Unofficial guide — not affiliated with the Government of India or any state government. For official services visit the National Food Security Act portal .

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How to apply for a ration card online in 2026

नया राशन कार्ड कैसे बनाएं और ऑनलाइन अप्लाई कैसे करें

Last reviewed: 11 November 2026

There is no all-India “new ration card” button. The NFSA apply page says identification of AAY and PHH households is done by the state or UT, and it points people to state food portals. “Ration card kaise banaye” therefore starts with picking the state, not with a form on this guide.

Steps

  1. Read who qualifies and which papers are commonly asked. Do not buy a certificate until the state form marks it mandatory.
  2. Open the official apply link from the state directory. If you are in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, or West Bengal, the three guides linked below name the host.
  3. Fill the application on that site for every member who should be on the card. The head of household for an NFSA card is the eldest woman aged 18 or above, where the Act’s rule applies.
  4. Upload only what that page lists, including any file-size limit it shows.
  5. Submit and save the acknowledgement or application number. That number is how you check status.
  6. When the state approves the card, complete e-KYC the way that state describes, then download from the same portal.

Fees, if a state charges one, are printed on its portal or at the authorised Common Service Centre. Pay only that amount and take a receipt. Anyone who asks for a ration card number, Aadhaar, or OTP on a non-government site is not the application.

Three states people ask about first

Bihar. Apply on rconline.bihar.gov.in, sfc.bihar.gov.in, or epds.bihar.gov.in. Do not apply on epds.biharportal.com. That address is not the Bihar government. The steps are on the Bihar guide.

Uttar Pradesh. The NFSA profile does not publish a single public URL that says “apply here” in the way Punjab’s does. The department site is fcs.up.gov.in. People also file through the tehsil or block supply office, and in many districts a Jan Seva Kendra submits the state’s own form. Confirm the current channel on the department site before you pay a kendra. UP guide.

West Bengal. The food department lists a new-family application on food.wb.gov.in. WBPDS is wbpds.wb.gov.in. West Bengal’s form numbers are local. They are not the form numbers of other states. West Bengal guide.

Punjab publishes its own application on eRCMS. If that form is unavailable, use the department page at foodsuppb.gov.in rather than a private site.

A new card is the wrong tool if you only moved for work and your home-state NFSA card is still active. Read One Nation One Ration Card before you surrender anything.

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

New ration card kaise banaye?

Apply on your state or UT food department portal. The NFSA page nfsa.gov.in/portal/apply_ration_card says the state identifies households and issues AAY and PHH cards. Keep the acknowledgement number.

राशन कार्ड कैसे बनाएं?

State portal kholen, naya ration card chunen, documents usi site par lagayein, aur acknowledgement save karein. Is guide par koi form nahi hai.

नया राशन कार्ड ऑनलाइन अप्लाई कैसे करें?

Online means the state RCMS or the CSC or office that the state itself has authorised. A website that is not .gov.in or .nic.in cannot submit the application to the department.

नया राशन कार्ड बनाने के लिए क्या करना पड़ता है?

Check that you are not already on a card, read the state eligibility rules, collect the documents that state lists, submit the application on the official portal, then track it with the acknowledgement.

नया राशन कार्ड चालू कैसे करें?

After approval, states usually require e-KYC of the members before the shop will issue grain. Do e-KYC at the fair price shop or on the state channel. Activation is not a button on this site.

Is there a last date in 2026?

Any last date is set by your state and can change. This page does not give one. Read the notice on your state portal.

Sources checked for this page

  1. NFSA — Apply for ration card
  2. Punjab eRCMS public application
  3. Bihar ration card online
  4. West Bengal Food Department