NGOs with expiring FCRA certs get 6 months extension

NEW DELHI: The home ministry has further extended by six months the validity of registration certificates issued to NGOs under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), where such licences were due to expire between April 1, 2025 and June 30, 2025 and an application for renewal is submitted to the ministry before expiry of the validity period.
The FCRA registration of all such NGOs will now be valid until June 30, 2025 or till disposal of their application, whichever is earlier. On Dec 27, 2024, the validity of registration certificates of such NGOs was extended until March 31, 2025.
While the amendments to FCRA Act - requiring NGOs to open a dedicated bank account in SBI main New Delhi branch to receive foreign donations and prohibiting transfer of foreign contributions from the receiving NGO to any other entity, among others - came into force in 2020, govt has since extended validity of NGOs' five-year licences from time to time, to enable a smooth transition to stricter FCRA regime.