How to File a Zero FIR (and e-FIR) Under the BNSS (2026)

How-to · BNSS Procedure · FIR

Updated for 2026 · Claw Editorial

A cognizable offence has happened, but the nearest police station tells you it is not their area, so they cannot register your FIR. That refusal is wrong, and it costs victims precious time. A Zero FIR means any police station must register the FIR first, whatever the jurisdiction, and then send it to the correct station. This guide explains how to file a Zero FIR and an electronic FIR (e-FIR) under Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), which replaced Section 154 of the old Code of Criminal Procedure. It covers when registration is compulsory, how the case is transferred, how an e-FIR is signed, and what to do if the police refuse. Last verified October 2026.

01Why Zero FIR exists

In a serious crime, the first hour matters. Sending a victim away because the offence took place in another police station’s area delays the investigation, loses evidence, and adds to the trauma, especially in cases of assault or offences against women.

The Zero FIR removes that excuse. Any police station must register the FIR for a cognizable offence, even if the crime happened elsewhere. It is called a Zero FIR because it is first numbered zero at the registering station, and gets a regular number once it reaches the station that actually has jurisdiction.

02What Section 173 BNSS is

Section 173 of the BNSS governs the registration of information about a cognizable offence, which is the First Information Report. It is the BNSS counterpart of Section 154 of the old Code of Criminal Procedure, and it now gives statutory recognition to both the Zero FIR and the electronic FIR.

For the FIR in general, see FIR under Section 173 BNSS and the older Section 154 CrPC explainer.

03Zero FIR, explained

A Zero FIR is an FIR registered by a police station for a cognizable offence even though the offence was not committed in its territorial area. The registering station records the information, numbers it zero, and then transfers the papers to the police station that has jurisdiction, where it is given a proper FIR number and investigated.

The point is simple: you should be able to walk into any police station and have your complaint of a cognizable offence recorded at once, without being sent from place to place.

04e-FIR, explained

Section 173 allows information about a cognizable offence to be given by electronic communication, which is the basis of the e-FIR. This lets a person report a crime online, without first walking into the police station.

There is an important step to make it valid. Where information is given electronically, it has to be signed by the person giving it within three days, so an e-FIR is generally taken on record once the informant signs it at the police station within that time.

05The step-by-step process

1. Go to any police station, or use the state portal. For a cognizable offence you can approach the nearest station, or report electronically where the state allows it.
2. Give the information clearly. State what happened, when, where, and who was involved, with any detail you have. If it is given orally, the officer must reduce it to writing.
3. Insist it is recorded as a Zero FIR if jurisdiction is elsewhere. If the offence took place in another area, the station must still register it as a Zero FIR and then transfer it.
4. Read it, then sign. The information is read over to you. For an electronic report, you sign within three days to make it valid.
5. Take the free copy. You are entitled to a copy of the FIR free of cost. Keep it; it carries the FIR number and sections.
6. Follow the transfer. A Zero FIR is sent to the station with jurisdiction, where it gets its regular number. Note both the zero number and the final number.

06If the police refuse

If a station refuses to register your FIR for a cognizable offence, you have a clear remedy. You can send the information in writing, by post, to the Superintendent of Police. If the Superintendent is satisfied that it discloses a cognizable offence, they will order registration, or investigate it themselves or through a subordinate.

Beyond that, you can approach the Magistrate to direct an investigation. See the power to direct investigation (Section 156(3) CrPC and its BNSS equivalent) for how that works.

07Common pitfalls

• Accepting a refusal on jurisdiction. No station can refuse a cognizable offence on the ground that it happened elsewhere. That is exactly what a Zero FIR is for.
• Forgetting to sign an e-FIR. An electronic report usually must be signed within three days, or it may not be taken on record.
• Not collecting the free copy. Always take your free copy of the FIR; you need the number for everything that follows.
• Confusing a cognizable and a non-cognizable offence. The compulsory registration applies to cognizable offences. For a non-cognizable one, the station enters it in a register and you may need the Magistrate’s order to investigate.
• Losing track of the transfer. After transfer, the case gets a new number at the jurisdictional station; follow it so you do not lose the thread.

To report certain matters online directly, see how to file an FIR online.

08Where Claw fits

Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.

A Zero FIR is only the start. The matter soon gets its regular number at the jurisdictional station and then travels to a court, which is where it has to be watched, and that is where Claw comes in. Once the case is before a court you can follow it, its orders and its hearings by party or advocate name across 9,102 courts, benches and forums, and you can read how judges have treated Zero FIR and registration disputes by searching 30 crore+ judgments in under 5 seconds, drawing on Supreme Court rulings from 1950 and High Court rulings from 1990. Checking case status on eCourts shows one way to follow a case.

Claw does not register the FIR for you and does not replace legal advice; it finds the law quickly, keeps the matter tracked once it reaches a court, and does not use customer case documents to train AI models. Sign up for a free Claw account to search registration precedent and track the case by party or advocate name.

09Sources and further reading

• India Code (official text of the BNSS): indiacode.nic.in
• Ministry of Home Affairs (new criminal laws): mha.gov.in
• Supreme Court of India (judgments): sci.gov.in
• Claw: clawlaw.in

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Registration rules and state e-FIR portals change, so check Section 173 BNSS and your state’s procedure on the day you file, and take advice from counsel where needed.

10Frequently asked questions