You can file an FIR at any police station in India, free of charge, and you do not have to go to the station where the offence took place. Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 says information about a cognizable offence may be given orally or by electronic communication, irrespective of the area where the offence was committed. That single line is what makes the Zero FIR and the online complaint possible.
What you need before you start
Carry your own identity proof and a written complaint that sets out the date, time and place of the incident and what happened, in order. Add the names and addresses of the accused if you know them, the names of witnesses, and any evidence you already have, such as photographs, medical papers, bills or screenshots. Keep a spare copy of the complaint for yourself.
Step by step
- Go to the nearest police station, or send the information by electronic communication, or use your state police citizen portal through the Digital Police Portal at digitalpolice.gov.in.
- Give your information to the officer in charge and ask that it be recorded as an FIR.
- If you sent it electronically, go to the station and sign the recorded information within three days. Section 173(1) makes this signature necessary.
- Read the recorded FIR carefully, or ask for it to be read to you, and get every error corrected before you sign.
- Collect your free copy of the FIR along with the FIR number and the investigating officer’s name.
- If the offence carries three to seven years of imprisonment, the officer may first run a preliminary enquiry under Section 173(3) with permission of an officer not below Deputy Superintendent of Police rank. That enquiry has to be finished in 14 days.
- Follow up with the investigating officer and keep a written record of every visit and call.
Fees and timelines
There is no fee at any stage. Registration is meant to be immediate once the information discloses a cognizable offence. Where a preliminary enquiry is permitted, it must be completed within fourteen days. Under the new criminal laws, investigations into offences against women and children are to be completed within two months of recording the information, and documents are to be supplied to the victim and the accused within fourteen days.
What to do if it goes wrong
If the station officer refuses to record your information, do not argue and leave. Write the same complaint out again and send it by registered post to the Superintendent of Police of the district. The SP must either investigate the matter or direct a subordinate officer to do so. Keep the postal receipt.
If the Superintendent of Police also does nothing, make an application to the jurisdictional Magistrate. Under Section 175(3) of the BNSS the Magistrate can order an investigation. Attach copies of your earlier complaints and the postal receipts, because they prove the dates on which you first reported the matter. If a police officer demands money to register the FIR, that is a separate offence and should be reported to the Superintendent of Police in writing.