Table of Contents
All 26 RTI Online Portal FAQs — Citizen Guide
Quick Reply: All 26 RTI Online Portal FAQs — Citizen Guide
These are all 26 official questions from rtionline.gov.in rewritten as plain-English guides. Questions marked with a link have full citizen-first articles. Others are listed with the official answer and a “coming soon” note.
Portal eligibility and scope
- Q1: To which public authority can I file RTI through this portal? Central Government Ministries, Departments, and Central Public Authorities only. Full guide: Can I file RTI for state government online?
- Q23: Can I file RTI for state public authorities through this portal? No. Full guide: State vs Central RTI portals explained
Filing your application
- Q2: How do I write my RTI application? Use the text column (up to 3000 characters) or upload a PDF for longer requests. Use the AI RTI Drafter to compose it.
- Q11: Is it mandatory to create a user account? No. You can file directly from “Submit Request” without logging in. See: RTI not showing in account history
- Q5: What happens if I select the wrong public authority? Full guide: Wrong public authority selected — what happens
- Q17: Why did I receive multiple registration numbers? Full guide: Multiple registration numbers explained
Payment
- Q3: How do I pay the RTI fee? Via netbanking (SBI), debit/credit card, or UPI. BPL applicants pay nothing (attach BPL certificate). Coming soon: full payment guide.
- Q13: Amount deducted but no registration number? Full guide: Payment deducted but no registration number
- Q19: Registration number not received after 48 hours? See: Payment reconciliation steps
- Q25: Reasons for RTI payment failing? Disabled e-Commerce, wrong OTP, session timeout, insufficient funds, UPI timeout. See: RTI payment failure guide
- Q6: Will I be informed about additional fee? Yes. The CPIO will notify via email/SMS; pay via View Status on the portal. Coming soon.
- Q8: Do I need to pay for first appeal? No. First appeal is free under RTI Act 2005, §19(1). See: RTI appeal fee guide
Tracking your application
- Q4: Do I get a receipt after online filing? Yes — a unique registration number is issued immediately. Coming soon.
- Q9: Do I get SMS alerts? Provide mobile number optionally to receive SMS updates. Coming soon.
- Q12: How long are records kept on the portal? 3 years. Coming soon.
- Q16: RTI not showing in account history? Full guide: RTI not in account history — why and fix
- Q18: How to view status/reply? Use “View Status” with your registration number. Coming soon.
- Q20: How to upload supporting documents when alert appears? Use View Status — supporting document upload option appears there. Coming soon.
- Q26: Why is OTP required for View Status? To protect personal information in your application from third-party access. Coming soon.
First appeal
- Q7: How do I file first appeal online? Select “Submit First Appeal” and enter registration number and email ID. Full guide: Portal blocking first appeal
- Q14: Portal not allowing me to file first appeal? Full guide: Why portal blocks first appeal and fix
- Q15: Can I file online first appeal for a physically-filed RTI? No, unless CPIO registered it in the portal. Full guide: Manual RTI — can I appeal online?
- Q24: If RTI filed manually, can I file first appeal online? Full guide: Manual RTI appeal online guide
Account and technical
- Q10: Forgot login credentials? Use “View History” without login, or check email for registration numbers. Coming soon.
- Q21: What queries for helpline email? Portal-specific problems only. Email: [email protected]. Coming soon.
- Q22: Browser certificate error on RTI portal? Ignore and proceed (Firefox: add exception; Chrome: Proceed Anyway). Coming soon.