Indian BIS Solar PV Module Model Numbers Must Include Country Code, Deadline March 30, 2027

en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) introducing a mandatory model numbering system with a country code suffix for all solar photovoltaic (PV) modules registered with BIS. The procedure aims to establish a clear, consistent, and verifiable traceability mechanism enabling authorities and customers to identify the country of assembly of modules and the country of origin of their core component, solar cells. The directive stems from the Solar Systems, Devices and Components Goods Order, 2025 (Quality Control Order), which mandates BIS certification for solar PV modules.

Central to the SOP is a mandatory four-character suffix that must be added to every solar PV module model number used for BIS registration, in the format "[Original Model Number]-MMCC". The first two characters, MM, represent the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code of the solar PV module manufacturing location, and the last two characters, CC, represent the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code of the solar cell manufacturing location used in that specific Bill of Materials (BOM). For example, a module model "XYZ-400" manufactured in India (IN) using solar cells made in China (CN) would become "XYZ-400-INCN". This four-character suffix becomes an integral part of the model number for all official purposes, including BIS registration, certification, and product labeling.

For new BIS registrations, all new solar PV module registration applications must use this new country-code model numbering format. For existing BIS-registered model numbers, manufacturers must update their registrations by creating new, additional model numbers with the country code suffix for all existing registered model numbers, and revise the BOM for each new suffixed model number to restrict or segregate solar cells to a single country as identified by the suffix.

No retesting is required under specific circumstances: if the new model number only involves the deletion or segregation of approved solar cells from an existing BOM, with no addition of new components or design changes, no new physical testing is required. The testing laboratory will verify the revised BOM documentation and issue a supplementary test report referencing the original report, without charging new testing fees. Upon successful verification, BIS will issue an addendum to the existing certificate to incorporate the new model number.

In multi-BOM scenarios, if a single original model number has multiple BOMs using cells from different countries, manufacturers must create separate and distinct model numbers for each country-specific BOM; a single suffixed model number cannot cover cells from multiple countries. A single model number may cover cells from multiple manufacturers as long as the cell manufacturers are all located in the same country, but the approved BOM must clearly identify each cell manufacturer and the relevant cell details.

Regarding the compliance timeline, manufacturers of existing BIS-registered model numbers have 180 days from the Office Memorandum (OM) date of October 1, 2026, to submit applications and complete the process of creating country-code-appended model numbers, with a compliance deadline of approximately March 30, 2027. After the 180-day period, BIS will not accept or process any new model registrations that do not comply with the new model numbering and BOM requirements.

To obtain a new model number, manufacturers must submit to a BIS-recognized testing laboratory the original test report of the existing BOM, the revised BOM for the proposed new model number, the solar cell model (except for thin-film modules), the name, address, and country of the solar cell manufacturer, and a declaration confirming that all solar cells in the BOM are manufactured in the country represented by the model suffix. The testing laboratory will verify that the module manufacturing location matches the first two characters of the suffix, the cell manufacturing country matches the last two characters of the suffix, and that no new components or design changes requiring retesting have been introduced.

At the business execution level, manufacturers must update all existing BIS registrations within the 180-day window and meticulously audit their supply chains to accurately identify the country of origin of every solar cell used in each BOM configuration. BOM structures must be revised to conform to the new model numbering system; a single model number can no longer represent a multi-country cell sourcing strategy. For straightforward BOM segregation, supplementary test reports are permitted in lieu of retesting, thereby reducing the financial and time burden of compliance. All product labels, datasheets, test reports, and BIS certificates must be updated to reflect the new full country-code model numbers. Failure to comply by the deadline will result in BIS rejecting new registration applications, effectively halting the sale of new solar PV module models in the Indian market.