To sell medicines wholesale in Haryana you need a Drug Licence on Form 20B, and Form 21B for Schedule C and C(1) drugs, issued by the Food and Drug Administration, Haryana. You apply on Form 19 through the Haryana FDA online portal. The government fee is ₹1,500 per form under Rule 63 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, ₹3,000 for both. The licence has no expiry date; you pay a retention fee every five years instead.
The inspection checks two things: premises of at least 10 square metres with a refrigerator, and a competent person whose papers hold up. Everything else on the checklist is paperwork you already have. This post covers the Haryana specifics; the full franchise document list covers GST, PAN and the rest.
Which forms you need
| Form | What it covers | On a typical PCD list |
|---|---|---|
| Form 20B | Wholesale of drugs other than Schedules C, C(1) and X | Most tablets, capsules, syrups, ointments |
| Form 21B | Wholesale of Schedule C and C(1) drugs | Injectables, vaccines and sera, and also oral antibiotics, vitamins, hormones, insulin |
| Form 19 | The application form for both | Filed once, both licences ticked |
Apply for both. Schedule C(1) reaches further than most new partners expect: an amoxicillin tablet is a Schedule C(1) drug, and so is a B-complex capsule. A Form 20B on its own covers less than half of our antibiotic range. Schedule X (narcotics and psychotropics) is a separate licence that a PCD stockist almost never needs.
Where to apply in Haryana
The licensing authority is the State Drugs Controller, Food and Drug Administration, Haryana, with headquarters in Panchkula. The state runs drug licensing online; the application, fee and document upload all go through the Haryana FDA licensing portal, which is also reachable from the Invest Haryana single-window. There is no paper route.
After you file, the Drugs Control Officer for your district is assigned the inspection. Gurugram, Faridabad, Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat, Hisar and Rohtak each have their own officers; smaller districts share one. The licence, when granted, is issued through the same portal and carries a licence number you can quote to suppliers. We ask for it before the first consignment, as any serious supplier will.
The premises
Rule 64 sets the floor. The inspector measures it.
- Area: at least 10 square metres for a wholesale licence; 15 square metres if the same premises will also hold a retail licence. Measured inside the walls, excluding toilet and stairs.
- Cold storage: a working refrigerator for drugs labelled for storage between 2 and 8 degrees, and air conditioning where the label says below 25 or 30 degrees. Haryana summers make this the item inspectors look at hardest.
- Racks and a separate area for Schedule C drugs, so the inspector can see they are stored apart from the rest.
- Ownership or a registered rent deed. An unregistered rent agreement is the single most common reason a Haryana application is returned. Register it at the sub-registrar before you file.
- Electricity bill in the owner’s name, a site plan showing the area, and the landlord’s NOC where rented.
The competent person
A wholesale licence does not need a pharmacist. It needs a competent person, who can be any one of these under Rule 64:
- A registered pharmacist, or
- A graduate in any subject with at least one year of experience in dealing in drugs, or
- A matriculate with at least four years of experience in dealing in drugs, approved by the licensing authority.
The file needs the qualification certificate, an experience certificate from a licensed firm on its letterhead, an affidavit that the person will be present during working hours, and an appointment letter if the person is not the proprietor. The experience certificate is where applications stall: it has to come from a firm whose own Drug Licence the inspector can check. A certificate from a shop that closed in 2019 does not count.
If you are the proprietor and you meet the test yourself, you are the competent person. Most of our Haryana partners started that way.
Fees and validity
| Item | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Form 20B grant fee | ₹1,500 | Rule 63, Drugs and Cosmetics Rules |
| Form 21B grant fee | ₹1,500 | Same rule; paid together |
| Inspection fee | Where charged | Shown on the portal at filing |
| Validity | No expiry | Since the 2017 amendment |
| Retention fee | Equal to the grant fee | Every five years, before the due date |
Consultants in Panchkula and Gurugram quote ₹5,000 to ₹15,000 on top of the government fee for filing and follow-up. Worth it if you cannot visit the district office yourself; unnecessary if your rent deed is registered and your competent person’s papers are in order, because the portal does the rest.
Step by step
- Fix the premises. Register the rent deed, install the refrigerator, put up the racks. Photograph everything.
- Settle the competent person. Collect the qualification, experience certificate, affidavit and appointment letter.
- Register the firm, PAN and a current account. The licence is issued to the firm name, so the name has to exist first.
- File Form 19 on the Haryana FDA portal, ticking both 20B and 21B. Upload the documents and pay the fee online.
- Inspection. The Drugs Control Officer visits. Be there with the competent person, the originals and the keys to the refrigerator.
- Grant. The licence is issued on the portal. Download it, print it, and put it on the wall of the premises, which the rules require.
- Diary the retention date five years out. Then apply for GST if you have not already, and send the licence number to your suppliers.
Weeks, not days. The inspection slot is the long pole, and it moves faster when the file is complete the first time.
Where Haryana applications stall
- Unregistered rent agreement. Returned every time.
- Area under 10 square metres once the toilet and the stairwell are excluded. Measure before you sign the lease.
- Experience certificate from a firm that cannot be verified. The inspector checks the issuing firm’s licence number.
- Form 20B only. You get the licence, then discover you cannot stock the antibiotics on your list. Filing 21B afterwards means a second inspection.
- Applying in a personal name and then wanting to trade as a firm. The licence does not transfer; you apply again.
Where we stand on this
We do not ship against a receipt of application. If your licence is still in process, we will hold the territory discussion and the rate list for you, but the first consignment leaves after the licence number is on file, with batch documentation in the box. A supplier who dispatches to an unlicensed premises is taking a risk on your behalf and on theirs, and you should wonder what else they are relaxed about.
Questions people ask
How much does a wholesale drug licence cost in Haryana?
The government fee under Rule 63 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules is ₹1,500 for each form, so ₹3,000 for Form 20B and Form 21B together, plus an inspection fee where one is charged. A consultant adds their own fee on top. Confirm the current figure on the Haryana FDA portal before you pay.
Who issues the drug licence in Haryana?
The Food and Drug Administration, Haryana, headquartered in Panchkula, through the State Drugs Controller. The Drugs Control Officer for your district carries out the premises inspection. Applications are filed online through the Haryana FDA licensing portal.
Do I need a pharmacist for a wholesale drug licence?
No. A retail licence needs a registered pharmacist. A wholesale licence needs a competent person: a registered pharmacist, or a graduate with one year of experience dealing in drugs, or a matriculate with four years of such experience, under Rule 64.
What is the minimum shop area for a wholesale drug licence in Haryana?
10 square metres for wholesale alone, 15 square metres if the same premises will hold a retail licence as well, with a refrigerator and air conditioning for drugs that need them.
How long is a Haryana drug licence valid?
There is no expiry date. Since the 2017 amendment to the rules, the licence stays in force as long as you pay the retention fee every five years before the due date. Miss it and the licence lapses.
Do I need Form 21B if I only sell tablets?
Almost always yes. Schedule C and C(1) cover more than injectables; oral antibiotics, vitamins, hormones and insulin fall under them. Most PCD product lists cross into Schedule C, so apply for both forms together.
Send your district and the ranges you want on WhatsApp. You get a yes or no on territory the same day, and net rates in writing to plan against while the inspection is scheduled.
Rules 63 and 64 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 and the Haryana FDA portal checked on 23 October 2026. Fees and forms change; confirm on the portal before paying. General information, not legal advice.