RTI fee in Kerala — 2026 schedule

• Application fee: Rs 10 per application under the Kerala fee schedule.
• BPL applicants: Rs 0 — no application fee, no additional fee. Attach a self-attested BPL card copy and cite §7(5).
• First appeal: Rs 0. Second appeal to the KSIC: Rs 0. Kerala charges nothing for appeals — two states do (Maharashtra Rs 20, Bihar Rs 10), so check the state page if you file elsewhere.
• Central government offices in Kerala follow the central Rs 10 fee via rtionline.gov.in, never the state portal.

Kerala files more RTI applications per person than almost any state, and its disposal record is among the fastest — the fee has stayed at the citizen-friendly minimum.

The Rs 10 covers the answer. A PIO may demand additional fee in writing only when you order photocopies, a CD, or extended inspection, quoting the rate and the arithmetic:

• Photocopies — a few rupees per page; the notice must state the per-page rate and the page count.
• CD or pen drive — a fixed media charge.
• Record inspection — first hour free, then a small hourly rate.
• Email delivery — where the record is already electronic, ask for it by email; it should cost nothing extra.

You have 30 days to pay the additional fee after the intimation. The information must then reach you within the overall statutory timeline — if the delay is the PIO's, §7(6) says the information is supplied free.

1. Online — rtiportal.kerala.gov.in is the state's online RTI portal; select the department and office, type your questions and pay digitally. Keep the registration number.
2. Treasury challan — the classic Kerala route for paper applications: Rs 10 under the head the office names, challan copy enclosed.
3. Indian Postal Order or demand draft — for postal filing, favouring the accounts officer of the public authority.
4. Cash — in person only, against a proper receipt or challan. No receipt, no proof, no 30-day clock.

• State public authorities — the PIO of the specific office: village office, taluk office, the secretariat department, university, board, corporation or PSU holding the record.
• Local bodies — municipalities and grama panchayats have their own PIOs; a ward-level record goes to the panchayat PIO, not the district collector.
• Wrong office — the PIO must transfer it to the right one within 5 days under §6(3), at no extra cost to you.
• Language — Malayalam, English or Hindi all work; §6(1) guarantees the official language of your area.

• Address: Kerala State Information Commission, Punnen Road, Thiruvananthapuram 695001.
• Phone: 0471-2335547.
• Appeals and complaints online: rti.sic.kerala.gov.in — register, then use “File Your Petition”.
• Timing: second appeal within 90 days of the FAA order, or of the FAA deadline passing — §19(3).

The Commission runs one of the lower backlogs in the country; a well-documented second appeal is typically listed within months, often with video-conference hearings for distant appellants.

1. Demand the rule number and exact amount in writing before paying anything.
2. BPL? Quote §7(5) and attach the card copy — the demand cannot stand.
3. No reply within 30 days, or an inflated demand? File the free first appeal to the same office's FAA; see the first appeal guide.
4. FAA fails you? Second appeal, free, to the KSIC — and you may ask for penalty proceedings under §20 (Rs 250 per day of delay, up to Rs 25,000) against the PIO.

• Challan — the chalan number and date belong in the application text itself; keep the stamped copy.
• Portal payment — the registration number plus payment reference is the pair the FAA will ask for.
• IPO/DD — note the number and date in the application; retain the counterfoil.
• Cash — against a receipt only; an unstamped payment proves nothing and starts no clock.

A “fee not received” reply meets two documents in the first appeal: your proof, and a demand for the office's fee-register entry for your date. Fee disputes rarely survive that pairing.

Plain paper with the fee is valid everywhere in India. Format essentials: what a valid RTI application must contain.

No — in Kerala both appeals are free. That is not universal: Maharashtra charges Rs 20 per appeal and Bihar Rs 10 under their own rules.

Ask the PIO in writing for the correct payee name; that exchange itself starts your record. Or switch to the online portal where the gateway routes payment automatically.

Yes — ask for inspection. The first hour is free, so you can often read and photograph what you need at zero cost.

• RTI fees in every Indian state
• Valid RTI application format
• First appeal — complete guide
• All state RTI portals
• The RTI Playbook

Last reviewed: 27 August 2026.