Electoral Bond

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Section 1: For Donor

1) What is Electoral Bond?
Electoral Bond is a bearer Banking Instrument to be used for funding eligible Political Parties. An eligible Political Party is the one registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (43 of 1951) and secured not less than one per cent of the votes polled in the last General Election to the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly.

2) What is the Validity/ Maturity of Electoral Bonds?
The Electoral Bonds shall be valid for Fifteen Days from the Date of Issue ie: An
Electoral Bond issued on 1St March 2018 will be valid upto 15thMarch 2018.

3) Can I redeem these Electoral Bonds in any Account?
No. The Electoral Bonds can be redeemed only by an eligible Political Party by
depositing the same in their Designated Bank Account maintained with Authorised
Bank.

4) Who can purchase Electoral Bonds? Who is eligible to Donate through Electoral Bonds?
The Electoral Bonds under this Scheme may be purchased by a Person, who is a
Citizen of India or Incorporated or Established in India.
The definition of “Person” includes(i) an Individual;
(ii) a Hindu Undivided Family;
(iii) a Company;
(iv) a Firm;
(v) an Association of Persons or a Body of Individuals, whether incorporated or not;
(vi) every Artificial Juridical Person, not falling within any of the preceding sub-clauses; and
(vii) any Agency, Office or Branch owned or controlled by such person.

5) At what price the Electoral Bonds are sold? What are the Denominations or Face Value of Electoral Bonds?
The Electoral Bonds shall be issued in the denomination of Rs 1000, Rs 10,000, Rs
1,00,000, Rs 10,00,000 and Rs 1,00,00,000.

6) What are the Know-Your-Customer (KYC) norms for purchase of Electoral Bonds?
The extant instructions issued by the Reserve Bank of India regarding Know Your
Customer norms of a Bank’s customer shall apply for all Applicants of the Electoral
Bonds. However, SBI as Authorised Bank may call for any additional Know Your
Customer documents, if it deems necessary.

7) What Documents I should carry for Purchasing Electoral Bonds?
In addition to Application Form and Pay-in-Slip, the Applicant should submit copy
each of Citizenship Proof and KYC documents, alongwith originals.

8) What are the Documents require for Citizenship proof?
For Individuals: Passport/Voter ID Card/Letter from National Population Register (for States of J&K, Assam and Meghalaya) to be obtained.

Non-Individuals: Certificate of Incorporation, Partnership Deed, Trust Deed, any
Document evidencing Incorporation/Establishment in India, or any other document as Bank deems fit needs to be provided.

9) What are the KYC documents required for Individuals?
Aadhaar with current address & Permanent Account Number (PAN) or Form No. 60
as defined in Income-Tax Rules, 1962.

 In case Aadhaar Number is not available with the customer, he/she shall
furnish proof of application of enrolment for Aadhaar.

 In case PAN is not available and/or Aadhaar does not have current
address, one certified copy of any one from following five Officially Valid
Documents (OVDs) to be submitted:

(i) Passport,

(ii) Driving Licence,

(iii) Voter’s Identity Card issued by Election Commission of India,

(iv) Job Card issued by NREGA duly signed by an officer of the State Govt
(v)The letter issued by the National Population Register containing details of
Name and Address.

Further, if the abovementioned OVD also does not contain current address, the
Purchaser has to provide any one document from the undernoted list of deemed
OVDs.

(i) Utility Bill which is not more than two months old of any service
provider (electricity, telephone, post-paid mobile phone, piped gas,
water bill);
(ii) Property or Municipal Tax Receipt;
(iii) Pension or Family Pension Payment Orders (PPOs) issued to retired
employees by Government Departments or Public Sector Undertakings, if they contain the address;
(iv) Letter of Allotment of accommodation from Employer issued by State
Government or Central Government Departments, Statutory or Regulatory Bodies, Public Sector Undertakings, Scheduled Commercial Banks, Financial Institutions and Listed Companies and Leave and Licence Agreements with such employers allotting official accommodation

An Individual, who is a Non-Resident Indian, or Resident of J&K / Assam /
Meghalaya or otherwise not eligible to be enrolled for an Aadhaar Number:

PAN and one certified copy of OVD for proof of address. In case the
customer submits Form 60, in place of PAN, one certified copy of an OVD
containing details of his identity of address, and one recent photograph shall
also be provided.

10) What are the applicable Officially Valid Documents (OVDs)?
i. Passport,
ii. Driving Licence,
iii. Voter’s Identity Card issued by Election Commission of India,
iv. Job Card issued by NREGA duly signed by an officer of the State Govt
v. the letter issued by the National Population Register containing details of
name, address.

11) What are the KYC documents required for Companies?
(i) Certificate of Incorporation;
(ii) Memorandum and Articles of Association;
(iii) A Resolution from the Board of Directors and Power of Attorney granted to its
managers, officers or employees to transact on its behalf;
(iv) PAN of the Company; and
(v) (a) Aadhaar Number and (b) PAN or Form 60 as defined in the Income-Tax
Rules, 1962, issued to managers, officers or employees holding an Attorney to
transact on the Company’s behalf.
(vi) Declaration of Beneficial Ownership on Specified Format
(vii) Self attested KYC documents and photograph of each Beneficial Owner.

12) What are the KYC documents required for Partnership Firm?
(i) Registration Certificate;
(ii) Partnership Deed;
(iii) PAN of the Partnership Firm;
(iv) (a) Aadhaar Number and (b) Permanent Account Number or Form 60 as defined in the Income-Tax Rules, 1962, issued to the person holding an Attorney to transact on its behalf.
(v) Declaration of Beneficial Ownership on Specified Format
(vi) Self attested KYC documents and photograph of each Beneficial Owner.

13) What are the KYC documents required for Trust?
(i) Registration Certificate
(ii) Trust Deed
(iii) PAN of the Trust
(iv) (a) Aadhaar Number and (b) Permanent Account Number or Form 60 as defined in the Income-Tax Rules, 1962, issued to the person holding an Attorney to transact on its behalf.
(v) Declaration of Beneficial Ownership on Specified Format
(vi) Self attested KYC documents and photograph of each Beneficial Owner.

14) What are the KYC documents required for Unincorporated Association or a Body of Individuals?
(i) Resolution of the Managing Body of such Association or Body of Individuals;
(ii) Power of Attorney granted to him/her to transact on its behalf;
(iii) PAN of the unincorporated Association or a Body of Individuals
(iv) (a) Aadhaar Number and (b) Permanent Account Number or Form 60 as defined
in the Income-Tax Rules, 1962, issued to the person holding an Attorney to transact
on its behalf.
(v) Declaration of Beneficial Ownership on Specified Format
(vi) Self attested KYC documents and photograph of each Beneficial Owner.

15) Whether joint holding will be allowed?
Yes. Electoral Bonds can be purchased either Singly or Jointly with other Individuals
but not more than three Applicants per Application Form. No name(s) will be printed
on the Bond.

16) I have an SBI Bank Account, Do I still need to Re-submit the KYC Documents?
Yes. KYC norms will be applicable regardless of whether the applicant is an SBI
account holder or a non-SBI account holder.

17) Can Electoral Bonds be purchased multiple times by same Applicant?
Yes. Every application will be treated as fresh request for Electoral Bonds purchase
and every time fresh KYC documents will be given.

18) Can I apply online? What are the payment options for purchasing Electoral Bonds?
Yes. Payment for Electoral Bond can be made through Cheque, DD, NEFT/RTGS or
Direct Debit to the Applicant Account. However, Applicant and Remitter must be the
same Person/Entity.
19) I am not maintaining account with any Branch of State Bank of India. How can I purchase Electoral Bond?
Purchaser not maintaining account with State Bank of India can purchase Electoral
Bond through
a. Cheque / DD drawn in favour of the Authorized SBI Branch and payable at the
local Clearing House.

Steps involved:
i. Purchaser submits the Electoral Bond Application Form alongwith pay-inslip,
Citizenship & KYC documents and Cheque/ DD at Authorized SBI
Branch. The same need to be submitted at least three working days before
the closure of the scheme, so that clear funds for issuance of Electoral
Bonds, are available with the Authorized SBI Branch. In case of payment
through DD, a confirmation letter from the DD issuance Branch on the
prescribed format should also be provided.
ii. The Cheque/ DD should be in favour of “State Bank of India A/c
Electoral Bond Scheme -2018”
iii. Once the Citizenship and KYC documents are verified the instrument will
be sent in clearing. Tear off portion of pay-in-slip will be handed over to the
Applicant.
iv. On the third working day the Purchaser/ Authorised Representative need
to visit the Branch with the tear off portion of pay-in-slip and collect the EB
from the Branch against acknowledgment.
b. Remittance of Funds through NEFT/RTGS after generating Virtual Account Number
on the pre-login screen of Online SBI site (www.onlinesbi.com)
Steps involved :
i. Purchaser visits pre-login page (home page) of Online Banking site of
State Bank of India and selects Remittance Tab of Electoral Bond.
ii. He / she keys in his/her Mobile Number. He / she selects the Branch from
where he/she proposes to take delivery of Electoral Bond. He / she also
keys in the amount in multiples of 1000.
iii. System generates an OTP that he/ she needs to validate to move to next
screen
iv. In the next screen he/ she can take a printout of the Challan where the
remittance details, i.e., Virtual Account Number, IFSC Code, Name of the
Account, Amount and Beneficiary Reference Number is printed. Based on
these information, funds can be remitted to SBI.
v. Purchaser visits his/her Bank Branch and requests for remittance of funds
through NEFT/RTGS. The same can also be done through any Bank
internet banking with the details provided in the challan.
vi. Purchaser must note down the EB Reference Number carefully for future
use.
vii. Once the funds are remitted successfully, SBI receives the same within 3
hours (based on NEFT Cycle).
viii. After three hours of remittance of funds, purchaser again visits the prelogin
site of onlinesbi for generation of receipt of remittance and the Unique
Reference Number.

ix. Purchaser keys in his / her validated Mobile Number given at the time of
generation of challan and EB Reference Number on the site.
x. He / she receives the OTP and after successful validation he /she can print
the receipt.
xi. Purchaser visits the Authorized SBI Branch with Electoral Bond Application
Form alongwith pay-in-slip, Citizenship & KYC documents, printout of the
Remittance Receipt, UTR Number along with date of payment and any
other document evidencing payment made by him/ her from his/ her
account for this purpose.
xii. After the Citizenship / KYC documents, source of Funds are verified,
Electoral Bond will be issued to him / her against acknowledgment.

20) Can Electoral Bonds be purchased through foreign currency?
No. All payment for the issuance of the Electoral Bonds will be accepted in Indian
Rupees only.

21) Can I get loan on Electoral Bonds?
No.

22) Can I pledge Electoral Bonds against purchase of gold and securities?
No.

23) Can I get the Electoral Bonds in Demat form?
No. Electoral Bonds are in physical form only.

24) Can Duplicate Electoral Bond be issued in case it is misplaced or mutilated?
No. Duplicate Electoral Bond cannot be issued under any circumstances.

25) Can I purchase Electoral Bonds from any Bank or Post Office? Are there any Designated Branches for Electoral Bonds purchase?
No. The sale of Electoral Bonds will be made available by Authorized Bank which is
State Bank of India. Presently 4 Branches of SBI, have been authorized to sell the
Electoral Bonds as under:
(i) Chennai Main Branch (00800): 84, Rajaji Salai, Chennai – 600001
(ii) Kolkata Main Branch (00001):Samriddhi Bhawan, 1, Strand Road, Kolkata – 700001
(iii) Mumbai Main Branch (00300): Horniman Circle, Fort, Mumbai – 400001
(iv) New Delhi Main Branch (00691) : 11, Parliament Street, New Delhi – 110 001.

26) In case of change of decision to purchase Electoral Bond, how refund can be
effected to the Purchaser?
Once the Electoral Bond is purchased it cannot be cancelled and no amount will be
refunded to the Purchaser.
27) Can I buy Electoral Bonds in the name of my Family Members?
No. Applicant and Remitter to be the same Person/Entity.

28) Are the Electoral Bonds Tradable? Can I trade the Electoral Bonds on
Exchange Houses?
No. Electoral Bonds shall not be eligible for Trading.
29) Are Electoral Bonds Listed?
No. Electoral Bonds are not listed on any Stock Exchange.
30) What is the minimum and maximum limit for Donation?
The minimum amount for donation in Electoral Bonds is Rs 1000. There is no
maximum limit for Donation.
31) Is it necessary for me to apply only through SBI?
Yes, SBI is the Sole Authorized Bank by the Government of India for selling Electoral
Bonds. Customers of Other Banks can also purchase Electoral Bonds via different
payment channels provided to them.
32) If funds are remitted Online, am I assured to get allotment of Electoral Bonds?
When the Electoral Bonds Holding Certificate will be issued?
Electoral Bonds can be allotted provided the remittance is received in Authorized
Bank Account at SBI within the stipulated time frame. Electoral Bonds can be
collected upon submission of the Application Form alongwith Pay-in-Slip and other
mandatory documents from the Authorized Branches of SBI within the sale period.
33) Can I use Electoral Bonds as collateral for loans?
No.
34) In case of any clarification on Electoral Bonds, whom and where should the
Donor/ Applicant/ Buyers approach?
They can visit the Designated SBI Branches for any further assistance.
35) Whether Nomination Facility is available for Electoral Bonds?
No such facility is available.
36) Who is the owner of Electoral Bond?
Electoral Bonds are Bearer Banking Instruments. The Bonafide holder of Electoral
Bonds is the owner of the same.
37) What do I have to do if I want to exit my Donation? Can I Cancel the
transaction?
No. Electoral Bonds once issued cannot be cancelled/ refunded.
38) Can Electoral Bonds be issued in Tranches?
No.
10
39) Can other Bank DD/Cheques be accepted for issuance of Electoral Bonds?
Yes. Cheque should be drawn in favor of “State Bank of India A/c Electoral Bond
Scheme 2018” and clear funds must be realized by Designated Branch of SBI within
the sale period window. Clearing cheque should be deposited in Designated SBI
Branches at least 3 working days before closure of Electoral Bond sale period.
40) Where can Donor get the Application Form, Pay-in-Slip and related stationary?
Application Form is available at all Designated SBI Branches. Soft copy can be
downloaded from pre login page https://www.onlinesbi.com
41) Is 3rd party issuance permitted?
No. Applicant and Remitter must be the same person/entity.
42) I have remitted the money online. How can I receive the Electoral Bond?
Applicant/ Remitter has to physically submit the Electoral Bond Application Form
along with other documents to Authorized SBI Branch which is selected at the time of
remittance through INB, RTGS/NEFT.
43) Under what circumstances Electoral Bond money will be refunded?
Before the issuance of Electoral Bond money can be refunded to the applicant if
 Applicant/ Remitter is unable to fulfill KYC guidelines
 Applicant/ Remitter could not reach Designated SBI Branch within the sale
period time for collection.
 Clear funds not received before the closure of Electoral Bond sale period.
44) Customer copy of Pay in Slip for Cheque deposited in Clearing is lost by the
Purchaser. How the Electoral Bond can be issued to him?
If at the time of issue of Electoral Bonds, the Customer Copy of Pay in Slip is lost by
the Donor, the Donor should get a Letter of Authority (covering the details of the
transaction) from the Originating Bank on Bank’s Letter Head stamped and signed by
Branch Manager of his/ her Bank’s Branch.
However, Issuance of Electoral Bonds on the basis of the “Letter of Authority” will be
at the sole discretion of the concerned Authorized SBI Branch.
45) Can I use more than one Instrument with one Electoral Bond Application
Form?
No. On single set Documents i.e. Electoral Bond Application Form, KYC Documents,
Citizenship Documents and Pay-in slip for purchase of Electoral Bonds, Donor can
use only one Instrument.
In case Donor desires to use another Instrument, he/she has to submit another set of
documents i.e. Electoral Bond Application Form, KYC Documents, Citizenship
Documents and Pay-in slip to the Authorized SBI Branch.
11
46) Can I remit funds through Electronic mode (NEFT/RTGS/SBI Internet Banking)
more than once for the purchase of Electoral Bond on single set of Documents i.e.
Electoral Bond Application Form, KYC Documents, Citizenship Documents and Pay-in slip?
No. On a single set of Documents i.e. Electoral Bond Application Form, KYC Documents,
Citizenship Documents and Pay-in Slip for purchase of Electoral Bonds, Donor should remit
funds in a single instance thereby generating one transaction reference number on the
payment receipt.
In case Donor desires to remit funds again, he/she has to submit another set of documents
i.e. Electoral Bond Application Form, KYC Documents, Citizenship Documents, print-out of
payment receipt and pay-in slip to the Authorized SBI Branch.

47) Can I purchase Electoral Bond on 10th day (last day of sale window) if it is a Bank
Holiday?
No. In such cases the Electoral Bond should be purchased on the working day prior to the
Bank Holiday(s).
48) What are the steps to be followed in case I am remitting the Funds through SBI
INB?
Purchaser can initiate purchase of Electoral Bonds from https://www.onlinesbi.com/ by
selecting the Electoral Bonds tab. This tab will only be active during the notified Sale Period
of Electoral Bonds.
Purchaser will select the State/UT and the Branch (within that State/UT) from where he / she
wants to purchase the Electoral Bond.
Purchaser will input the amount of purchase (in multiples of 1000).
Purchaser must enter a valid 10-digit mobile number on which he/she will receive an OTP
that must be entered to proceed further. This mobile number will be used to provide any
further information to the Purchaser and also to retrieve the payment receipt later
On submission of the OTP, customer will be redirected to the payments screen where two
options will be available to make the payment: (i) SBI Internet Banking (ii) RTGS/NEFT
(Other Bank).
12
On selection of SBI Internet Banking:
(a) Customer will be redirected to the INB merchant login page, where he / she has
to login using his / her SBI INB credentials.
(b) On successful transaction, two reference numbers will be generated viz.
i. 10 digit EB reference No.
ii. INB Reference No.
Both the reference numbers will be sent to customer’s registered Mobile No.
with SBI INB. Customer is required to note down both the reference numbers
for future use.
(c) Receipt printing option will appear to the customer. This Payment Receipt will
contain the following fields (i) Date of Electronic Payment (ii) INB Reference
Number (iii) Amount (iv) Selected Branch code.
(d) Purchaser must print a copy of electronic payment receipt from the tab named
“Print/Reprint Receipt”. Customer will be prompted to enter the following fields (i)
Mobile No. used in the application page and (ii) EB Reference No. On
submission, INB system will validate Mobile No. with EB Reference No. on
validation he/she will be able to generate/reprint the receipt.
(e) For collection of Physical Electoral Bond Purchaser should present the Payment
Receipt, Application Form, KYC Documents, Citizenship Documents, Pay-in-Slip
and copy of Bank Account Statement evidencing payment made for purchase of
Electoral Bond.
13

Section 2 : For Political Parties

1. Who is eligible to open Current Account for Redemption of Electoral Bonds?
Only Political Parties registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the
People Act, 1951 (43 of 1951) and secured not less than one per cent of the votes
polled in the last General Election to the House of the People or the Legislative
Assembly.

2. What are the documents required from a Political Party for opening a Current
Account under this scheme?
1. Resolution of the Managing Body of such Political Party
2. Power of Attorney (PoA) granted to any individual(s) to transact on its behalf
3. PAN of the Political Party
4. (a) Aadhaar Number and (b) Permanent Account Number on Form 60 issued to
person holding POA on its behalf or where an Aadhaar Number has not been
assigned, proof of Application towards enrollment for Aadhaar and in case PAN is
not submitted an Officially Valid Document shall be submitted.
5. Declaration of Beneficial Ownership on Specified Format.
6. Self attested KYC documents and photograph of each Beneficial Owner.
7. Self-declaration by a Political Party that they are eligible to receive the proceeds
of Electoral Bonds as per Para 3(3) of the Gazette Notification No 20 dated 2nd
January 2018.
8. Any such information, as may be required by the Bank, to collectively establish
the legal existence of such an Association or Body of Individuals.

3. Can Political Party open more than one Current Account for Electoral Bond
redemption?
No.
4. For redemption of Electoral Bond, can a Political Party open Current Account
with any Bank?
No. The Current Account will be opened only in the presently 4 Authorized SBI
Branches as under :
(i) Chennai Main Branch (00800): 84, Rajaji Salai, Chennai – 600001
(ii) Kolkata Main Branch (00001):Samriddhi Bhawan, 1, Strand Road, Kolkata –
700001
(iii) Mumbai Main Branch (00300): Horniman Circle, Fort, Mumbai – 400001
(iv) New Delhi Main Branch (00691) : 11, Parliament Street, New Delhi – 110 001.
Existing Current Account of Political Party at Authorized SBI Branches can also be
used after being amended with new product code.
14
5. Can the Political Parties get Cash from the Bank for redemption of Electoral
Bonds?
No. Cash Payment cannot be provided against Electoral Bonds under any
circumstances.
6. After opening of Current Account, What if the Political Party is unable to
secure less than one per cent of the votes polled in the next Election?
If the Political Party becomes de-notified before the next issuance of Electoral Bonds,
then Bank will change the product code of their account to a regular Current Account
code, so that Electoral Bonds cannot be deposited in the account.
7. What Documents are required for opening of Current Account of Political Party
for redemption of Electoral Bonds?
Documents required/applicable for opening of a Current Account of the Political Party
will be as per standard Bank guidelines. A certificate from Election Commission of
India is also required confirming that Political Party registered under Section 29A of
the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (43 of 1951) and has secured not less
than one per cent of the votes polled in the last General Election to the House of the
People or the Legislative Assembly, as the case may be.
8. Can a Political party use this Current Account for other operations also?
Yes.
9. Can Electoral Bonds be encashed in the Current Account after the validity
period?
No. Amount of Electoral Bonds cannot be encashed after the validity period of fifteen
days from the date of purchase.
10. What is the rate of interest payable on Electoral Bonds?
No Interest is payable on Electoral Bonds under this Scheme.
11. Can Political Party close this Current Account after the election?
The account can be continued for normal Banking operations. However, if required
the account can be closed at any point of time by the Political Party.
12. Can Political Party transfer the Electoral Bond Current Account to any SBI
Branch?
Yes, provided the Transferee Branch is among the presently 4 Authorized SBI
Branches as under:
(i) Chennai Main Branch (00800): 84, Rajaji Salai, Chennai – 600001
(ii) Kolkata Main Branch (00001): Samriddhi Bhawan, 1, Strand Road, Kolkata –
700001
(iii) Mumbai Main Branch (00300): Horniman Circle, Fort, Mumbai – 400001
(iv) New Delhi Main Branch (00691) : 11, Parliament Street, New Delhi – 110 001.

13. If Political Party has no Account in Designated SBI Branches, Can they encash
the Electoral Bond in other Account?
No. Electoral Bond can be encashed by eligible Political Party only through a Bank
account maintained with Designated SBI Branch.
14. Existing Account of Political Parties can be used for depositing the proceeds
of Electoral Bond?
Yes. The Existing Account can also be designated by Political Party However only
one Account of the Eligible Political Party can be designated for receiving funds from
Electoral Bonds.
15. Who can encash Electoral Bonds?
The Electoral Bonds can be encashed only by the eligible Political Party who fulfills
the eligibility criteria as per Gazette Notification No 20 dated 02.01.2018.
16. How the Electoral Bond Funds are transferred to Political Parties?
Political Parties need to fill up the Redemption Slip and deposit the same along with
Electoral Bonds for redemption only in the presently 4 Authorized SBI Branches
within the stipulated period of Fifteen Days from the date of issuance of the Electoral
Bond.
17. What is Electoral Bond Redemption Slip?
Redemption Slip is the mandatory document which has to be filled up and attached
with Electoral Bonds at the time of Redemption by Political Parties which will be
available in all the presently 4 Authorized SBI Branches.
18. Does a Political Party get any Tax Benefit?
No. The face value of the Electoral Bond shall be counted as income by way of
voluntary contributions received by an eligible Political Party, for the purpose of
exemption from Income-Tax under Section 13A of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
19. Can the Political Party get Cash from the Bank in exchange of Electoral
Bonds?
No Cash Payment is permitted for Electoral Bonds under any circumstances.
20. In case the last day of validity of Electoral Bond falls on Bank Holiday, can
Political Party redeem the Electoral Bond on Bank Holiday(s)?
No. In such cases the Electoral Bond should be presented for payment on the
working day(s) prior to Bank Holiday(s).