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How to file an RBI complaint against a loan app
Three free channels exist — CMS (Complaint Management System), Sachet, and the Banking Ombudsman. None of them charge a fee. You do not need a lawyer. Here's the order, the timelines, and what to keep on file.
Step 1 — Complain to the lender first
RBI requires you to give the regulated NBFC (the parent lender behind the app) 30 days to resolve. File on their grievance redressal page or by email. Keep the ticket number.
Need the contact? Look up the app on our reviews — every page links to the verified grievance URL and support email.
Step 2 — Escalate to RBI CMS
If unresolved in 30 days (or if you got an unsatisfactory reply), file at cms.rbi.org.in. You'll need:
- The NBFC's name (not the app brand — the parent lender)
- Your original complaint reference number
- Loan account number, KFS, and a brief timeline
Step 3 — For unregulated / fraudulent apps: Sachet
Apps without a regulated NBFC partner fall outside the Ombudsman scheme. Report them at sachet.rbi.org.in and at the National Cyber Crime portal (cybercrime.gov.in).
If recovery agents are harassing you
Threats, contact-list scraping, defamation calls — that's a criminal matter. Don't wait the 30 days.
- Save call logs and WhatsApp screenshots
- File a Sachet complaint immediately
- Lodge an FIR or zero-FIR with local police
- Use our harassment toolkit for the FIR draft, cease-and-desist, and RBI letter templates
Related
// deep-dives
RBI complaints — channel-by-channel guides
- Harassment · 4 minRBI Sachet portal: step-by-step harassment complaint guide
Sachet is the only RBI complaint channel that triggers real investigation. Templates, evidence checklist, and the timeline you should expect.
- Harassment · 17 minRBI Ombudsman complaint: when, how, what to expect
The Ombudsman is your second-stage escalation after the lender's grievance officer. When you qualify, how to file, and realistic timelines.
- Rights · 11 minRBI Banking Ombudsman vs regular complaint: difference
Ombudsman is quasi-judicial; a complaint is administrative. When each works, the 30-day grievance rule, and what binding orders look like.
- Rights · 12 minRBI Digital Lending Guidelines 2022 in plain language
The 2022 DLG gives every borrower 8 specific rights — KFS, cooling-off, direct disbursal, no contact scraping. The plain-language summary.
- Rights · 10 minRBI cooling-off period: cancel a digital loan in 3 days
You can return any digital loan within 3 days, paying only principal + pro-rata interest. The clause, the email, and the refund timeline.
- Harassment · 4 minLoan app not RBI registered? Check this way
Half of the harassment apps are not registered with any RBI-regulated lender. Three lookups to verify in 2 minutes, plus what to do next.
- Rights · 10 minLoan app shut down by RBI: what happens to your loan and data?
When the Play Store removes an app or RBI cancels a license, your loan does not vanish. What survives, what to pay, and what to dispute.
- Harassment · 17 minLoan App Harassment in India 2026: Your Rights & Complaint Playbook
Loan app agents calling your contacts? Know the RBI rules, the new 2026 recovery norms, and the exact complaint steps — cyber cell, Sachet and RBI Ombudsman.
- Rights · 10 minLoan aggregator sold your data to 10 lenders: DPDP rights
Apply on one app, get 30 calls. Under DPDP, that is a violation. How to revoke consent, file complaints, and stop the flood.
Adjacent hubs
- Harassment toolkit — FIR, cease-and-desist, evidence pack
- True APR — for hidden-fee and KFS-mismatch complaints
- Settlement — when an RBI complaint alone won't close the file
- CIBIL dispute generator