How to verify an NGO in India

No single government search proves that an NGO is honest, effective or entitled to collect money for a particular campaign. Verify separate facts separately: legal formation, NGO Darpan identity, Income Tax registrations, FCRA permission where foreign contribution is involved, and whether the requested bank account actually belongs to the same entity.

The names and numbers across these records should match. A similar name is not enough. Do not invent or guess a registration number; copy it from a certificate you can search, or leave it blank and ask the registrar by RTI.

Ask the NGO which legal form it uses. The formation record is the one most donors skip, and it is the one that actually creates a legal person.

Societies are registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 or a State equivalent (for example the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975). Application is to the Registrar of Societies for that State or district. The certificate, if genuine, shows the society name, registration number, date and the issuing office.

Verify through:

• the State Registrar of Societies / Charity Commissioner portal on a .gov.in domain, where a public search exists;
• in Maharashtra, the Charity Commissioner's services at charity.maharashtra.gov.in;
• a certified copy from the registrar if the State has no public search;
• an RTI to that registrar for the certificate and current governing-body list (sample below).

Do not accept a cropped JPEG with no searchable number. Do not type a number the solicitor recited on a call unless it also appears on an official record.

Public trusts are created by a registered trust deed (Registration Act, 1908) and, in States with a Charity Commissioner (notably Maharashtra and Gujarat), are also entered on that office's register. Private trusts under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882 are a different animal and are not, by themselves, a public-charity registration. Public access varies: some States publish a search; others require an application or RTI. Record the trust name, registration / deed number, Sub-Registrar and registered office. A deed that names different trustees from the people collecting money is a stop sign.

Section 8 companies are registered with the Registrar of Companies under the Companies Act, 2013 for non-profit objects. Search the official Ministry of Corporate Affairs portal by name or CIN. Read:

• exact company name and CIN;
• company status (active, under process of striking off, struck off, dissolved);
• registered office;
• directors / signatories;
• last annual filings shown (Form AOC-4, Form MGT-7 where applicable).

A struck-off company can still wave an old licence PDF. Always prefer the live MCA status over a certificate date. The CIN is issued by MCA; do not invent one to “complete” a checklist.

NGO Darpan is maintained as NITI Aayog's NGO identity portal. A listing confirms that the entity completed Darpan's document-review process. It is not incorporation, not 80G, and not a quality rating.

Search process (no login required for the public search):

1. Open ngodarpan.gov.in and use Search NGO.
2. Search by name, Unique ID, State/district, or registration number if you already have one from the certificate.
3. Open the Unique ID. Match exact entity name and any former name, legal registration number and authority, State and registered address, listed office bearers, sectors, and any PAN or identifiers the portal displays.
4. Screenshot the profile before donating. If the organisation later denies the ID, you have their listed credentials.
5. If the portal offers a downloadable certificate with a QR code, scan it. It should open the live Darpan profile, not the NGO's own marketing site.

Similar names belong to different entities. “Help Child Foundation” and “Helping Child Foundation” are not interchangeable. Darpan search by PAN, where offered, is stronger than name search. Treat a stale last-updated date as a reason to ask for current accounts, not as proof of fraud by itself.

12AB (the current form of the old 12A registration) concerns the organisation's income-tax registration as a charitable institution. 80G concerns the donor's potential deduction, subject to the Income-tax Act and the donor's return. They are related but not interchangeable. An NGO can be legally formed and still have no 80G. A donor can lawfully give without claiming a deduction.

Verification method:

1. Ask the NGO for the current order or certificate showing legal name, PAN, Unique Registration Number and valid from / valid to.
2. Search the Income Tax Department's official exempted-institutions utility by PAN (preferred) or name.
3. Match the PAN on the certificate to the PAN on Darpan and on the donation receipt.
4. Read whether the 80G approval is for 50% or 100% deduction and whether a qualifying limit applies. “We have 80G” is not the same as “your donation is 100% deductible”.
5. Confirm the approval is valid for the assessment period of your donation. Following the Finance Act, 2020 changes (effective 1 April 2021), perpetual 12A/80G registrations were replaced by time-bound 12AB registration: new entities first obtain provisional registration, and regular registration is for a stated validity cycle. Expired orders do not become valid because a website footer still says “80G available”.

Before relying on an 80G claim, also check that the donee name and PAN match the entity receiving payment, that the receipt and later Form 10BE details match the donation, and that the payment mode qualifies. The Income Tax Department's current 80G FAQ states that a cash donation above ₹2,000 is not deductible under section 80G. A donation can still be lawful without a deduction; do not confuse tax eligibility with the legitimacy of the entity.

Persistent non-compliance can lead to cancellation of 12AB registration. If Darpan shows an NGO and the exempt-institutions search does not, ask the organisation for the current URN and re-search by PAN before paying.

Foreign contribution is a distinct legal category. If a donor is outside India, funds originate from a foreign source, or the campaign claims FCRA permission, use the Ministry of Home Affairs' official FCRA Online search.

Check the entity's:

• exact name and FCRA number as displayed by the portal — copy it, do not invent it;
• registration or prior-permission status;
• validity date and any suspension or cancellation shown;
• designated FCRA bank details only through the NGO's official, verified communication;
• stated purpose and whether the requested payment route is consistent.

The FCRA (Amendment) Act, 2020 requires foreign contribution to be received in a designated FCRA account at the State Bank of India, New Delhi Main Branch, and reduced the cap on administrative expenses out of foreign contribution. If an NGO soliciting international donations asks you to pay a personal UPI or an ordinary current account, treat that as a legal and practical stop sign and report through the FCRA portal's official channel. Domestic donors do not need an NGO to have FCRA merely to receive an ordinary domestic donation. Conversely, a Darpan ID or 80G approval does not replace FCRA permission for foreign contribution.

Before paying, compare the beneficiary name shown by the bank with the legal entity. A personal account, unrelated company or changing UPI handle is a serious warning unless there is a clear, documented and lawful explanation.

Request:

1. an official donation page on the NGO's verified domain;
2. the legal name and PAN on the receipt;
3. purpose of the appeal and budget or utilisation information;
4. audited financial statements or annual report for material donations;
5. a contact that can be independently reached through the registered organisation;
6. Form 10BE after the applicable reporting process if you claim 80G deduction.

Do not send Aadhaar, OTP, card PIN, UPI PIN or screen-sharing access for a donation.

• urgency combined with refusal to provide a legal name;
• a certificate whose number does not match the issuing authority's record;
• copied photographs or a campaign description found under several names;
• pressure to transfer to an individual's account;
• a promise that every donation is automatically 100% tax deductible;
• a foreign donation request with no checkable FCRA status;
• fake celebrity, military, disaster or hospital endorsements;
• requests for an OTP to “issue the receipt”;
• a caller who becomes threatening when you ask for records;
• a look-alike domain that is not the name on the registrar / MCA record.

Legitimate organisations answer a written request for Darpan Unique ID, PAN and 80G order number. A defensive “other donors never ask” is a reason to walk away, not a reason to pay first.

If solicitation is already happening on WhatsApp or social media, preserve screenshots and report through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Income-tax misuse of an 80G claim can be reported to the Income Tax Department. FCRA violations go through the FCRA portal. Unregistered charity operations can be reported to the State Charity Commissioner or Registrar of Societies. For the recovery sequence after a payment, use NGO donation fraud and payment-fraud recovery.

Preserve the payment receipt, beneficiary details, page URL, ads, messages, phone numbers and certificates supplied. Contact the bank or payment provider promptly. For suspected online financial fraud, call 1930 and file through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Use the 1930 script and cybercrime complaint guides. Reporting does not guarantee recovery. See also UPI scam recovery.

Do not publicly accuse a similarly named genuine organisation without verifying the beneficiary and domain. Share evidence with the competent authority.

RTI is a records tool aimed at a public authority. The Registrar of Societies, Charity Commissioner, Registrar of Companies, Income Tax Department and the FCRA wing of the Ministry of Home Affairs hold registers. A private society, trust or section 8 company is not automatically a public authority merely because it has a Darpan ID or collects donations. You therefore file RTI on the registrar, not “on the NGO”, unless a separate legal test (for example substantial government financing) brings that entity under Section 2(h) — that is a facts question, not a slogan.

Useful RTI targets:

• Registrar of Societies / Charity Commissioner — certificate, current governing body, whether annual returns were filed.
• Registrar of Companies — CIN status, last AOC-4 / MGT-7 dates, strike-off record.
• Income Tax public authority that holds 12AB/80G orders — only for records it actually maintains; the public exempt-institutions search is usually faster for a donor.
• FCRA wing — registration / prior-permission status already visible on FCRA Online is usually enough; RTI is for a file copy if the portal result is ambiguous.

Ask for certified copies and dates. Do not ask the PIO to “confirm this NGO is genuine” or to start a police investigation. Those are not Section 2(f) information requests.

If you intend to claim a deduction, the receipt is not a souvenir. Keep:

• legal name and PAN of the donee, matching the 80G order and the bank beneficiary;
• Unique Registration Number and the assessment year the approval covers;
• amount, date and mode of payment (cash above ₹2,000 is not 80G-eligible on the Department’s current FAQ);
• the later Form 10BE / specified certificate the donee is required to furnish for the year, once the reporting window opens.

If the organisation cannot tell you how it will issue Form 10BE, treat the 80G claim as unverified even if a PDF certificate exists. A deduction dispute is with the Income Tax Department on your return, not with Darpan.

RTI generally cannot be served on a private NGO merely because it is registered or receives donations. File it on the public authority that holds the register: Registrar of Societies, Charity Commissioner, or Registrar of Companies as applicable. Ask for records, not an investigation or opinion. See how to file a focused RTI and file RTI online.

To,
The Public Information Officer
Office of the [Registrar of Societies / Charity Commissioner / RoC]
[State / MCA office]
[Address]

Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]

Subject: Request under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005 for
records of [full legal name of organisation]

Sir/Madam,

I, [full name], citizen of India, request the following
information under the Right to Information Act, 2005.

The organisation is described as:
  Legal name (as used in public): [name]
  Claimed registration number (only if printed on a document
  I hold; otherwise write "not known"): [number or "not known"]
  Claimed registered address: [address]
  State / district: [place]

Please furnish:

1. Whether an organisation of that exact legal name is
   registered with your office under the applicable Societies /
   Public Trusts / Companies Act, and if yes, the registration
   number and date of registration.

2. A certified copy of the registration certificate / licence
   currently on record.

3. The current list of governing-body members / trustees /
   directors as last filed with your office.

4. Whether annual returns / accounts required by your office
   were filed for the last three completed years, and the dates
   of those filings (or a record that they were not filed).

5. Whether any complaint record against that registration is
   held by your office for the last three years and, if yes,
   the file number and current status, subject to the exemptions
   in Section 8.

6. If no such organisation is registered, a written confirmation
   that your office holds no such registration under that name.

I am not asking you to investigate the NGO or to certify that
it is genuine. I am asking for records your office already holds.

The applicable fee is paid / enclosed. Please reply within
30 days under Section 7(1).

Yours faithfully,
[Name]
[Postal address]
[Email / mobile for official correspondence]

Do not insert a registration number you have not seen on a document. “Not known” is a valid identifier when combined with the exact legal name and claimed address. If the PIO's reply is incomplete, file a first appeal under Section 19(1) — see the first-appeal guide. RTI Assistant can turn the identifiers into a clean application.

Darpan provides a Unique ID and profile after its document-review process, but the underlying legal formation should still be verified with the relevant registrar or MCA.

Use the official Darpan search and compare the exact name, Unique ID, registration details, State and office bearers. Similar names can belong to different entities.

No. 80G is an Income Tax approval relevant to donor deduction. Formation as a society, trust or section 8 company is a separate record.

No. FCRA is relevant to foreign contribution. An organisation handling only domestic donations does not require FCRA merely for that reason.

The Income Tax Department says cash donations above ₹2,000 are not deductible under section 80G. Other conditions also apply, so retain the receipt and current approval details.

No. It shows a regulatory permission or status for foreign contribution. It does not certify impact, financial health or every fundraising campaign.

Treat a mismatch between the legal entity and beneficiary as a serious warning. Ask for a documented explanation and verify through the organisation's official contact before paying.

Not automatically. RTI applies to public authorities and can reach certain records held by them. The coverage of a particular NGO depends on the Act and facts; ordinary registration alone does not make every private NGO a public authority.

Search the official exempt-institutions utility by PAN, match the Unique Registration Number and validity dates on the order, and match the PAN to Darpan and to the receipt. A PDF that will not search is not verification.

There is no single central helpline that certifies authenticity. Verification is self-service through Darpan, the Income Tax exempt-institutions search, FCRA Online, MCA, and the State registrar. Portal helpdesks answer portal problems; they do not underwrite a donation.

• NGO and charity donation fraud response
• Online payment fraud recovery
• UPI scam recovery steps
• Use the 1930 cyber-fraud helpline
• File a cybercrime complaint
• File a focused RTI for public records
• File RTI online
• First appeal under the RTI Act
• RTI Assistant
• Find official government sources
• RTI Wiki home

• NGO Darpan official portal
• Income Tax Department exempt-institutions search
• Income Tax Department 80G FAQ
• Ministry of Home Affairs FCRA Online Services
• Ministry of Corporate Affairs official portal
• Maharashtra Charity Commissioner