What Are FCRA FC-6 Intimations and the Designated Bank Account?
Quick Answers
- Where must the FCRA designated bank account be opened? Every FCRA-registered association must receive foreign contribution only in a designated FCRA account at the State Bank of India, New Delhi Main Branch, 11 Sansad Marg, New Delhi-110001, as notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs on 7 October 2020.
- What is the Form FC-6 series used for? The Form FC-6 series (FC-6A to FC-6E) is used to intimate the MHA online about changes such as name and address, aims and objects, designated bank account, opening of a utilisation account, or change in key members of the association.
- What is the time limit to file an FC-6 intimation? Following the FCRA Amendment Rules 2022 (effective 1 July 2022), intimations in the Form FC-6 series must be filed online within 45 days of the change or account opening, up from the earlier 15-day limit.
- Can the utilisation account be at a bank other than SBI? Yes. While foreign contribution must first be received in the SBI New Delhi Main Branch designated account, one or more utilisation accounts may be opened at any scheduled bank, and their opening is intimated in Form FC-6D.
For any association registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, two compliance strands run alongside registration itself - the mandatory designated FCRA bank account and the Form FC-6 series of prior intimations to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The designated account is where all foreign contribution must first be received, and the FC-6 forms keep the MHA informed of any structural change in the association so that its FCRA registration record stays accurate and current.
Since the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2020, this designated account is no longer a matter of choice. Foreign contribution can only be received in a single, exclusive designated FCRA account opened at the State Bank of India, New Delhi Main Branch. Any change to that account, to the association's details, or to its key members must then be intimated to the MHA through the correct FC-6 form on the fcraonline.nic.in portal, within the 45-day window prescribed by the FCRA Amendment Rules, 2022.



