DCR Certificate for PM Surya Ghar:
What It Is and Why No Subsidy Is Paid Without It

DCR — Domestic Content Requirement — is the rule that solar modules installed under PM Surya Ghar must be made in India using Indian-manufactured solar cells as well as Indian-assembled modules. The certificate proves it for a specific set of panels, identified by serial number.

The rule exists to build domestic manufacturing. Its practical effect for a homeowner is simple: no DCR certificate, no subsidy. Imported or non-DCR panels can be installed, but the file will not be paid.

DCR modules cost more than non-DCR imported modules. That premium is what the subsidy partly offsets; if the DCR mandate were ever relaxed after the scheme's March 2027 deadline, unsubsidised rooftop economics would improve on their own — but as of September 2026 the mandate is in force.

The DCR portal is separate from pmsuryaghar.gov.in and needs its own registration. For a vendor:

• Register as company type “Reseller of Solar Panel Only”
• Company name, address and PIN code must match the GST certificate letter-for-letter
• Login credentials are emailed, typically within 3–4 hours, at most 24 hours
• Set up your branch(es) — each installation is credited against a branch

In August 2026 the portal was restructured into three tabs: Sell B2B, Sell B2C and Unclaimed.

The DCR portal is a serial-number ledger that follows panels from manufacturer to rooftop.

1. The manufacturer issues DCR to the distributor.
2. The distributor sells to a vendor and pushes a B2B certificate listing the serials sold.
3. The vendor sees it under Unclaimed. Until the vendor clicks Credit DCR and selects the branch, the panels are not in stock on the ledger and cannot be assigned to a customer.

For each subsidised customer the vendor goes to Sell B2C and enters:

The certificate records the cell manufacturer and the module manufacturer separately. The PM Surya Ghar installation form asks for the module manufacturer — read it from the “Solar module manufactured by” line.

The B2C certificate stays Unclaimed until the vendor uploads it against the customer's application on the national portal. Only then does it count.

A vendor who buys 24 panels in one B2B lot and installs them on four 3 kW rooftops must issue four B2C certificates with the correct six serials each. Practical method:

• Copy all serials from the B2B certificate PDF into a text file
• Cut (not copy) each serial into the B2C form as it is assigned
• A serial can then never appear on two certificates

When the vendor submits installation on pmsuryaghar.gov.in, entering the B2C DCR certificate number auto-fetches the module details. The DCR certificate is the only mandatory upload at that step. The inverter serial is validated live against a database; the DCR number links the modules.

The consumer should keep the emailed B2C certificate. It is asked for at DISCOM inspection and is the document that ties their subsidy to the panels on their roof.

1. Supplier's invoice number entered instead of the vendor's — the certificate then does not match the customer file.
2. Wrong or missing customer email — certificate never reaches the customer; DISCOM asks for it.
3. Panels credited to the wrong branch or never credited.
4. Serials split incorrectly across customers.
5. Certificate issued but not uploaded against the application — remains Unclaimed.
6. Non-DCR modules installed with a certificate for different panels — a fraud finding, not an error.

• “Send me the B2C DCR certificate by email before installation day.”
• “Show me that the serial numbers on the certificate match the panels being fitted.”
• “Which module and cell manufacturer are on the certificate?”

A vendor who cannot answer these three questions should not be installing a subsidised system.