# Why do solar module model numbers in India now end in a four-letter country code?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/solar-module-model-number-country-code-suffix

Under an MNRE procedure of 1 October 2026, solar module model numbers registered with BIS carry a four-character suffix: two letters for the country where the module was made and two for the country that made its cells. One suffixed model cannot mix cells from different countries.

## How the suffix works

- Format: original model number, a hyphen, then MMCC.
- MM is the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code of the country of module manufacture.
- CC is the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code of the country where the cells in that bill of materials were made.
- Example: a module made in India with Indian cells ends in -ININ.

## Rules for manufacturers

- A model whose bills of materials use cells from different countries must be split into separate suffixed models.
- Cells from more than one maker are allowed under one model only if all those makers are in the same country and the approved bill of materials names each one.
- Existing BIS registered models must add the suffixed model numbers. If the change only removes or separates already approved cells, no fresh testing is needed; the lab issues a supplementary report.

## Why it helps a buyer

The suffix lets you see from the label and datasheet where the cells came from, which matters for ALMM List-II and domestic content checks. If a datasheet shows no suffix on a model sold after the procedure, ask the seller why.

## Reading two model numbers (illustrative)

- XYZ-550-ININ: module made in India, cells made in India
- XYZ-550-INCN: module made in India, cells made in China
- The two are separate BIS registered models, each with its own bill of materials

XYZ-550 is a made-up model used only to show the suffix.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible can hold your module datasheets and invoices with the solar installation record, so the model number and its suffix are on file if a lender or buyer asks.

- [How to check cells on ALMM List-II](https://senseible.earth/answers/how-to-check-solar-cells-on-almm-list)
- [PM Surya Ghar domestic content modules](https://senseible.earth/answers/pm-surya-ghar-domestic-content-modules)
- [BIS rules for solar inverters above 200 kW](https://senseible.earth/answers/solar-inverter-bis-certification-above-200-kw)

Sources: [MNRE Standard Operating Procedure for updating model numbers of solar PV modules in BIS registration, File No. 313-12/5/2025-S AND QC, 1 October 2026](https://mnre.gov.in/static/uploads/2026/10/f47a18d3c3d887daca809494a5071da5.pdf)

Last reviewed 2026-10-23. MNRE SOP of 1 October 2026 under the Solar Systems, Devices and Components Goods Order, 2025 (checked 23 October 2026).