Darpan Registration for NGOs: Steps, Documents and Help

What is Darpan registration (NPO DARPAN)?

NPO DARPAN is the portal run by NITI Aayog’s Voluntary Action Cell where non-profit organisations register themselves and receive a DARPAN Unique ID. You will still see it called “NGO Darpan” or “NGO Darpan registration” on many websites and in older scheme guidelines – it is the same system under its current name.

The ID does not create your NGO. You must already be registered as a trust, society or Section 8 company before you start, because the form asks for your registration number, date of registration and registering authority. A group that has not registered yet should do that first (see our society, trust and Section 8 pages).

One more thing worth knowing before you pay anyone: the Darpan ID does not mean NITI Aayog endorses or recognises your organisation, and the portal warns against using NITI Aayog’s name, logo or the National Emblem.

Who needs a Darpan ID, and is it mandatory?

The portal itself says the ID is mandatory for NPOs seeking grants from Ministries and Departments of the Government of India and all States/UTs. It also says banks must ensure an NPO DARPAN Unique ID when NPOs open and operate accounts (under the PMLA record-keeping rules, 2023), and that the ID is required for FCRA registration and renewal and for 80G tax exemption.

In practice, this is why most small NGOs register: a scheme form asks for it. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs grant-in-aid guidelines, for example, say “The organization must get registered with NGO-Darpan portal.” See which grants need it in grants for NGOs in India.

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment’s e-Anudaan portal also needs the Darpan Unique ID before an NGO can register there; our e-Anudaan guide walks through its steps.

For trusts: yes, a registered trust can and usually should register – the portal lists trusts alongside societies and Section 8 companies.

Darpan registration for a trust, society or Section 8 company: what changes

The portal’s FAQ treats all three the same way: a non-profit registered as a trust, as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 or a similar State law, or as a Section 8 company under the Companies Act, 2013 can sign up. The steps do not change. What changes is which papers you upload and how many office bearers you list.

Still deciding which structure to choose? Darpan is not a reason to pick one over another, because all three are accepted. Our comparison of society vs trust vs Section 8 company covers the choices that do matter.

How your Darpan ID links to FCRA, 12A/80G, bank accounts and government grants

Treat the Darpan ID as the first number in a chain. The portal’s About page names four places where it is needed:

A note on names, because older guides now look out of date: from 1 April 2026 the Income-tax Rules, 2026 apply, and the registration application earlier called Form 10A is now Form 104 (Form 10AB is now Form 105). Registration earlier under section 12A/12AB is now under section 332 of the Income-tax Act, 2025, and 80G approval under section 354. The portal’s About page mentions 80G; it does not mention 12A.

Foreign grant: Indian NGOs normally need FCRA registration or prior permission (FCRA 2010) to receive these funds. General information only, not legal advice.

CSR-1 is a separate registration filed on the MCA portal; see CSR-1 registration.

Documents and details to keep ready

Scan the originals in colour and save each as a PDF before you open the form.

Documents in a regional language need a Hindi or English translation, attested by the head of the organisation and merged with the original into a single PDF.

Two points catch people out. The organisation name must match the name on the organisation’s PAN card exactly – spacing and abbreviations included. And the email and mobile number must be the organisation’s own; the portal warns that using another organisation’s details will lead to cancellation.

The NGO Darpan sign-up guide asks for at least three office bearers (two for a trust): Chairman/President, Secretary and Treasurer or equivalent. Check the portal’s member details screen when you sign up, as requirements can change. Source: NGO Darpan sign-up guide (PDF, copy hosted by NECBDC).

Darpan registration online: step by step

The portal summarises the process as: create an account, fill in organisation details, upload documents, review and submit, receive the Unique ID. On the sign-up screen you will fill in:

1. Name of organisation – exactly as on the organisation’s PAN.
2. Email ID and mobile number – both will be used as your login ID.
3. Organisation PAN, registration number, registration renewal (if any) and date of registration.
4. NPO type (for example trust, society, Section 8 company), state and district of registration, registering authority and the Act you are registered under.
5. Number of members.
6. Confirmation and captcha, then Generate OTP – you receive a 6-digit OTP on your mobile and another on your email. Enter both.
7. Submit. A system-generated password comes to your registered email. When you first log in, the portal asks you to set a new password.
8. After login, complete the organisation details, upload the documents listed above, review everything and submit to receive your Unique ID.

If you have seen screenshots of the old NITI Aayog sign-up page, ignore them – the current form and order are different.

Data-consistency check: make these match before you sign up

The portal checks PAN and Aadhaar details online, so a small difference between two of your records can hold up the form. Lay your documents side by side and check each row before you type anything.

Pre-upload checklist for Darpan registration

• Registration certificate scanned in colour, with the registrar’s stamp or e-sign clearly readable.
• Complete MoA or trust deed: every page, in order, none cut off at the edges.
• By-laws, certified list of present governing body members and the latest resolution (if any) saved as separate PDFs.
• Anything in a regional language: Hindi or English translation attested by the head of the organisation, merged with the original into one PDF.
• Each PDF opens on another computer and is named clearly (for example, “registration-certificate.pdf”).
• Every row of the consistency check above ticked.
• The phone with the organisation’s mobile number and access to its email inbox are both with you, for the two OTPs.
• Office bearers have agreed to their PAN and Aadhaar numbers being entered.

The NGO Darpan Registration Document Kit turns this into a working file: a document checklist, the portal fields screen by screen and fixes for common on-screen messages.

Worked example (illustrative, dummy details)

Everything in this example is invented to show the method. It is not a real organisation, and the numbers are placeholders.

“Example Shiksha Samiti” is a society that runs evening classes. Before signing up, its secretary lays out the papers and finds four points to settle:

Only after these four rows are settled does the secretary open the sign-up form. That order saves a second round of corrections later.

After you submit: the Unique ID and what to expect

PAN and Aadhaar details are verified online automatically. The portal does not publish a processing time, so we cannot promise one – anyone who guarantees a same-day ID is guessing.

Is there a Darpan registration certificate to download?

No. The portal states that NITI Aayog does not issue any physical Darpan certificate; it only provides a Darpan registration ID to NPOs on the basis of a self-declared affidavit. When a funder or bank asks for your “Darpan certificate”, what they need is your DARPAN Unique ID (and, if they insist on paper, a printout of your portal profile clearly labelled as a printout). Never add seals or “approved” wording to it.

What is a Darpan ID?

A Darpan ID – the portal calls it the DARPAN Unique ID – is the identification number the NPO DARPAN portal gives a registered trust, society or Section 8 company. You receive it at the end of the portal process: create an account, fill in organisation details, upload documents, review and submit.

It is an ID, not a certificate. The portal says NITI Aayog does not issue any physical Darpan certificate and provides the registration ID on the basis of a self-declared affidavit. It also warns that the ID does not confer any right, endorsement, affiliation or recognition by NITI Aayog.

Already registered? How to find or check your Darpan ID

Start with the record, not another registration. Search your organisation’s earlier applications, grant correspondence, bank files and handover records. Ask current or former authorised office holders whether an ID was already recorded.

The public login page offers password and OTP access and a password-recovery option. Use only a route you are authorised to complete. Where the registered contact is unavailable, record the access problem and follow the current official help process; do not borrow someone else’s verification code or create a replacement identity.

Once access is established, match the organisation name and registration particulars to your source documents. Record the existing ID and current status separately. Finding a profile does not prove that every entry is current or that an unrelated application has been approved.

NGO Darpan login: signing in to the NPO DARPAN portal

The login is on the official portal at ngodarpan.gov.in. NGOGrant cannot log in for you without your authorisation, and no one should ask for your OTP.

1. Your login ID: the portal says the organisation’s email ID and mobile number given at sign-up are both used as the login ID. Its login page adds that NPOs registered before 07-Mar-2025 should use their organisation PAN as the login ID.
2. Your first password: after sign-up, a system-generated password is sent to the registered email.
3. First login: the portal asks you to create a new secure password.

If the email or mobile number belongs to a former office bearer, sort out access through the portal’s official help before changing anything. The portal’s Contact Us page lists the Voluntary Action Cell, NITI Aayog, New Delhi, phone 011-2304 2707 / 2646 / 2145 (working days, 9:00 AM–5:30 PM).

Update your organisation or office-bearer details

Prepare a correction list before changing anything. For each item, record the existing entry, the proposed entry, why it changed and the supporting evidence. Confirm who has authority to approve and submit the update.

Use the update route available in the authorised account. Where a field is locked or verification fails, keep the exact message and obtain guidance through the official portal. Do not assume that uploading a resolution automatically transfers account control.

After the change, compare the saved record with the approved correction list. Keep the acknowledgement or reference supplied and mark unresolved items as pending. Update any separate bank, grant or other authority record through its own process where required.

The portal’s public pages do not state an annual update rule, so keep your profile current whenever office bearers or your address change.

Common problems: checks and safe next steps

These are practical troubleshooting suggestions, not official error-code diagnoses or promises that an application will be accepted.

Some government schemes will not release money without a Darpan ID. For example, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting asks non-government applicants for one under its community radio grant; see our MIB community radio grant guide.

Darpan fees and timing

The portal’s public pages do not state a registration fee, and they do not publish a processing time. Before paying anyone who calls an amount a “Darpan portal fee”, check the current instructions on ngodarpan.gov.in.

Our ₹1,000 (inclusive of GST) is NGOGrant’s professional fee for preparing your documents and helping you through the form. It is not a government charge, and paying it does not change how the portal verifies or issues the ID.

Do it yourself or get help?

Plenty of NGOs complete Darpan themselves – the form is not long. It is worth getting help when your registration certificate is in a regional language, your PAN name does not match your certificate, nobody knows whether an old account exists, or a grant deadline is close.

What our ₹1,000 Darpan service includes (inclusive of GST): portal sign-up, or login help if you already have an account; filling the full profile – organisation, registration, office bearers, PAN and key issues; a check of your documents and PAN details before submission; submission; and follow-up with the portal until the Unique ID is generated.

Not included: getting or correcting your underlying registration, PAN or office-bearer documents; profile changes after the Unique ID is issued; and other registrations such as 12A/80G, CSR-1 or FCRA, which are priced separately.

What we need from you: registration certificate, MoA or trust deed, by-laws, certified governing body list, latest resolution (if any), organisation PAN, and PAN and Aadhaar numbers for at least three office bearers (two for a trust). Share these only after we confirm the scope.

We do not guarantee approval or a timeline – the portal verifies and issues the ID.

Use this first-enquiry brief

Still putting your registration papers in order? Our NGO Registration Preparation & First 90 Days pack helps you organise the certificate, by-laws and governing body records Darpan asks for. Once you have your ID, funders will want a clean organisation profile – the NGO Profile & Annual Report Templates give you a ready format. Packs are templates only and do not include filing.

Next steps after Darpan: 12A and 80G registration, CSR-1 registration, FCRA registration, and current NGO funding opportunities.

Some grants make a Darpan ID a condition. For example, the NCPUL seminar grant for Urdu events requires registration on the NGO Darpan portal.

Applying to the Ministry of Culture Buddhist/Tibetan Arts and Culture grant 2026–27? The CIHTS invitation asks for an NGO Darpan Unique ID among other papers. This service does not guarantee any grant outcome.

Questions about Darpan registration, access and records

Official guidelines and sources

• NPO DARPAN portal – https://ngodarpan.gov.in/ (Sign Up, About and Contact Us pages), checked 20 October 2026.
• Helpdesk (from the portal’s Contact Us page): Voluntary Action Cell, Room No. 315A, NITI Aayog, Sansad Marg, New Delhi-110001; phone 011-2304 2707 / 2646 / 2145 (working days, 9:00 AM–5:30 PM); email ngo[at]india[dot]gov[dot]in.
• NPO DARPAN About page – https://ngodarpan.gov.in/#/about-us (grants, bank accounts, FCRA and 80G), read 28 October 2026.
• NPO DARPAN FAQ – https://ngodarpan.gov.in/#/faq (eligible organisations, sign-up steps, documents), read 28 October 2026.
• Income Tax Department, Form 104 FAQs – incometaxindia.gov.in (Form 10A is now Form 104), and Income-tax Rules, 2026 (in force 1 April 2026), read 28 October 2026.
• Income Tax Department, Form 105 FAQs – incometaxindia.gov.in (Form 10AB is now Form 105; regular registration under section 332 and approval under section 354), read 28 October 2026.

Editorial update: 20 October 2026. Portal sign-up text, documents list and certificate notice rechecked against ngodarpan.gov.in. The portal’s FAQ page could not be read on that date. Update 28 October 2026: the portal’s About and FAQ pages were read and the new sections are based on them.