How to File an RTI Online via rtionline.gov.in (2026)
To file an RTI online with a Central Government office, use the official portal at rtionline.gov.in. The portal covers most Central Ministries, the President's Secretariat, both Houses of Parliament, and major Central Public Sector Undertakings. State Government RTI applications go to each state's own portal or by post. Filing online takes about five minutes. The fee is Rupees Ten, paid by debit card, credit card, or net banking. BPL applicants pay nothing under §7(5). The PIO has 30 days to reply under §7(1).
🌐 Official portal
rtionline.gov.in. Login with mobile and OTP, file in 5 minutes.
Tools to prepare your application before filing:
Free. No middleman fee.
What rtionline.gov.in covers
The portal covers 2,300+ Central Government public authorities across:
Every Central Ministry and Department of the Government of India.
Attached and subordinate offices (CBDT, CBIC, DGFT, and similar).
Constitutional bodies (UPSC, Election Commission, CAG).
Central Information Commission itself, for its administrative records.
Major Central PSUs (NTPC, BHEL, IOCL, ONGC, Air India, and others on the registered list).
Statutory bodies (RBI, SEBI, IRDAI, NHAI, and similar).
The portal does not cover State Government departments, District Collectorates, State PSUs, Panchayats, Urban Local Bodies, or High Courts. For those, use the relevant state RTI portal or file by post.
Step-by-step: file an RTI online in 7 steps
Open the portal. Go to
rtionline.gov.in. Click
“Submit Request” in the top navigation.
Read and accept the guidelines screen. This is a one-time consent. Tick the checkbox and click “Submit”.
Pick the public authority. Use the drop-down to select the Ministry or Department holding the information. If you are unsure, search by keyword in the “Search Public Authority” box. If you pick the wrong office, the application gets transferred under §6(3) within 5 days. No harm done, but it adds a week to your reply.
Fill in your details. Name, address, PIN code, email, phone. The portal uses these to send the PIO's reply. The citizenship question requires a one-word answer: India.
Write your question. The portal allows up to
3,000 characters in the text box. Frame numbered, specific questions. Attach any supporting document up to
1 MB as PDF.
Pay the fee. Rupees 10 by debit card, credit card, net banking, or UPI. BPL applicants tick the BPL box and upload a scan of the BPL card. No fee charged.
Submit and save the receipt. The portal generates a Registration Number in the format DOPTD/E/2026/XXXXX. Save the PDF receipt and the Registration Number. The Number is your only way to track the reply.
Payment modes and fees
| Application fee | Rs. 10 |
| Modes accepted | Debit card, credit card, net banking, UPI |
| BPL exemption | Yes, under §7(5). Upload BPL card scan. |
| Additional copy fee | Rs. 2 per page for photocopies, billed separately later |
| Inspection of records | Free for the first hour, Rs. 5 per subsequent hour |
The portal does not accept Postal Orders or Court Fee Stamps. Those are for offline filing only.
After you submit
Track the reply at
rtionline.gov.in under
“View Status”. Use your Registration Number and the registered mobile number.
The PIO has 30 days under §7(1). If life or liberty is involved, the limit is 48 hours.
Reply mode. The PIO uploads the reply as a PDF to the portal. You receive an SMS and email when it is ready. Download the reply within 60 days, otherwise the portal archives it.
If the reply is late or missing, file a First Appeal online through the same portal. The First Appeal button appears next to your request after Day 30.
Common errors at submission
Wrong public authority. The portal lists 2,300+ public authorities, and similar names confuse applicants. Read the full title before submitting. The Ministry of Education is different from the Department of Higher Education.
PDF attachment over 1 MB. Compress before uploading. The portal silently fails on oversize files.
Special characters in the question. Avoid pasting from a word processor with smart quotes or em-dashes, which break the database insert. Type directly into the textbox.
Question longer than 3,000 characters. Split into two applications, or attach a one-page PDF with the detailed question.
Closed browser before payment confirmation. If the payment goes through but the page closes, check “Make Payment for Pending Request” from the home screen.
When NOT to use rtionline.gov.in
For State Government bodies, use the state's own portal where one exists. Examples:
For states without an online portal, file by post per the state RTI Rules. The full list of state portals is in our RTI filing guide.
For High Courts, file by post or by hand at the Registry. Online filing is not available for any High Court Registry in India as of 2026.
No reply in 30 days? File a First Appeal online.
After Day 30, the rtionline.gov.in portal automatically shows a “File First Appeal” button next to your request. Click it, write your grounds, and the appeal is filed without any additional fee. The First Appellate Authority must decide within 30 days, extendable by 15 days with written reasons.
Templates: RTI Application Format · First Appeal Format · Second Appeal Format
Stuck? Use the AI RTI Drafter to generate the appeal in 60 seconds.
Frequently asked questions
Is rtionline.gov.in the only legal way to file an RTI with a Central Ministry?
No. Online and offline filing are equally valid. §6 of the RTI Act protects both. Offline filing by Registered Post, Speed Post, or in person works for every public authority.
How long does the PIO take to reply through the portal?
30 days from the date of receipt under §7(1). The portal date-stamps the application at the moment of submission, so the clock starts the same day.
Is there a separate portal for each state?
Some states maintain their own portals (Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka, Odisha). Most states require offline filing by post or in person. Check the state's own RTI website before assuming an online option exists.
Will the PIO reply by post or online?
Through the portal. The PIO uploads the reply as a PDF. You receive an SMS and email when the reply is ready. The portal stores the reply for 60 days.
What if I forget my Registration Number?
Use “Forgot Registration Number” on the portal home page. Enter your registered mobile number and the system sends the number by SMS.
Is the rtionline.gov.in portal open to non-citizens?
No. The RTI Act under §3 restricts the right to citizens of India. The portal requires a confirmation of Indian citizenship at the filing stage. Non-citizens have no statutory right under the RTI Act.
What is the fee for filing an online RTI in 2026?
Rupees 10 for the application. Additional charges apply if the PIO supplies photocopies (Rs. 2 per page) or allows inspection of records (Rs. 5 per hour after the first free hour). BPL applicants pay nothing under §7(5).
Sources
The Right to Information Act, 2005. §6, §7, §19, §20, §27.
Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India.
dopt.gov.in.
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Last reviewed: 27 May 2026, RTI Wiki editorial team.