India Cine Hub: NFDC's Single-Window Portal for Film Shooting Permits

The India Cine Hub (ICH) is a single-window digital portal that lets Indian and foreign filmmakers apply for shooting permits, film visas and co-production approvals in one place. It is run by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. A PIB backgrounder on 22 September 2026 explains how it works and why it matters.

The problem it solves

Shooting a film across India once meant separate applications to each State, police clearances and permissions from forest, monument or aviation authorities. The ICH pulls these into one central system, integrating State-level portals and providing a common form for States that have no online process. The aim is ease of doing business and making India a preferred filming destination.

What the portal offers

• One application window for domestic and international creators seeking filming permission.
• Help for foreign crews in obtaining a Film Visa.
• Processing of co-production applications under India's treaties, with guidelines.
• Guidance on aerial filming, filming with animals, and shooting in forests and at monuments.
• A GIS-based directory of locations, permit authorities and India's filming hubs.
• An extension to live event permissions as the digital backbone of the Live Events Development Cell, with 9 premier venues already onboarded.

Why filming in India matters

India's film, television and online content sector earned USD 13.1 billion in FY 2024, up 18 per cent since 2019, and is expected to reach about USD 17.5–19.7 billion by FY 2029. The country's production hubs employ over 1.6 lakh people, with three established film cities: Film City, Mumbai (Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari, set up in 1977 and renamed in 2001), Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad (1996, certified by Guinness World Records as the world's largest film studio complex) and Noida Film City.

About NFDC

Established in 1975 to promote Indian cinema, NFDC has over time absorbed the Film Finance Corporation, the Indian Motion Picture Export Corporation and, after a 2020 government decision, the Films Division, the Directorate of Film Festivals, the National Film Archive of India and the Children's Film Society. It co-produces films, provides line production for foreign shoots, and hosts Film Bazaar alongside the International Film Festival of India in Goa.