Documents required in Bihar
- Family photo
- Photo of the applicant's signature
- One merged, self-attested PDF holding the bank passbook front page, proof of residence, and the Aadhaar of every member
- Income certificate, uploaded as its own file
- Caste certificate, uploaded as its own file — required for anyone not in the general category (only if it applies to you)
Bihar takes five uploads. Everything except the income and caste certificates must be scanned and merged into a single file, and every document must be self-attested by the applicant and the members. Three things catch people out: your registration name must match Aadhaar and is entered in both English and Hindi, the rural-or-urban choice is made once and cannot be changed, and nothing can be edited after final submission.
How to apply in Bihar
Bihar is fully self-service online. You register on the state's own ration card portal, log in, add the applicant's details, add each member, upload the documents and submit. You must complete the final submission within 30 days of starting the application, and once submitted nothing can be changed, added or deleted.
Bihar's official food department portal →
What you get, and what it costs
How much grain you get depends on the card, not the state. An Antyodaya (AAY) household gets 35 kg a month for the whole household. A Priority Household (PHH) gets 5 kg per person per month, so the total depends on how many members are on the card.
It costs nothing. Foodgrains under the National Food Security Act have been free since 1 January 2023, and the free period was extended for five years from 1 January 2024.
Common questions
What documents are needed for a ration card in Bihar?
For a new ration card in Bihar: Family photo; Photo of the applicant's signature; One merged, self-attested PDF holding the bank passbook front page, proof of residence, and the Aadhaar of every member; Income certificate, uploaded as its own file; Caste certificate, uploaded as its own file — required for anyone not in the general category. This is the list Bihar's own department publishes — other states ask for different things.
How much does ration cost under the National Food Security Act?
Nothing. Grain has been free to Antyodaya and Priority Household beneficiaries since 1 January 2023, and the free period was extended for five years from 1 January 2024. The ₹3 a kg for rice, ₹2 for wheat and ₹1 for coarse grains quoted on most websites are Schedule I prices, which the Act guaranteed only for three years from its commencement in 2013.
Whose name is the ration card issued in?
The eldest woman of the household who is 18 or older is the head of the household for the purpose of issuing the card. If the household has no woman aged 18 or above, the eldest male member is the head — and when a female member turns 18, she becomes the head in his place.
How do you apply for a ration card in Bihar?
Bihar is fully self-service online. You register on the state's own ration card portal, log in, add the applicant's details, add each member, upload the documents and submit. You must complete the final submission within 30 days of starting the application, and once submitted nothing can be changed, added or deleted.
Checked against the state's own portal, form or gazette on 2026-08-11. State rules change — confirm on the official portal before you apply.