Skip to the content
AuthorKit

ISBN in India

How an author in India applies to the national agency for an ISBN, and how that fits with KDP's free ISBN.

This guide is a draft pending clarification from the RRRNA.

Getting one from RRRNA

India's ISBN agency is the Raja Rammohun Roy National Agency for ISBN (RRRNA). Its About Us page says: "in India ISBN is provided free of cost", and its FAQ answers "Fees/costs for obtaining an ISBN from RRRNA?" with "Currently it is free." Its FAQ also says the agency "is the only source authorized to assign ISBNs to publishers supplying an address in India."

RRRNA publishes a "How to Apply" guide for each applicant category. For an author publishing their own work, the category is "Self Published by Author": "an individual who independently publishes their work without the involvement of an established third-party publisher." The guide lists these steps. You can find it on isbn.gov.in: on the home page, open the "How to Apply" menu and choose the entry "Self Published by Author" (the portal dates its documents 17/09/2026). If a link on this page stops working, look for the document title on isbn.gov.in.

  1. Pre-registration. Register as an applicant on isbn.gov.in and choose the category Self Published by Author. The guide shows this step as a screenshot.
  2. Login. Log in to the applicant account. The guide shows this step as a screenshot.
  3. Post-registration. Enter your basic details and upload the documents. RRRNA's guide labels the documents "PAN Card of Administrator" and "Address Proof of Self Published Author". Its screenshot of the form reads "PAN Card of Applicant", and the FAQ says the required documents "can be seen when choosing Applicant and Publisher type while registering in the Portal". Check the list there. The guide says: "Normally, the verification and approval process for ISBN Registration usually spans 2 to 3 working days." If the registration is rejected, you log in again and update the information based on the reasons given.
  4. ISBN request. Under "My Application", start a "New Application". The application shows an Application Reference Number once submitted, and the guide says "no alterations can be made under any circumstances" after that. Category allotment "usually takes approximately 1 to 2 working days."
  5. Add book details. Add the title details, then submit them to RRRNA. The title and author names fill in automatically; you complete the rest of the form.
  6. ISBN issuance. For the whole process, RRRNA's FAQ says: "Normally it will take 7 to 9 working days for the Issuance of ISBN from the Date of Registration, but also it depends on the number of Applications received." The guide says: "Normally it will take around 2 to 3 working days for Assigning ISBN after submitting title details to the Department." After allocation, "no alterations can be made under any circumstances." If a title is rejected, you edit it using the rejection reason and resubmit.
  7. Final title verso page. Upload your final title verso (copyright) page, or the cover pages, "to ensure that the details in the application match the book accurately." Books in languages other than Hindi and English need a Hindi or English translation "for our verification purposes only." The copyright page generator can draft the text of a copyright page.

RRRNA's guide is a set of screenshots and short notes, and the portal was redesigned recently, so check each step against the portal itself as you go.

What an ISBN is for

RRRNA's FAQ describes the ISBN as "a unique numerical identifier for monographic publications such as books, pamphlets, educational kits, microforms, CD-ROMs and other digital and electronic publications." It says an ISBN is a 13-digit number.

On whether you need one: "The international ISBN system does not impose any legal requirement to have an ISBN, and the ISBN conveys no legal or copyright protection." On why to use one: books that "cannot be ordered and distributed by ISBN" and are not listed in Books in Print-type listings may not sell, and it is "desirable" that all books made publicly available have one.

RRRNA also says a price change does not need a new ISBN, but a new edition does, and a reprint does not.

KDP's free ISBN vs your own

KDP's help page says KDP allows two options: "a free ISBN from KDP (paperback and hardcover books only)" or purchasing your own. On the free one: "Free ISBNs from us can only be used on KDP. They cannot be used to publish outside of KDP." On the imprint (the publisher name): "If you use a free ISBN from KDP, the imprint will appear as “Independently published.”" and "If you buy your own ISBN, you can list your own publishing imprint."

If you use your own ISBN, KDP says you "must enter the same details (i.e. book title, author name, publisher) in KDP that you used to register the ISBN", and that a mismatch stops you publishing. KDP's page talks about buying an ISBN; it does not mention RRRNA. Whether an RRRNA ISBN works the same way in KDP's check is something to confirm with KDP.

RRRNA's FAQ, on a self-publishing platform that gives your book an ISBN from its own range: "the platform will be considered the publisher. This is not recommended practice. If you later break the relationship with the platform and decide to distribute your book elsewhere, you will need a new ISBN of your own."

One ISBN per format

RRRNA's FAQ: "different formats need different ISBNs in order, for example, that a customer who wants to buy a book in hardback rather than paperback can be confident that they will receive the correct format." Its How to Apply guide says each different product form (its examples: paperback, EPUB, .pdf) "should be identified separately."

KDP says the same for its own formats: "Each format of your book (paperback vs hardcover) needs its own ISBN. eBooks and low-content books are the only formats where an ISBN is optional."

Barcodes

An ISBN is a number and a barcode is the picture that encodes it. RRRNA's FAQ says it "is not the Authorized Organization to provide the Barcode for ISBN" and suggests asking your printer or graphic designer, or searching for barcode providers online.

One free option is Kindlepreneur's ISBN barcode generator, which says it has "no email requirement, no account to create" and downloads a barcode as PDF, PNG or JPG. AuthorKit does not run it and has not tested the files it produces.

Not yet answered in RRRNA's published guidance

Two questions are not yet answered in RRRNA's published guidance, so they are not yet confirmed by RRRNA. This page does not say either way.

  • Books printed outside India. Whether an author in India should use an RRRNA ISBN for a book printed abroad, for example by print on demand. RRRNA's FAQ says only that "all ISBNs are international. They are merely assigned locally."
  • Pen-name imprints. Whether an author can register a pen name or an imprint of their own. The How to Apply guide shows fields for a pen name and an imprint and says "the department may seek clarification" if you use them; it does not say what RRRNA accepts.

AuthorKit assigns ISBNs for books it publishes.

Sources (last verified 2026-09-29):

These tools and guides are for information only. Check requirements with KDP, and ask a qualified professional about tax or legal questions. AuthorKit is not affiliated with Amazon.