RTI Full Form: How to File, Fee, Time Limits and Appeals
Independent guide. We are not part of any government department or Information Commission, and we cannot file RTI applications for you.
RTI stands for Right to Information. Under the Right to Information Act, 2005, any Indian citizen can ask a government office or other public authority for information it holds, without giving a reason. The fee for central bodies is ₹10 (free for BPL applicants). A reply is due within 30 days, and you can appeal twice if refused.
- Full form
- Right to Information
- Law
- Right to Information Act, 2005 (Act 22 of 2005)
- Who can ask
- Any Indian citizen
- Fee (central bodies)
- ₹10; nil for BPL applicants
- Reply due
- 30 days; 48 hours if life or liberty is at stake
- First appeal
- Within 30 days, to a senior officer; free
- Second appeal
- Within 90 days, to the CIC or a State Information Commission; free at the CIC
- File online (central)
- rtionline.gov.in
What is RTI?
The Right to Information Act, 2005 gives every citizen the right to information held by, or under the control of, a public authority. You do not have to say why you want it. You only give the details needed to contact you.
"Information" means material in any form: records, documents, files, emails, opinions, advice, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, samples, models and electronic data. It also covers information about a private body that a public authority can access under another law.
Your right includes:
- Inspecting work, documents and records.
- Taking notes, extracts or certified copies.
- Taking certified samples of material.
- Getting information in electronic form or as printouts.
RTI is not a complaint system. It gets you information that already exists in records. To complain about a service, use the department's grievance channel. Check the authority's website first too: every public authority must publish key details on its own, such as its functions, officers' directory, salaries, budgets and its PIOs.
Who must answer: public authorities and PIOs
A public authority is any body set up by or under the Constitution, a law of Parliament or a State Legislature, or a government notification or order. It also includes bodies owned, controlled or substantially financed by the government, and non-government organisations substantially financed by it, directly or indirectly.
That covers ministries and departments, government companies, statutory bodies, courts, legislatures, municipal bodies and panchayats.
| Officer | Role |
|---|---|
| CPIO / SPIO | Public Information Officer of a central or State body. Receives your application, must help you, and decides on it. |
| CAPIO / SAPIO | Assistant Public Information Officer at sub-divisional or sub-district level. Accepts applications and appeals and forwards them. Filing here adds 5 days to the time limit. |
| First Appellate Authority (FAA) | An officer senior in rank to the PIO in the same authority. Hears your first appeal. |
| CIC / SIC | Central or State Information Commission. Hears second appeals and complaints; its decisions are binding. |
Not covered: intelligence and security organisations listed in the Act's Second Schedule (and those a State notifies). Even they must give information about allegations of corruption and human rights violations. Human-rights information needs the Information Commission's approval and is due within 45 days.
Find a central CPIO or First Appellate Authority on the RTI Online officer search.
How an RTI request moves
How to file an RTI application
You can apply in writing or electronically, in English, Hindi or the official language of the area. If you cannot write, the PIO must help you put an oral request in writing.
rtionline.gov.in is run by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). It accepts applications and first appeals for central ministries, departments and other central public authorities only.
- Open the portal and choose Submit Request. An account is optional.
- Select the ministry, department or public authority.
- Enter your details. Your email address is verified by OTP (since 16 Jun 2025). A mobile number is optional and gets you text alerts.
- Type your request, up to 3,000 characters. Longer text can be attached as a PDF.
- BPL applicant? Attach your BPL certificate and pay nothing. Otherwise choose Make Payment and pay ₹10 by net banking (SBI gateway), debit or credit card, RuPay card or UPI.
- Note the registration number. You need it, with your email address, to check status and file a first appeal.
Your application goes to the authority's Nodal Officer, who sends it to the right CPIO. If it concerns several CPIOs, you get one registration number for each.
Write on plain paper to the CPIO of the public authority (or hand it to a CAPIO). Include:
- The CPIO's address and your own address.
- The exact information you want, ideally as numbered questions. Keep it to about 500 words, excluding annexures. A longer application can't be rejected for its length alone.
- Proof of the ₹10 fee, or a copy of your BPL certificate.
Ways to pay (central bodies): cash against a receipt; a demand draft, banker's cheque or Indian Postal Order (IPO) payable to the Accounts Officer of the public authority; or electronically, if the authority accepts it.
Sample (fictional): "To the Central Public Information Officer, [office name and address]. Under the RTI Act, 2005, please give me: 1. The date my passport application no. SAMPLE123 was sent for police verification. 2. A copy of the file notings on it. I enclose an Indian Postal Order for ₹10. Name, address, date, signature."
Send it by registered or speed post, or hand it in and get a receipt. Keep a copy: you need it for any appeal.
For a State government department, municipal body, panchayat or other State public authority, apply to its SPIO. Fees, payment modes and forms are set by each State's own RTI rules, so check them before you pay.
- Do not use rtionline.gov.in. Applications there for State bodies, including the Delhi Government, are returned without refund.
- Second appeals go to that State's Information Commission. The CIC has no power over State Information Commissions. Find yours on the Central Information Commission's list of State Information Commissions.
- The Act's time limits, exemptions and penalties are the same everywhere.
Filing online, screen by screen
RTI fees (central public authorities)
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Application | ₹10 |
| Copies (A3 or smaller) | ₹2 a page |
| Copies on larger paper; samples or models | Actual cost |
| Extracts from a priced publication | Its price, or ₹2 a page of photocopy |
| Inspection of records | First hour free; ₹5 for each further hour or part |
| Postage | Only the part above ₹50 |
| First appeal; second appeal or complaint to the CIC | Free |
| BPL applicants | No application or copying fee (attach the certificate) |
From the RTI Rules, 2012 (Department of Personnel and Training, 31 Jul 2012). If extra fees are due, the CPIO must send you the calculation; the days until you pay don't count towards the 30 days. Online, you pay extra fees through View Status.
Late reply means free information. If the authority misses the time limit, it must give you the information free of charge.
Time limits
| Situation | Time limit |
|---|---|
| Normal reply | 30 days from receipt |
| Life or liberty of a person | 48 hours from receipt |
| Filed through a CAPIO or SAPIO | 5 days added |
| Sent to the wrong authority | Must be transferred within 5 days, and you are told |
| Third-party information involved | Decision within 40 days |
| Human-rights information from a security organisation | 45 days, after Information Commission approval |
| No reply in time | Treated as a refusal; you can appeal |
| First appeal: filing | 30 days from the reply or from when it was due (late appeals allowed for sufficient cause) |
| First appeal: decision | 30 days; at most 45 days, with written reasons |
| Second appeal: filing | 90 days from the first appeal decision, or from when it was due (late appeals allowed for sufficient cause) |
First and second appeals
To the First Appellate Authority in the same public authority, within 30 days of the reply or of the 30-day deadline passing. No fee. For an online application, use Submit First Appeal on rtionline.gov.in with your registration number and email address. The portal opens this only after 30 days if there is no reply. An application filed on paper needs a first appeal on paper, unless the CPIO has entered it in the portal and sent you a registration number.
To the CIC (central bodies) or the State Information Commission, within 90 days of the FAA's decision, or of the date it should have come (45 days after your first appeal). You must file the first appeal first, or the second is returned. No fee at the CIC. File online on the Central Information Commission's second appeal portal or by post.
Attach to a second appeal at the CIC: a copy of your application, the CPIO's reply (if any), your first appeal, the FAA's order (if any), other documents you rely on, and an index. Sign or self-attest every page. If you are late, add a request to condone the delay with reasons.
- You can attend the hearing in person, through a representative or by video conference.
- The PIO must prove that a refusal was justified.
- The Commission can order the information to be given, order compensation, and fine the PIO ₹250 a day of delay, up to ₹25,000.
Complaint instead of appeal: you can complain directly to the Information Commission if no PIO exists, your application was refused at the counter, you got no reply, the fee demanded is unreasonable, or the information is incomplete or false. There's no fixed deadline, but file promptly. A complaint can lead to a penalty, but only an appeal can get you an order to give the information.
What can be refused: Section 8 exemptions
A PIO may refuse information only on grounds in the Act, and must tell you the reason, the appeal deadline and the appellate authority. The main grounds in Section 8(1):
- (a) Sovereignty, security, strategic, scientific or economic interests of India, foreign relations, or incitement to an offence.
- (b) Information a court has forbidden to be published, or that would be contempt of court.
- (c) Breach of privilege of Parliament or a State Legislature.
- (d) Commercial confidence, trade secrets or intellectual property that would harm a third party's competitive position, unless larger public interest justifies it.
- (e) Information held in a fiduciary relationship, unless larger public interest justifies it.
- (f) Information received in confidence from a foreign government.
- (g) Information that would endanger someone's life or safety or reveal a confidential source.
- (h) Information that would impede investigation, arrest or prosecution.
- (i) Cabinet papers. Decisions, reasons and the material behind them must be made public once the matter is over.
- (j) Personal information (see below).
Safeguards that still apply:
- Public interest override (Section 8(2)): an authority may disclose even exempt information if the public interest outweighs the harm.
- 20-year rule (Section 8(3)): information about events 20 or more years old must be given, except under clauses (a), (c) and (i).
- Partial disclosure (Section 10): the non-exempt part of a record must be given if it can reasonably be separated.
- Copyright held by someone other than the State is another ground for refusal (Section 9).
Personal information: the 2025 change
The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023 rewrote Section 8(1)(j). The change is in force from 13 Nov 2025, according to DoPT's updated text of the RTI Act (as on 18 Nov 2025). The government notified the DPDP Rules on 14 Nov 2025.
| Before 13 Nov 2025 | From 13 Nov 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Section 8(1)(j) | Personal information with no relation to public activity or interest, or that would cause unwarranted invasion of privacy, unless larger public interest justified disclosure | "Information which relates to personal information" |
| Public interest test inside the clause | Yes | Removed |
| "Information that can't be denied to Parliament can't be denied to anyone" | Yes (proviso) | Removed |
| Section 8(2) public interest override | Applies | Still applies |
The government's position (PIB, 20 Aug 2025 and 17 Nov 2025) is that the change does not bar disclosure of personal information. It says such information must be weighed against privacy, and that Section 8(2) still lets an authority disclose it when public interest outweighs the harm.
What it means for you: if your request touches someone else's personal information, expect the PIO to weigh it under Section 8(1)(j). If you believe the public interest is strong, say why in your application and in any appeal, citing Section 8(2).
Tips and common problems
- Ask for records, not opinions. Ask for copies, dates, file notings or status, not "why" questions the office would have to answer from scratch.
- One subject per application. It is easier to answer and to appeal.
- Wrong authority? It must transfer your application within 5 days. Online, it is moved between central bodies on the portal, or sent on paper to bodies not on the portal.
- Paid online but got no registration number? Don't pay again. Use Payment Reconciliation on rtionline.gov.in and wait 24 to 48 working hours. If it still doesn't appear, email the helpdesk with the transaction details or ask your bank for a refund.
- Can't file the first appeal online? Either 30 days haven't passed, or your application was sent on paper to a body not on the portal. Then appeal on paper.
- Status: use View Status with your registration number and email; an OTP is sent to your email. Records stay on the portal for 3 years.
- Portal helpdesk: 011-24010690 / 691, 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, Monday to Friday (except public holidays). CIC helpline: 011-26183053.
Your application may be shared. The OTP on View Status protects it, but avoid putting more personal details in an RTI than needed. Never pay anyone who offers to "speed up" an RTI; the only fees are those above, paid to the public authority.
History of RTI
The Right to Information Act, 2005 is enacted.
The rest of the Act, including the right to apply, comes into force on the 120th day of enactment.
The Right to Information Rules, 2012 set the ₹10 fee, copying charges and the second appeal procedure for central bodies.
The RTI (Amendment) Act, 2019 lets the central government set Information Commissioners' terms; rules of 24 Oct 2019 set a 3-year term.
The Act extends to Jammu and Kashmir.
rtionline.gov.in starts email OTP verification for all requests.
The DPDP Act's rewrite of Section 8(1)(j) on personal information comes into force.
FAQs
Do I have to give a reason for asking?
No. The Act says you need not give any reason or personal details other than those needed to contact you.
Can NRIs or foreigners file an RTI?
The right belongs to citizens of India, so an NRI who is an Indian citizen has it. Foreign nationals do not have the right under the Act. RTI Online is meant for Indian citizens.
Can I file an RTI with a private company or private bank?
Not directly; private bodies are not public authorities. But you can ask a public authority, such as a regulator, for information about a private body that it can access under another law.
What if I get no reply in 30 days?
It counts as a refusal. File a first appeal within the next 30 days. You also become entitled to the information free of charge.
Is there a fee for appeals?
No fee for a first appeal under the Act, and none for a second appeal or complaint to the CIC. State Information Commissions follow their State's rules.
Can I file an RTI for a State office on rtionline.gov.in?
No. That portal is only for central public authorities. Applications for State bodies, including the Delhi Government, are returned without refund.
Can I ask for someone else's personal details?
Since 13 Nov 2025, Section 8(1)(j) exempts information that relates to personal information. The authority can still disclose it under Section 8(2) if the public interest outweighs the harm, so explain the public interest in your request.
How long is the text of an online RTI?
Up to 3,000 characters in the form; longer text goes as a PDF attachment. For paper applications, the rules suggest about 500 words, but a longer one can't be rejected for length alone.
Official sources
- DoPT – Right to Information Act, 2005, as amended (as on 18 Nov 2025) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- DoPT – Right to Information Act, 2005 (original text) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- Right to Information Rules, 2012 (Gazette, 31 Jul 2012) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- RTI Online (DoPT) – Frequently Asked Questions (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- RTI Online (DoPT) – home page, helpdesk and notices (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- Central Information Commission – FAQs (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- Central Information Commission – Guidelines for filing a second appeal (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- Central Information Commission – Guidelines for filing a complaint (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- DoPT – RTI (Term of Office … of Information Commissioners) Rules, 2019 (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- PIB – DPDP Act, 2023 upholds privacy while preserving transparency under RTI (20 Aug 2025) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- PIB – Government notifies DPDP Rules (14 Nov 2025) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- PIB – DPDP Rules, 2025 Notified: backgrounder incl. RTI alignment (17 Nov 2025) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
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