Registration
This page describes general procedure and is published for information only, in keeping with Rule 36 of the Bar Council of India Rules. It is not legal advice and does not solicit work. What applies to a particular matter depends on its own facts.