PM Surya Ghar Documents List: What to Collect at the Site Visit

Picture a rep who finishes a good survey in a colony in Surat. The customer is keen, the roof is clear, and the rep leaves with a photo of the electricity bill and a promise to "send the bank details later." Three weeks on, the bank passbook turns out to be in the customer's wife's name, the bill is in the late father's name, and nobody knows which of the two the portal will accept.

This is a site-visit problem. Many online lists treat the customer's folder as one pile. It is not. Some items are asked for by the national portal, some by one particular DISCOM (distribution company), and some only by your own back office. Mixing them up is how reps over-collect Aadhaar copies or forget the one cheque that matters.

This guide builds the list from official documents only: MNRE's portal manuals, the scheme guidelines, the model vendor agreement, PIB and named DISCOM pages. Every line carries its source and date. Where the official text is silent, we say so.

Key takeaway. In MNRE's Master Manual of 21 July 2024, the PM Surya Ghar national portal asked the customer for very little at the site-visit stage: one electricity bill from the last 6 months, bank details with a cancelled cheque or passbook, and later the signed vendor agreement. Everything else is a DISCOM extra or your own file. Sort every item by who asks for it, and do not collect Aadhaar for the portal unless your DISCOM asks in writing. Screens may have changed since July 2024, so follow your live portal where it differs.

How this guide was built. The portal at pmsuryaghar.gov.in returned an access-denied page (HTTP 403) to our requests on 31 October 2026, so we could not check the live screens. Field names and file limits below come from the MNRE Master Manual for RTS (21 July 2024), the MNRE bank-details manual (17 July 2024) and the MNRE Installer Manual (29 June 2024). They are over two years old. Treat them as a map and check your own login. This is not legal advice.

What the national portal asks for, screen by screen

In the manual below, the portal asks for three customer-side documents before installation: an electricity bill, bank proof and the signed agreement with the vendor. Everything else is typed in or produced after installation. That is the reading of MNRE's Master Manual for RTS, dated 21 July 2024, whose screenshots we read one by one.

The table follows the portal's order in that manual. Formats and size limits are as printed on its screenshots, dated July 2024.

Source: MNRE National Portal Master Manual for RTS 1.1, cover dated 21 July 2024. Screens as printed in the manual; the live portal could not be opened on 31 October 2026.

Read the table for what is missing. There is no field for Aadhaar, PAN, a passport photograph or property papers in any of these screens in the July 2024 manual. Some third-party lists add them. We did not rely on those, because they are not official.

The guidelines add that the consumer "has the user rights to undertake all activities on the National Portal without relying on the vendor" (clause 8(d)). So the customer's own mobile number and OTP matter at the visit.

The Who-Asks Ledger: tag every document with its asker

The Who-Asks Ledger is a one-column habit. Next to every item on your checklist, write who asks for it and where that is written. There are three askers.

An item with no source goes under OURS, never under PORTAL. That one rule stops reps telling customers a document is mandatory when it is only a habit.

The customer hears a reason for each ask, so they worry less. When a DISCOM changes a rule, you update one tagged line instead of rewriting the checklist. And a new rep learns at once that "PAN card" and "Aadhaar copy" are not on the portal screens.

What a DISCOM may add on top of the portal

A DISCOM may ask for more than the national portal lists, and the portal has a slot for it: the plant photo page says "Add Additional Documents as per DISCOM Requirement". On feasibility, the guidelines say the consumer uploads the necessary documents "wherever required as per extant state regulations" until the deemed-approval rule for systems up to 10 kW is put into practice (clause 6(h)). Agreements and inspection also follow the state (clauses 6(k) and 6(l)).

So the DISCOM column cannot be national. These named, dated examples are each one DISCOM's or one agency's requirement, not a rule for your state.

Examples, not a full list of DISCOMs. We opened these pages on 31 October 2026. The Gujarat DISCOM page we tried did not load from our connection, so we have no Gujarat entry.

Look at the last row. UPNEDA's page lists a scanned Aadhaar card, while the national portal screen says "Please do not upload Aadhaar Card file." Both are official, because they belong to two different portals. That is why the tag matters.

If you cannot source a DISCOM requirement, ask the nodal officer for it in writing and note the date. Our guide to the DISCOM approval process explains the stages, and the net metering application guide covers the application.

What your own file needs: the OURS items

Your firm needs a few things the portal never sees. The only official anchor is the model draft agreement between consumer and vendor (Annexure 2). It is a sample: clause 6(d) says the actual agreement "may vary on a case-to-case basis".

Source: Annexure 2, model draft agreement between consumer and vendor, PM Surya Ghar guidelines (PDF file dated 4 July 2024). The agreement says it is a model and the actual terms may vary.

One item is a question, not a paper. Ask whether the premises already has rooftop solar or ever took a subsidy. The application form has a field for existing installed capacity. The MNRE guidelines (clauses 5(n) and 5(o)) allow a system that already took central assistance to claim more only for the balance capacity up to 3 kW, and an installation is eligible for CFA only once. PIB's explainer of 1 March 2024 says the household "must not have availed of any other subsidy for solar panels".

The site-visit checklist to print

Print this, tick it at the visit and file it with the lead. Each row has its tag and source.

Items marked PORTAL are tied to the July 2024 manuals; items marked DISCOM are examples to confirm with your own DISCOM. Dates are those of the source documents.

Items 1, 4, 5 and 6 are the only customer documents the July 2024 manual shows the portal asking for before installation. Photos, serial numbers and the protection checklist follow later; our vendor login guide shows where each goes. The plant-photo screen also links a "Specimen of Photographs". We could not open it, so ask your DISCOM for it.

The name chain: four names that must agree

Most document trouble here is a name problem. Four names appear across the screens, and official text wants them to agree.

1. 1

   The name on the electricity bill

   The portal fetches the applicant's details from the DISCOM database, and the form field is labelled Name as per Electricity Bill.

2. 2

   The name on the portal application

   If it is wrong, the manual says to click Refresh Consumer data from DisCom. The refresh updates details such as name, address, contract load and DISCOM hierarchy from the DISCOM's record.

3. 3

   The bank account holder

   The bank page says the applicant should ensure the bank details and the electricity connection belong to the same person. The Redeem Subsidy page says the account holder name and the consumer name shall be the same.

4. 4

   The agreement signatory

   The signed copy of the agreement is a portal upload. Keep its name identical to the bill, so nobody has to reconcile two names.

Clause 6(s) of the guidelines requires a document "certifying that the bank account number is held by the concerned consumer". Official text does not say how strict the match is, so treat an exact match as the safe version and read all four names aloud at the visit.

If a correction is needed after submission, the manual shows an Application Edit Request Form with three options: Installation Details, Solar Application, and Subsidy Request or Bank Details. A separate MNRE manual of 17 July 2024 shows how a consumer updates bank details when the PFMS system returns a remark after redemption (see the bank-details manual). Both are fixes, and each costs a cycle. Our PM Surya Ghar rejection reasons and application mistakes posts discuss how mismatches show up. We have not copied their figures here. Check them against this guide before you rely on them.

Tenants, joint owners and a deceased owner on the bill

The guidelines and portal manuals we opened say nothing about tenants, joint owners or a deceased owner. What exists is partial: PIB's explainer, one DISCOM's FAQ and one DISCOM's name-change form. The table shows how far it goes. Then ask the DISCOM.

Sources: PIB, 1 March 2024; MNRE CFA guidelines (file uploaded July 2025); BRPL RTS FAQ, September 2025 (Delhi only); MSEDCL Documents Required for Name Change (PDF created December 2017). These are partial and state-specific. They are not a statement of who is legally entitled to a subsidy.

BRPL's FAQ adds that the account number "will remain unchanged as long as Registered Consumer is unchanged." That is Delhi's rule, but it shows why a name change in the middle of a job hurts. Settle the name before you quote.

Handling Aadhaar, bank details and bill photos

Collect only what the portal or DISCOM asks for, tell the customer why, and keep it for no longer than you need. The portal's own screen sets the tone: on the plant photo page the manual shows a red note, "Please do not upload Aadhaar Card file." A cheque leaf shows an account number and a bill shows an address, so those need care too.

India's data law points the same way. PIB's note of 14 November 2025 on the DPDP Rules, 2025 says the Act rests on seven principles: consent and transparency, purpose limitation, data minimisation, accuracy, storage limitation, security safeguards and accountability. It adds an 18-month phased compliance timeline and clear notices that explain the specific purpose. The PIB backgrounder of 17 November 2025 says the highest penalty, up to ₹250 crore, applies to a data fiduciary's failure to keep reasonable security safeguards. Our DPDP Act glossary entry has the short definition.

PIB's pages do not say how the Act applies to a solar installer, and we do not claim that either. What follows is practice built on those principles, not legal advice.

Practice suggestions built on the principles in PIB's DPDP note of 14 November 2025. Not legal advice.

How to run the visit in ten minutes

The paperwork should not take longer than the roof survey. The script lines can be said word for word.

1. 1

   Before you go, send a two-line ask

   "Please keep your latest electricity bill and the passbook or a cancelled cheque of the account you want the subsidy in. Do not send any Aadhaar copy."

2. 2

   Read the bill together

   Find the name, number and address. Ask: "Is this your name, and is the house yours?" Write the answer on the lead.

3. 3

   Ask the four questions

   Owner or tenant? Any solar or subsidy here before? Is the bank account in the bill's name? Does your DISCOM want anything extra?

4. 4

   Capture, then check the size

   Photograph the bill and bank proof. Check each file against 500 kb and 2 MB. Re-shoot or compress on the spot.

5. 5

   Read the four names back

   Say bill, application, bank and agreement names aloud. If any differ, decide the fix now.

6. 6

   Say what happens next and what you will not ask

   "The portal asks for these three. The photos and serial numbers come after installation. We will not ask for your Aadhaar."

After the visit: file it and hand it on

Back at the office, file the documents under the tag: a PORTAL folder, a DISCOM folder and an OURS folder, with the checklist in front and the date you checked each DISCOM requirement.

When the order is signed, the file moves to operations. Our sales-to-installation handover SOP has a packet slot for the PM Surya Ghar file, so hand this folder across. If you cannot visit first, the remote site survey guide shows what can be asked for on a video call.

After installation comes the second half of the file: plant photo, serials, protection checklist, then redemption of the e-token. Clause 6(t) says the CFA is processed within 15 days of DISCOM approval. That is a target after approval, and our disbursement timeline guide covers what to tell the customer about the wait.

How QuickEstimate fits

QuickEstimate is not part of any portal step, and we do not claim it connects to the portal. This is the sales side of the visit only. We make no claim about storing, uploading or reading documents, so keep them in the folder your SOP names.

What the sales team can do with Quickest Solar CRM around this checklist:

• Make the estimate on the phone at the site. The QuickEstimate app runs on Android, iOS and the web, so the rep can make an estimate during the visit, with the PM Surya Ghar subsidy applied in the proposal.
• Add the lead and tag where the file stands. Add the customer as a lead on the spot and give it a label such as "Docs: bank proof pending" or "Name mismatch". Filter your leads to see who needs a call.
• Log the answers in the activity log. Write the owner or tenant answer, the existing solar answer and the DISCOM note in an activity on the lead. The next rep to open it sees the same facts.
• Start free. The Free plan gives one user and 10 proposals a month with no card, which is enough to try this routine on a few leads.

What to do this week

1. Make your own Who-Asks Ledger. Take your current document list, put PORTAL, DISCOM or OURS next to every line, and delete or re-tag any line you cannot source. Remove Aadhaar from the portal list.
2. Source your DISCOM column. Ask your DISCOM's nodal officer for its written document list for net metering and subsidy. Note the date, and add each item with that source.
3. Pilot the ten-minute visit on three leads. Use the four questions and the name read-back, and count how many leads needed a correction afterwards.

Frequently asked questions

What documents are needed for PM Surya Ghar?

In MNRE's July 2024 manuals, the customer-side documents on the national portal are an electricity bill from the last 6 months, bank details with a cancelled cheque, passbook copy or e-statement, and the signed vendor agreement. Photos and serial numbers follow after installation. A DISCOM may add items. Screens may have changed since, so check your live screens.

Is an Aadhaar card needed for the PM Surya Ghar application?

MNRE's July 2024 Master Manual shows no Aadhaar field, and its plant photo page says not to upload an Aadhaar file. A state agency such as UPNEDA lists a scanned Aadhaar for its own portal, so ask your DISCOM or nodal agency in writing before asking a customer.

How old can the electricity bill be?

In MNRE's manual of 21 July 2024, the upload screen read "Electricity Bill (any from the Last 6 months)". Third-party guides give other figures. We followed the manual. Check the label on your own screen.

Can a tenant apply for PM Surya Ghar?

The national guidelines do not address tenants. PIB's 2024 explainer says the applicant must own a house with a suitable roof, while BRPL Delhi's September 2025 FAQ says tenants can apply with the owner's NOC. Confirm with your DISCOM first.

Can the subsidy go to a bank account in a family member's name?

The bank page says the bank details and the electricity connection should belong to the same person, and the Redeem Subsidy page says the names shall be the same. We found no exception in the official text.

What if the name on the electricity bill is wrong or has changed?

In MNRE's July 2024 manual, the portal fetches details from the DISCOM database and has a Refresh Consumer data from DisCom button. If the DISCOM's record is wrong, the name change is a DISCOM process. BRPL says to re-apply for solar on the new account number after a name change.

Do I need to keep customers' documents after the subsidy is released?

The MNRE guidelines and manuals we read set no retention period for a vendor's own file. PIB's note on the DPDP Rules lists storage limitation as a principle. Set a retention date in your SOP with your accountant or lawyer, and delete copies you no longer need.