Central Board of Film Certification

What Central Board of Film Certification does

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is the statutory body of the Government of India responsible for certifying films for public exhibition, established in 1952 under the Cinematograph Act, 1952. Operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, CBFC serves every film producer, production house, and OTT platform seeking to publicly distribute content in India. It delivers its mandate through 9 regional offices anchored at Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Cuttack, and Guwahati, covering all Indian states and union territories.

CBFC's core technology is the e-Cinepramaan online certification portal, which digitises registration, application submission, online verification of modifications, QR code issuance, and documentary compliance. The body issues U, UA (sub-categorised UA 7+, UA 13+, UA 16+), A, and S classification certificates under Section 5B of the Cinematograph Act, which prohibits public exhibition without CBFC clearance. CBFC also produces anti-smoking health advisory videos in 18 Indian languages for mandatory cinema exhibition and operates a mobile app (e-Cine App) on iOS and Android.

The organisation is funded entirely through Government of India annual budget allocations rather than commercial revenue or external investment. Certification fees are structured per the Cinematograph Act and Rule 36 amendments and vary by film format (celluloid vs. video) and length, calculated via a publicly available Fees Calculator. The current Chairman, Shashi Shekhar Vempati (appointed May 2026), leads the board alongside CEO Rajendra Singh and a panel of board members drawn from cinema, theatre, and social activism.

Name

Central Board of Film Certification

Legal name

Central Board of Film Certification

Website

https://cbfcindia.gov.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Central Board of Film Certification is India's statutory film certification body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, certifying every film for public exhibition in India through nine regional offices and the e-Cinepramaan online portal under the Cinematograph Act, 1952.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mumbai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Core offering

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is India's statutory body responsible for certifying films for public exhibition under the Cinematograph Act, 1952. It examines submitted films, assigns age-based category ratings (U, UA 7+, UA 13+, UA 16+, A, S), recommends modifications where necessary, and issues certificates required before theatrical, OTT, or home video release in India. Certification processing is delivered through the e-Cinepramaan online portal and a network of 9 regional offices across India.

Product overview

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is India's statutory film certification body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, operating under the Cinematograph Act, 1952. The organization offers its core certification service through the e-Cinepramaan online portal for digital film submissions, supplemented by in-person regional office processing. CBFC also provides mandatory health advisory videos (anti-smoking content) in multiple Indian languages for cinema exhibition compliance. The portfolio consists of the e-Cinepramaan online certification system, statutory film certification services across 9 regional offices, and regulatory health advisory video content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• e-Cinepramaan Online Certification System The CBFC e-Cinepramaan portal is the official online platform enabling film producers to submit films for CBFC certification digitally, replacing legacy paper-based processes. It supports end-to-end online registration, application submission, online verification of recommended modifications, QR code issuance on certified films, and documentary compliance processing. Available via web and mobile applications on Android and iOS.
• Film Certification Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Average film certification time improved to 18 working days under online system vs. prescribed limit of 48 working days

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Motion Picture Association (MPA): US industry body representing major studios and administering the CARA/MPAA film rating system. Although private industry-led rather than governmental, MPA performs analogous content classification for theatrical release and operates comparable age-rating frameworks to CBFC.

Regional players

• Singapore Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA): Singapore's statutory media regulator classifying films, broadcast, and digital content for public consumption. Comparable statutory film classification mandate with broader communications regulatory scope than CBFC.
• Korean Film Council (KOFIC): South Korea's quasi-governmental film industry body handling film ratings, policy and promotion. Comparable regulatory function within Asian cinema context, though KOFIC combines industry promotion with classification duties — broader scope than CBFC's pure certification focus.
• China Film Administration (CFA): China's central government agency regulating film production, distribution and exhibition. Comparable in regulatory monopoly over film exhibition, though CFA's scope extends far beyond CBFC's certification-only mandate.

Others

• National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) India: India's central public-sector film production, distribution and development body under the same Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Sister entity to CBFC — comparable government parent but different mandate (production/development vs. certification).

Direct peers

• Office of Film and Literature Classification (New Zealand): New Zealand's statutory classification body for films and other publications. Performs age rating, restriction, and content review for public exhibition — directly analogous function to CBFC.
• Irish Film Classification Office (IFCO): Ireland's national film classification body issuing cinema certificates with age ratings. Performs statutory film certification for public exhibition — closely aligned mandate and operational model to CBFC.
• Australian Classification Board: Australia's statutory body classifying films, computer games and publications for public exhibition. Directly comparable to CBFC in function (rating, restricting, refusing classification), regulatory authority, and national scope.
• British Board of Film Classification (BBFC): The UK's statutory film classification body, classifying films for cinema, video, and streaming release. Closest functional peer to CBFC — performs film age-rating, content modification, and certification for public exhibition under government mandate.
• Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft (FSK): Germany's self-regulatory film classification body under state media authority oversight. Issues age ratings for cinema, video, and streaming — comparable statutory function with similar regulatory structure to CBFC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/central-board-of-film-certification---india

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Central Board of Film Certification