Why a DGCA Computer Number Application Gets Rejected — and How to Avoid It

Before a student can book a single DGCA paper, the Central Examination Organisation has to issue a computer number. A unique identification number allotted to a candidate, used to identify that candidate through the DGCA online examination process. The number is issued once, it is valid for life, and it is checked by people comparing your form against your documents line by line. This page is the diagnostic version of the process: what DGCA itself says causes rejection, and how to avoid each cause. For the step-by-step application, use our DGCA computer number guide.

Partial or complete rejection: what is the difference?

DGCA does not treat every fault alike. A fault in a supporting document or a non-basic field is a partial rejection and can be fixed. A mismatch in a basic detail is a complete rejection, and the application ends.

The reason for rejection is emailed to the registered address. Where an application is partially rejected, the clock also depends on how long the candidate takes to submit the compliance. Read the email carefully: it names the exact reason, and a rushed resubmission that fixes the wrong thing uses up one of your 3 chances.

What reasons does DGCA actually list?

DGCA publishes a list of common reasons for rejection. Condensed to one line per category, and nothing added:

• –The photograph is not uploaded as specified in the user manual.
• –The signature is not uploaded as specified in the user manual.
• –The date of birth does not match the supporting document, the proof is not uploaded as required, it is inconsistent across documents, or it is not legible.
• –The candidate’s name, father’s name or mother’s name does not match the supporting documents, or is not consistent across them.
• –The Class 10 or Class 12 marksheet is missing or not legible, or a Class 12 equivalence certificate is incomplete.
• –Physics and Mathematics are not shown as passed (Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics for AME candidates).
• –The qualification is not from a recognised board or university.
• –The Board Verification Certificate is missing or incomplete, its marks do not match the marksheet, it is not legible, or the online verification record cannot be accessed.
• –The permanent address does not match the uploaded proof, or the proof is not uploaded as required.
• –An AIU equivalence certificate for Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics or for Class 10 is missing or not legible.
• –Entries made in the online form do not match the supporting documents.
• –Logbook pages or licence details are not legible.

Read the list as a pattern rather than twelve separate problems. Nearly every line is one document disagreeing with another, or a file that cannot be read.

Why do name and date-of-birth mismatches end an application?

Because they are basic details, and DGCA treats them as the identity of the candidate. Names are entered exactly as they appear on the Class 10 marksheet or the passport, whichever was issued later. A spelling variation, a title, or a missing or extra middle name is a basic-detail mismatch and causes complete rejection. The father’s name and mother’s name are matched the same way, and must stay consistent across every uploaded document.

Date of birth is stricter still. Only the Class 10 certificate and marksheet, or a birth certificate, are accepted as date-of-birth proof. An Aadhaar card is not accepted as the date-of-birth proof. The date must match the supporting document exactly, including the dd/mm/yyyy format. A difference of a single day causes rejection. Before you register, put your Class 10 marksheet, pass certificate and (if you use one) birth certificate side by side and confirm the spelling and date are the same on all of them. If they are not, sort that out before applying, not after a rejection.

Which photo, signature and document limits trip people up?

The upload rules are exact, and a file outside them is a listed rejection reason. The photograph is 45 mm high × 35 mm wide, white background, no border, colour only, matt finish, JPG/JPEG, up to 70 KB, not more than 3 months old. The signature is 20 mm high × 45 mm wide, white background, no border, JPG/JPEG, up to 20 KB. Every other document is a PDF, and the size limit depends on what it is:

Nothing can be added after Final Submit. A forgotten document cannot be uploaded afterwards, and the photograph and signature cannot be replaced by the candidate later. Open every file after saving it, check it is legible and complete, and only then move on. Marksheets and certificates must be legible and complete — blurred, cropped or partial scans are a listed rejection reason.

What goes wrong with the education record and the BVC?

For every flight crew category other than PPL: 10+2 passed with Physics and Mathematics from a recognised Board or University. Both the marksheet and the pass certificate are needed for Class 10 and for Class 12. Where a board issues no separate pass certificate, the marksheet must itself read "Marksheet CUM Certificate". If your marksheet does not show Physics and Mathematics as passed, that is a listed rejection reason in itself. Students from a Biology or Commerce stream have a route: students from a Biology or Commerce stream clear both subjects as private candidates through NIOS and then apply.

On the manual route, a new candidate also needs a Board Verification Certificate. Coloured photocopies of a BVC are not accepted. Where a board verifies marksheets online, the verification details given in the form must actually work — records that cannot be accessed for verification are a listed rejection reason. Where the certificate is addressed matters too: to CEO or “To Whomsoever It May Concern”, to the flying school, or to the candidate, each has its own rule for what you upload.

What should you do after a rejection?

1. Read the emailed reason in full and identify whether it is partial or complete.
2. For a partial rejection, fix only what the email names, re-check every other document, and resubmit under the same Temporary ID.
3. For a complete rejection, correct the mismatched detail at source and apply again as a fresh applicant. The candidate applies again as a fresh applicant with the corrections. The same email and mobile number generate a new Temporary ID.
4. If the reasons for a complete rejection do not seem right, write to the Director, Central Examination Organisation — where the reasons given for a complete rejection are not satisfactory. at ceo.dgca@nic.in.
5. For a query about the portal itself, use the Help Desk tab, or write to help.pariksha.dgca@gov.in.

Does the DigiLocker route avoid rejection?

For eligible candidates, it removes most of the document risk. The system allots the computer number immediately on successful submission, instead of after manual scrutiny. For the Class X and XII documents fetched from DigiLocker, a Board Verification Certificate is not required. It is not universal, though: Any mismatch or discrepancy may stop the system generating the computer number. The application then goes the manual way, with the Board Verification Certificate and the usual scrutiny. Foreign nationals, candidates whose board is not yet in DigiLocker and anyone the automatic check rejects stay on the manual route described above. If you are not an Indian citizen, our page on training in India as a foreign national or NRI covers what is added.

Whichever route you take, the processing time on the manual route is 15 working days from a complete application, so an avoidable rejection costs weeks rather than minutes. Once you hold the number, the next step is the exams themselves; our DGCA exam guide covers how booking and papers work.

Sources

• –Flight Crew Computer Number Registration — FAQ (DGCA Pariksha)
• –Flight Crew User Manual, Issue III Rev 0, October 2024 (DGCA Pariksha)
• –Reasons for rejection of computer number applications (DGCA Pariksha)
• –DGCA Pariksha portal, https://pariksha.dgca.gov.in