A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) is a non-profit organization, a group or entrepreneurship of activists, individuals, voluntary, and social persons working for a charitable cause.
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Registering an NGO in India is quick, easy, and can be done online with Vakilsearch in 3 simple steps:
We address all your queries about entity selection
and guide you to choose the most appropriate one.
Step 1
We help you get the entire process of filing
and registration completed.
Step 2
We will register the NGO and handle all the formalities (Trust Act, Society Registrations Act or the Companies Act, depending on the entity chosen).
Step 3
We address all your queries about entity selection and guide you to choose the most appropriate one.
We help you get the entire process of filing and registration completed.
We will register the NGO and handle all the formalities (Trust Act, Society Registrations Act or the Companies Act, depending on the entity chosen).
An NGO is a non-government organization with a charitable objective, for the betterment of the society in general. It can be started as a Trust, a Society or a Non-Profit Company [Section 8 Company], depending on the activity you wish to undertake.
In India, NGO is an umbrella term for all non-profit organizations including Trust, Society and Section 8 Company. Other names for such not-for-profit organizations are "Sangathan", "Sangh", "Sangam". Income tax exemption is available for all non-profit NGOs.
These are sometimes confused with non-profitable companies, which refers to a regular business is not making a profit.
At Vakilsearch, we will help you select the right option and guide you through the entire NGO registration process.
The national authority in India allows for online registration of an NGO under three laws:
Each law defines the formation of a different type of organization, namely – Trust Registration, Society Registration, and Section 8 Company Registration. Choosing the kind of registration procedure for the charitable firm is crucial. Our experts will help select the suitable option that befits your vision and guide you with the online registration process.
One of the ways in which an NGO can be registered is Trust or more commonly called Charitable trust. Trust is a legal entity created by the “trustor” or “settlor” who transfers the assets to the second party or “trustee” for the benefit of the third party or “beneficiary”. Trusts are formed to help and support the deprived sections of the society. Any group of individuals can register a trust and in India as such there are no specific laws to govern the public trust, however, some states like Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have their own Public Trust Act.
A society is an entity that can be created by a group of individuals united in their cause for promoting science, arts, literature, social welfare and useful information. In addition, societies work for creating military orphan funds, maintaining public museum and libraries.
Societies are governed by the Societies Registration Act, 1860. They must be registered with the respective state Registrar of Societies to be eligible for tax exemption.
A Section 8 company is similar to a trust and society. The objectives of a Section 8 Companies are to promote arts, science, commerce, sports, social welfare, religion, charity and environmental protection. They are registered under the Companies Act, 2013 for charitable purpose. They have better credibility among government bodies, donors and other stakeholders.
In India, anybody is free to do social activities without forming an association or organization. But when an individual wants to create a group that involves volunteers, activities, and resources, it becomes important to have proper management in place. To run such companies, trusts and Societies in the correct manner, a certain set of rules need to be followed.
Before a registered deed is delivered to an NGO, submission of specific documents is required.
For the trust registration, the following papers are mandatory:
Once the payment for the registration is done, it takes about 8 to 10 days for online registration to be completed under the Indian Trust Act – 1882. Before the deed becomes valid throughout the country, the settler has to deliver a presentation at the registrar’s office.
Note:On the scheduled date for registration, the Author of the Trust shall be present in the Register Office for registration
For a society registration, the following papers are essential:
Note:Once the payment for the registration is done, it takes about 8 to 10 days for drafting the MoA and By-laws of the Society. Thereafter it takes 21 to 30 days for the Society to be registered.
For a Section 8 company registration, the following papers are essential:
Note:Once the payment for the registration is done, it takes about 8 to 10 days for drafting the MoA and AoA of the Society. Thereafter it takes about 2 months for the entire Company registration to be completed.
| TRUST | SOCIETY | SEC - 8 COMPANY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Governed by | Trust Act of each state | Societies Registration Act (State Law) | Companies Act, 2013 |
| Members: | Minimum of 3 members and a maximum of 21 members | Minimum of 7 members and the maximum is unlimited | Minimum of 2 Directors/Shareholders |
| Jurisdiction: | Where the registered office of the Trust is situated. Before the Sub - Registrar or the District Registrar in the particular area or the Charity Commissioner. | Where the registered office of the Society is situated. Before the District Registrar in the particular area or the Charity Commissioner. | Online Registration |
| Document: | Trust Deed | Memorandum of Association, By-Laws, Forms | MoA and AoA |
| Board: | Founder or Author of the Trust, Managing Trustees (Treasurer, Auditor, etc.) | Executive Committee (President, Secretary, Vice President, Treasurer), General Body (All members) | Directors |
| Property Management: | The properties of the Trust will be managed by the Trustees, however, the properties cannot be sold by the Trustees without obtaining the permission from the court. | The property of the Society vests in the name of the Society and the same can be sold as per the terms mentioned in the By-laws of the society. (Eg: Approval from the Executive Committee Member) | The property of the company vests in the name of the Company and the same can be sold as per the rules mentioned under the Companies Act, (Eg: With the consent of the Board of Directors in the form of a resolution) |
| Revocation/ Dissolution or Winding Up | The trust is usually irrevocable in nature. For reasons like disqualification of trustees, the absence of trustees, mismanagement of the trust, the trust can be merged with another trust having a similar objective with the permission of the court. | Dissolution as per the By-laws of the society, upon dissolution and after settlement of all debts and liabilities, the funds and property of the society may not be distributed among the members of the society, rather, the remaining funds and property must be given or transferred to some other society, preferably one with similar objects. | Dissolution as per the By-laws of the society, upon dissolution and after settlement of all debts and liabilities, the funds and property of the society may not be distributed among the members of the society, rather, the remaining funds and property must be given or transferred to some other society, preferably one with similar objects. |
| Annual Compliance | There is no annual filing but the board of trustee must keep the books and accounts proper. | Societies must file annually, with the Registrar of Societies, a list of the names, addresses and occupations of their managing committee members. | There is a requirement of annual compliance by the filing of annual accounts and the return of company with the RoC. |
Our team aims to provide the best legal consultancy services for all charitable, corporate and NGO firms across India. We maintain high ethical standards and work towards delivering every service within the promised time frame. We recommend you to give us a call or drop an email for the first free consultation. Our experts are available to serve you.
Besides having the willingness to work for the welfare of society, legally, there are some procedures to follow, these are:-
Our experts will help you at every stage of the registration process.
Consultation for selecting registration type
The final step is the formation of your NGO.
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