BIS certification and quality control orders

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) writes Indian Standards and certifies products against them. For most products its certification is voluntary. For some, the Central Government makes the standard compulsory, for reasons such as health, safety, the environment, preventing unfair trade practices or national security.

It does this through a quality control order (QCO). Each order is issued by the ministry in charge of the product, such as the Ministry of Steel for steel. It lists the products, the Indian Standard each must meet, and the date it takes effect.

Once an order is in force, the product must carry the BIS Standard Mark under a licence or certificate from BIS. This applies to imports as much as to goods made in India.

BIS publishes the list of products under compulsory certification on its website. It includes products such as cement, steel and aluminium products, toys, helmets and pressure cookers. For each product, the list shows the Indian Standard and the orders behind it: the original order and any amendment, deferral, suspension or withdrawal.

Electronics and IT goods notified by the electronics ministry (MeitY) take a different route: BIS's Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS). DGFT's import policy says such goods may not be imported unless they are registered with BIS and labelled as BIS requires. If they reach a port unregistered, the importer must re-export them; otherwise customs makes them unusable and disposes of them as scrap.

The list changes often. Orders are amended, deferred, suspended or withdrawn, and some give small and micro enterprises later dates than everyone else. Check the status on the day you ship, not the day you heard about the order.

DGFT's import policy says imported goods must meet the same domestic laws, technical standards and safety norms as goods made in India. For a product under a QCO, that means the foreign factory needs BIS certification before the goods are shipped.

• The foreign manufacturer applies, under BIS's Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme (FMCS). An importer cannot apply on its behalf.
• Each product and each factory needs its own application. A supplier that makes the product in two factories must apply for both.
• The manufacturer names an Authorised Indian Representative (AIR), resident in India, who answers to BIS for the licence. The AIR's name is on the licence, and the AIR must help BIS draw market samples from consignments.
• A licence is for a product made at that factory. Another brand made there is added with an undertaking, not a fresh application.
• BIS accepts test reports only against the Indian Standard, not against foreign standards.
• BIS says a licence takes about six months on average from a complete application, so plan ahead.

1. 1Note your product's exact description and its 8-digit HS code.
2. 2Search BIS's list of products under compulsory certification by product name and Indian Standard, not only by code.
3. 3Read the order itself: the product description, the IS number, any exemptions, and the dates, including any later dates for small and micro enterprises.
4. 4Check its status today: in force, notified but not yet in force, deferred, suspended or withdrawn.
5. 5If it applies, ask your supplier for its BIS licence or CRS registration number before you order, and check it with BIS.

Our BIS tool reads BIS's list every day and shows each order's status, but the order itself, as published in the Gazette, is the legal text.