Documents Required to Open a Pharmacy in India (2026)

This checklist covers each group of documents required for a pharmacy application in the order an inspector actually checks them, plus the two documents applicants forget most often.

What identity and business documents do you need?

Every application starts with who is applying: the applicant's Aadhaar card and PAN card, passport-size photographs, and proof of the business structure. That last piece varies by how the pharmacy is legally constituted — a partnership deed for a partnership firm, a certificate of incorporation for a private limited company, or MSME Udyam registration for a smaller proprietorship.

If a company or trust is applying rather than an individual, add a board resolution authorising the application, plus identity documents for the specific person authorised to sign it. A mismatch between who actually signs the application and who is named as the authorised person is a common, entirely avoidable cause of delay. Clerks flag it immediately, and it sends the file back rather than forward.

Keep two sets of everything, one for the physical file and one scanned, since most state portals now require both a physical submission and a digital upload against your application ID.

What premises documents are required?

You need to prove legal possession of the space, not just an intention to use it eventually. For rented premises, that means a registered rent agreement together with a recent electricity or water bill, or alternatively a property tax receipt showing the landlord's name matches the agreement. For owned premises, ownership documents and a revised site plan of the shop, drawn to scale.

The site plan matters more than most first-time applicants expect. It has to show the actual dimensions of the premises, because floor area determines which licence you're even eligible for: 10 square metres is the statutory minimum for a standalone retail licence in Form 20 or 21, rising to 15 square metres the moment you're also applying for the wholesale equivalent at the same address. An inspector who finds a room smaller than the site plan claims will not approve the file on the strength of the paperwork alone.

What documents does your pharmacist need?

This is the group applicants underestimate most. The pharmacist's paperwork gets scrutinised just as closely as the applicant's own, sometimes more so. You need the registered pharmacist's degree or diploma certificate — either B.Pharm or D.Pharm, and their current State Pharmacy Council registration certificate, not an expired one from years ago.

Delhi's Department of Drugs Control lists the pharmacist's Aadhaar card, a system-generated self-declaration, and proof of qualification with mark sheets as three separate line items on its checklist. You cannot substitute all three with one bundled certificate. If you're hiring a pharmacist rather than holding the qualification yourself, add a formal appointment letter proving their employment at your specific premises. The licence is granted against a named person at a named address, never against the business in general.

A pharmacist whose State Pharmacy Council registration has quietly lapsed is one of the more common reasons a file that looks complete on submission still gets rejected once an inspector actually checks it against the register.

What affidavits do you need to file?

Most state Drug Control departments require a non-conviction affidavit from the applicant under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. A separate affidavit from the registered pharmacist confirms their actual availability at the premises during stated operating hours.

Formats differ by state in small but important ways. Use the exact template your specific state portal publishes rather than a generic version found online. A wrongly worded affidavit is grounds for rejection on its own, even when everything else in the file is correct.

Most first-time applicants file two affidavits. The applicant's and the pharmacist's. Neither can substitute for the other, and both must be notarised.

How do you actually file the application?

The core application for a retail licence is Form 19, requesting permission to sell, stock, exhibit for sale, or distribute drugs. It's filed online through your state Drug Control Department portal, alongside every supporting document above and the prescribed fee paid in advance.

Delhi's portal specifically requires every document scanned at 100 dpi in black and white and uploaded against a user ID you request in advance of filing. Every application must be formally submitted electronically, described as "e-sent" in the portal's own language. A draft that is only saved, never submitted, never reaches the licensing office at all. If the application is then rejected for incomplete information, the fee already paid is forfeited rather than refunded. That is why a careful first pass through this checklist matters more than filing quickly.

What equipment and tax proofs round out the file?

Alongside the core licence documents, keep a purchase invoice for your medical-grade refrigerator on hand if you'll stock vaccines, insulin or other temperature-sensitive medicines. Inspectors ask for this invoice specifically, as proof the equipment meets a minimum standard. Visual confirmation that some fridge exists in the room is not enough on its own.

You'll also need your GST registration certificate. A pharmacy cannot legally invoice customers without one. Add the online fee payment challan or receipt too, as direct proof the government fee was actually paid rather than merely initiated.

What if you're opening a wholesale pharmacy instead?

Wholesale drug licences, filed on Form 20-B or 21-B, need everything listed above, plus proof of storage capacity suited to bulk stock. Most states also set a larger minimum floor area than a pure retail operation needs.

Our retail versus wholesale drug licence guide explains exactly when you genuinely need the wholesale licence. Applying for the wrong type from the start is a frequent, avoidable delay, and it costs both time and the non-refundable fee.

Why does a complete checklist still get rejected?

A document list gets your file to the counter, but three things beyond the list decide whether an otherwise complete application actually clears: whether your pharmacist's registration is currently valid on the state register rather than merely held on paper, whether your site plan matches what an inspector finds on the premises, and whether the land itself is zoned for commercial use.

Delhi's guidelines bar licences on DDA-allotted residential plots that fail the applicable land-use master plan, no matter how complete the paperwork otherwise is. Check zoning before you sign a lease, not after the inspection.

For the full step-by-step process alongside this document list, see our complete guide to opening a pharmacy in a hospital, and for what the whole setup actually costs, our setup cost breakdown.

Sources

1. 1Checklist of Documents for Fresh Retail Licence Application — Department of Drugs Control, Government of NCT of Delhi
2. 2Procedures for Obtaining Licences — Department of Drugs Control, Government of NCT of Delhi
3. 3Guidelines for Opening a Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendra — Department of Pharmaceuticals
4. 4Pharmacy Council of India — registration requirements under the Pharmacy Act, 1948
5. 5Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation — Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules, 1945

This article is for informational purposes and is not a substitute for professional legal or tax advice. Document requirements vary by state and change without notice. Verify the current checklist with your state Drug Control department before applying.