Society Registration: List of Documents Required

A society is formed when a group of people comes together for a common purpose or a charitable cause. A minimum of seven people is required to form a society. And these societies are governed by the ‘Societies Act, 1860’. The rules and regulations for these may slightly differ from State to State.

Objects of a Society

The societies formed need to have the object of charitable causes for it to be legally recognised and registered under the Societies Act. These societies should be formed for the promotion of the following charitable causes:

• Science
• Literature
• Performing fine Arts
• Maintenance of Libraries
• Military orphan funds
• Knowledge
• Maintenance of Museums and galleries
• Grant for charitable assistance
• Any other cause as may be approved by the Government

Documents Required for Society Registration in India

Following are the documents required for the Society Registration in India:

PAN Card 

PAN Card of all the members of the proposed society has to be submitted along with the application.

Residence Proof 

The residence proof of all the members of the society also has to be submitted. The following can be used as a valid residence proof:

• Bank Statement
• Aadhaar Card
• Utility Bill
• Driving License
• Passport

Memorandum of Association 

The Memorandum of Association of the society has to be prepared which will contain the following clauses and information:

• The work and the objectives of the society for which it is being established
• The details of the members forming the society
• It will contain the address of the registered office of the society

Rules and Regulations of the Society

The Rules and Regulations of the Society also have to be prepared which will contain the following information:

• Rules and regulations by which the working of the society will be governed and the maintenance of day to day activities
• It will contain the rules for taking the membership of the society
• The details about the meetings of the society and the frequency with which they are going to be held also to be mentioned
• Information about the Auditors
• Forms of Arbitration in case of any dispute between the members of the society
• Ways for the dissolution of the society will also be mentioned

Once the rules have been formed, they can be changed but the new set of rules will be signed by the President, Chairman, Vice President and the Secretary of the Society.

Covering Letter 

A covering letter mentioning the objective or the purpose for which the society is being formed will be annexed to the beginning of the application. It will be signed by all the founding members of the society.

Proof of Address

A copy of the proof of address where the registered office of the society will be located along with an NOC from the landlord if any has to be attached.

List of all Members

A list of all the members of the governing body has to be given along with their signatures.

Declaration

A declaration  has to be given by the president of the proposed society that he is willing and competent to hold the said post.

All the above documents have to be submitted to the Registrar of Societies along with the requisite fees in 2 copies. On receiving the application, the registrar will sign the first copy as acknowledgement and return it while keeping the second copy for approval. On proper vetting of the documents, the registrar will issue an Incorporation Certificate by allotting a registration number to it.  

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