30%
Reimbursement of Qualifying Production Expenditure incurred in India.
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India Cine Hub
India Cine Hub is the Government of India single window for foreign film shootings and the national cash reimbursement. We are the Chandigarh / Mohali desk that files the paper, codes the spend, and runs the North India unit so the claim can survive audit. We do not award the rebate. MIB / NFDC / ICH do.
What ICH is
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting set up India Cine Hub inside NFDC (it used to be called the Film Facilitation Office). It is the portal for international shoot permissions, co-production filings, and the incentive scheme. Application fee for MIB permission is the rupee equivalent of USD 225, non-refundable. Nodal officers in each state sit on the same network. The cash rebate is a post-production reimbursement against audited Qualifying Production Expenditure — not a discount at the vendor.
National cash rebate
Reimbursement of Qualifying Production Expenditure incurred in India.
If at least 15% of production manpower is Indian. Counted at final claim, not guessed at recce.
Significant Indian Content, assessed on the script / finished work by ICH evaluators.
Maximum payout per project, including bonuses. Headline 40% still stops at this ceiling.
Source: Ministry of Information & Broadcasting revised incentive guidelines (Nov 2023), administered by India Cine Hub / NFDC. Confirm the live PDF on indiacinehub.gov.in before you lock a finance plan.
Floors
| Format | Minimum QPE in India | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Live-action feature, TV / web series | ₹3 crore | Permission to shoot after 1 Apr 2022. |
| Animation, VFX, post-production only | ₹1 crore | Separate track; contract-led timeline. |
| Documentary | No minimum | MEA permission, not the MIB feature window. |
| Official treaty co-production | No minimum QCE | Indian co-producer applies. 30% of QCE, cap ₹30 cr. No extra 5%+5% stack. |
Who files
A GST-registered Indian line producer / production-services company incurs and documents the Indian spend, then files on the foreign producer’s behalf. Official co-productions are filed by the Indian co-producer.
That is the job of this desk for North India units: Chandigarh / Mohali as the GST invoice, kit and crew on the same paper, locations tagged so the audit can follow the money.
ICH shooting permission (MIB) is for feature films, reality TV and commercial TV / web series. ICH does not take ads, music videos, or documentary-style travel shows on that window. Documentaries sit with the Ministry of External Affairs. We say so before you pay the USD 225 processing fee.
Timeline
You cannot apply after you have finished filming. Interim first, or there is no rebate.
What we do
Foreign producers cannot claim ICH in their own name. A GST-registered Indian line-production desk applies. We put Chandigarh / Mohali on the invoice, keep the contract, and carry the audit file.
Interim approval before principal photography. Budget with QPE split out, crew list with Indian nationals marked, MIB permission, schedule. Miss this window and there is no rebate later.
Indian wages, Indian vendors, location and kit hire, in-country post. GST invoices where GST applies. Reconstructing this after wrap is how claims die. We tag lines in the first budget.
Rajasthan forts, Himachal roads, Punjab fields, Delhi NCR, Kashmir, Uttarakhand. We recce, lock paper, and park the kit so the days you spend here are days you can show ICH.
The extra 5% is lost if the count is sloppy. We roster local departments against the foreign unit so the percentage is real at final claim, not a hope.
State subsidies are separate circulars. We test cumulation before anyone writes a combined recovery into a bid. Same invoice is not paid twice unless the rules say so in writing.
Worked numbers
| India QPE | Base 30% | Both bonuses 40% | Hits the ₹30 cr cap? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹3 crore (floor) | ₹90 lakh | ₹1.2 crore | No |
| ₹10 crore | ₹3 crore | ₹4 crore | No |
| ₹50 crore | ₹15 crore | ₹20 crore | No |
| ₹80 crore | ₹24 crore | ₹30 crore (capped) | Yes at 40% |
North India states
You may be able to run the central ICH claim on all-India QPE and a separate state subsidy on in-state spend. Do not assume the same invoice is paid twice. We tag costs by scheme from the first budget draft.
Film Tourism Promotion Policy 2025 (to 31 Mar 2029). Feature: min 50% shoot days in state and about ₹2 cr Rajasthan spend. Web series / documentary caps ₹2 cr; TV serial ₹1.5 cr. 100% reimbursement of shooting fees up to 5 days at government-controlled monuments, where the subsidy is approved. Advertisement films are out.
If state spend exceeds ₹3 cr and locations are properly shown. Hindi / 8th Schedule: 30% of state spend or ₹3 cr. Regional dialects: 50% or ₹2 cr. Release and censor conditions apply. Confirm the current notification before the bid.
Hindi / English features: grant up to ₹2 cr if at least 50% of outdoor footage is Himachal, for makers with a track record. Dialect films: up to ₹50 lakh if 75% is shot in the state. Different paper from ICH. We run both calendars.
Policies move. J&K has its own subsidy menu including theme-based grants and hotel rebates on government properties. Delhi and Punjab sit on ICH’s state-incentive list. We pull the current circular before anyone writes a number into a production recce.
Not for the cash rebate. An Indian GST-registered line producer or production-services company files. That is us, for North India schedules. Official treaty co-productions are filed by the Indian co-producer.
No. ICH MIB permission is not for advertisements or music videos. Live-action features / series need about ₹3 crore qualifying spend in India. We will still run the recce and permits; we will not pretend the rebate track is open.
After wrap and audit. Interim is eligibility only. Final claim within 90 days of finishing India. 90% on approval, 10% after the ICH credit and a release affidavit. Budget the lag. Do not spend the rebate before it exists.
Sometimes, if both rulebooks allow it and the spend is tagged by scheme. Never assume. We confirm the current Rajasthan 2025 circular and ICH guidelines before a number goes in the recce.
No. ICH can assist the permission track; immigration sits with the producer. We handle MIB/ICH filing support, state paper, ASI, forest, drone, kit and crew from Chandigarh / Mohali.
Figures follow the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting revised incentive guidelines (November 2023) as published through India Cine Hub / NFDC. Policies and state circulars change. Confirm the live documents at indiacinehub.gov.in. North India Film Productions does not grant, guarantee or underwrite the rebate.