BIS Certification for Exporting to India: QCOs, ISI Mark and CRS

BIS Act 2016 and Quality Control Orders

Under section 16 of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016, the Central Government can make the Standard Mark compulsory for goods it notifies, in the public interest or to protect health, safety, the environment, fair trade or national security. It does this through orders published in the Gazette of India, usually called Quality Control Orders (QCOs), issued by the ministry responsible for the product, such as DPIIT, MeitY, Heavy Industries, Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Mines, Steel or Textiles. Each order names the products, the Indian Standard (IS) they must meet, the certification scheme and the date it applies from.

Section 17 then bars anyone from manufacturing, importing, distributing, selling, hiring, leasing, storing or exhibiting for sale such goods without a Standard Mark under a valid BIS licence, and from applying the mark to goods that do not conform. A contravention of section 17 can bring imprisonment of up to two years, or a fine of at least INR 2 lakh for a first contravention and INR 5 lakh for later ones, up to ten times the value of the goods, or both (section 29(3)).

Each order sets its own exemptions, for example limited quantities imported for research and development, often only with BIS approval, and in some orders goods imported to make export products. Read the order for your product and its amendments rather than relying on a general list.

QCO changes in late 2025 and 2026, and how to check your product

After a high-level government review in late 2025, several ministries withdrew or deferred QCOs, mainly on raw materials, intermediates and machinery, while new orders kept coming into force for finished goods. Check the status that will apply on the date your goods arrive in India, not the date you quote.

• Withdrawn: 14 QCOs of the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals on 12 November 2025, covering polymers and polyester inputs such as polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC, ABS, polycarbonate, terephthalic acid, ethylene glycol and polyester fibres and yarns; Ministry of Mines orders on several non-ferrous metals (lead, zinc, tin, nickel, copper, aluminium) in mid-November 2025; and viscose staple fibre on 18 November 2025. The withdrawal for polyester yarn was challenged in the Gujarat High Court in 2026, so check its current position.
• Deferred or rescinded: the upcoming phases of the Electrical Equipment (Quality Control) Order, 2020 (low-voltage switchgear and controlgear, certified under Scheme-X) were deferred on 6 November 2025 (S.O. 5038(E)). The Machinery and Electrical Equipment Safety (Omnibus Technical Regulation) Order, 2024 was deferred in November 2025 and then rescinded with immediate effect by a Gazette notification of 16 January 2026 (S.O. 239(E)).
• Added: new orders keep taking effect, for example USB external storage devices under CRS (S.O. 2204(E), 5 May 2026); certain hand tools such as pipe wrenches and pliers, wrought aluminium utensils and aluminium beverage cans from 1 October 2026; and wrought aluminium products for engineering and electrical use from 1 December 2026.
• Transition relief: a DPIIT notification of 12 February 2026 (S.O. 776(E)) lets goods under many of its QCOs that were ordered or dispatched before the implementation date be cleared within 180 days of that date, with papers sent to BIS within 7 days of clearance; check whether your order is listed. The Transition Facilitation (Quality Control) Order, 2026 of 25 June 2026 is open only to companies incorporated in India.
• How to check: open BIS's 'Products under Compulsory Certification' page, which lists orders by scheme (Scheme-I ISI mark, Scheme-II registration, Scheme-IV, Scheme-X), and its 'Upcoming QCOs – notified and due for implementation' page; then read the order and its amendments in the Gazette of India and confirm with your Indian importer. Match the product description and IS number, not only the HS code. Triplicate's HS code lookup helps you find the code, but the wording of the order decides.

FMCS: the ISI mark licence for foreign factories

BIS has run the Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme (FMCS) since 2000. It grants a foreign manufacturer a licence to use the Standard Mark, known as the ISI mark, on products made in its manufacturing premises that conform to the Indian Standard. It covers all products except the electronics and IT goods notified by MeitY, which go through CRS. The application must come from the foreign manufacturer itself; an importer cannot apply, and each factory location needs its own licence.

The manufacturer nominates an Authorized Indian Representative (AIR): an Indian resident, at least a graduate, preferably an employee of its Indian branch or office if it has one, who answers for compliance with the BIS Act and the licence. An AIR may represent only one foreign manufacturer, unless the manufacturers belong to one group or the AIR is a related importer. Since 1 June 2026 BIS accepts FMCS applications only online, on the Manakonline portal.

After the application is recorded, BIS visits the factory to verify the manufacturing and testing facilities and draws samples, which are tested in BIS-recognised laboratories in India; test reports must be to the Indian Standard, not to an IEC or other standard. On grant, the manufacturer signs an agreement and indemnity bond, pays the licence fee and advance minimum marking fee, and gives a performance bank guarantee of USD 10,000 from a bank with an RBI-approved branch in India. BIS gives about six months from recording of a complete application as the average time. Applicants outside SAARC pay in US dollars and also bear visit, sample transport and testing costs.

CRS: registration for electronics and IT goods

The Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS) is Scheme-II of the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018: a licence to use the Standard Mark through registration based on self-declaration of conformity. It covers the products in MeitY's Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirement of Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021, such as mobile phones, laptops, power adapters, LED products, CCTV cameras, smart watches and, since May 2026, USB external storage devices, plus some products notified by other ministries, such as MNRE's solar photovoltaic goods.

The manufacturer first has the product tested against the Indian Standard (for many IT and audio-video products, IS/IEC 62368-1) at a laboratory recognised by BIS for CRS, then applies online on the CRS portal (crsbis.in) with the test report. Foreign manufacturers without a liaison or branch office in India must appoint an AIR, who signs an affidavit cum undertaking in the BIS format. BIS gives 20 working days as the normal time for grant; the registration letter, with a unique registration number (R-number), is then uploaded to the applicant's account.

A registration is tied to the manufacturer, the manufacturing location and the models registered, and customs checks all three. A MeitY amendment of 10 March 2026 (S.O. 1246(E)) added an exemption for some highly specialised equipment imported in small numbers; check its conditions before relying on it.

Validity, annual fees and the Standard Mark

The BIS (Conformity Assessment) Amendment Regulations, 2026, published in the Gazette on 25 February 2026, allow licences and registrations to be granted for up to five years and renewed for up to five years. Fees are now paid every year in advance, with a production statement. If the annual fee is not paid, the licence is suspended; paying within 90 days, with a late fee, revokes the suspension, and after that the licence is cancelled. Some BIS pages written before the change still show the older initial period of up to two years.

• ISI mark (FMCS): the Standard Mark with the IS number and the licence number, shown as CM/L-XXXXXXXXXX, preferably below the mark, plus any marking the product's Indian Standard and BIS product manual require.
• CRS: the Standard Mark for registration with the IS number and the R-number (R- followed by eight digits), in text no smaller than Arial size 6, legible, indelible and not removable, on the product, the packaging or both, as the current labelling guidelines on crsbis.in set out.
• Scope: only the licensed factory may apply the mark, and only to the varieties or models in the scope of its licence or registration; a new model must be included first.
• Checking: buyers and customs check licences on Manakonline, the BIS website and the BIS Care app, and CRS registrations on the crsbis.in public dashboard.

Customs checks, importer liability and other Indian approvals

Indian customs enforces BIS orders at the border. CBIC Instruction No. 06/2023-Customs (13 February 2023, on toys) told officers to verify manufacturers' BIS licences on the BIS website, Manakonline and the BIS Care app. Instruction No. 27/2025-Customs (26 August 2025) told them to check every CRS registration number on the BIS-CRS website, refuse clearance where the registration is deferred or cancelled, and match the manufacturer name, model number and manufacturing location with the registration.

Goods imported contrary to a prohibition under any law are liable to confiscation under section 111(d) of the Customs Act, 1962, and importing covered goods without the mark breaches section 17 of the BIS Act. The importer in India carries this risk, so send your buyer the licence or registration details, test reports and label artwork before you ship.

BIS certification is often only one of several Indian requirements. Brief pointers:

• Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011: importers of pre-packed goods register under rule 27, and packages must carry the importer's name and address, generic name, net quantity, month and year of packing or import, maximum retail price and consumer care details before clearance for home consumption.
• Wireless devices: Equipment Type Approval (ETA) from the Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) Wing of the Department of Telecommunications, applied for on the Saral Sanchar portal; self-declaration is allowed for many finished products.
• Cosmetics: an import registration certificate from CDSCO in Form COS-2, applied for in Form COS-1 on the SUGAM portal by the manufacturer, its authorised agent or importer, or its Indian subsidiary (Cosmetics Rules, 2020). Medical devices need an import licence under the Medical Devices Rules, 2017.
• Food: an FSSAI licence for the importer and clearance through the Food Import Clearance System under the Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017.