NGO Darpan Registration
NGO Darpan is the government’s unique identification system for voluntary organisations, and holding a Darpan ID (also called a Unique ID or NGO registration number) is a prerequisite for accessing most central and state government grants, CSR funding routed through certain government schemes, and participation in government-led welfare programmes. Justsetu LLP prepares and files your NGO Darpan application with the correct supporting documents so your organisation is discoverable and eligible for funding opportunities that require it.
What Is NGO Darpan?
NGO Darpan is a portal maintained by NITI Aayog in collaboration with NGOs/VOs across India, created to build a repository of voluntary organisations and enable interface between them and government ministries/departments/state governments for grant-in-aid schemes. Registration issues a unique identification number linked to the organisation’s PAN, which is then used across multiple government portals and scheme applications.
Who Should Register
Any registered Trust, Society, or Section 8 Company operating as a not-for-profit voluntary organisation should register on NGO Darpan, particularly those intending to apply for government grants-in-aid, FCRA-related schemes, CSR funding channelled through eligible programmes, or empanelment with government ministries and departments.
Documents Required
- Registration certificate of the Trust/Society/Section 8 Company.
- PAN of the organisation.
- details of governing body members (name, designation, PAN, Aadhaar, contact details).
- registered address and contact information.
- details of the organisation’s key activities and sectors of work.
Process & Timeline
- Creating a login on the NGO Darpan portal using the organisation’s PAN.
- Filling in organisational details, governing body information, and activity/sector classification.
- Uploading the registration certificate and other supporting documents.
- System validation against PAN records and, in some cases, verification by the concerned nodal department.
- Issue of the unique Darpan ID, generally within a reasonable processing period once documents are in order, though this can vary based on document completeness and portal verification.
Fees
There is no government fee for NGO Darpan registration — it is free of cost on the official portal.
Why Justsetu LLP
We make sure your governing body and activity details on Darpan are consistent with your Trust Deed/MoA and other registrations (12A/80G, FCRA) — inconsistencies across government portals are a common reason grant applications get delayed or rejected.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is not mandatory for an NGO to exist or operate, but it is a mandatory prerequisite to apply for most central and several state government grants-in-aid and scheme-based funding.
No, registration on the NGO Darpan portal is completely free of cost.
It is used to identify the organisation across various government scheme applications, grant portals, and empanelment processes with ministries and departments.
Yes, as soon as the Trust, Society, or Section 8 Company registration certificate and PAN are available, the organisation can apply for a Darpan ID.
No, they are separate registrations serving different purposes — 12A/80G relate to income tax exemption and donor tax benefits, while Darpan is primarily for government grant eligibility and identification.
The Darpan ID itself does not require periodic renewal in the way 12A/80G does, but organisational details should be kept updated on the portal.
No, NGO Darpan registration requires the applicant to already be a formally registered Trust, Society, or Section 8 Company.
Many corporates and government-linked CSR programmes prefer or require a Darpan ID as part of their due diligence before channelling CSR funds to a voluntary organisation.
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