BIS certificate for imported products

Many electronics, appliances, toys and other goods need a BIS licence before they can come into India. The licence belongs to the factory. We prepare and file the application with the factory. Then we clear your goods at the port.

BIS licence
Licence validReady for customs to check

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Who needs a BIS licence?

You need a BIS licence only for goods an order names. The licence then belongs to the manufacturer. Your part depends on where you sit in the chain.

What do you do?

If an order names your goods the factory needs it

You cannot hold it yourself. The foreign factory applies for its own licence. It also names a representative in India. Without an office here that is often the brand owner or its main importer. We prepare and file the factory's papers. To import at all you also need an IEC.

IEC registration

If an order names your goods your factory needs it

The factory holds the licence for goods under your brand. You give it a letter to use your brand. If it has no office here you can be its representative as the brand owner. For an ISI licence a representative acts for one factory abroad only unless the two are related. That role carries the factory's legal liability. If you switch factories the new one needs its own licence.

If an order names your product each factory needs one

Electronics, IT and solar goods on the CRS list need a CRS registration. A lab BIS recognises tests the product first. Most other goods an order names need an ISI licence. BIS officers then inspect your factory. You appoint your own representative in India for either. We prepare the papers and file them with you. We never act as your representative.

If an order names your product your plant needs one

Electronics, IT and solar goods on the CRS list need a CRS registration. Most other goods an order names need an ISI licence. BIS inspects your plant for it. You need no representative. We prepare the application and file it with you from your login.

The licence is the factory's, not yours

You need no licence of your own. But it is an offence to store or sell covered goods without a valid BIS mark. Buy only marked models and check the number. We check the mark on each model as it reaches our warehouse.

We check it for you

Only goods that an order names need BIS. We match your product and its HS code to the orders in force. Some start on a later date. Others carry exemptions. We tell you what applies before you ship.

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What a BIS licence needs first

Every licence rests on these. A factory abroad also names its own representative in India.

  1. An order that names your productOrder
  2. Its Indian StandardStandard
  3. The factory's business licenceFactory
  4. A lab test BIS acceptsLab test
  5. BIS licenceBIS

The papers BIS asks for

The factory's papers

Its business licence with its name, address and what it manufactures. In English or with a certified translation.

Brand papers

The trade mark certificate or application. If another firm owns the brand, its letter to the factory.

Test reports

Recent reports on the product. For CRS they come from a lab BIS recognises. The models, product name and labels must match the application.

Who signs

The head of the company. Or an employee it names in writing.

For a factory abroad

Its letter naming one representative in India. The representative signs too and sends BIS its own papers.

For an ISI licence

The factory's layout, process chart, machines and test equipment. BIS checks them when it visits.

Quality staff for ISI

The people who test the goods at the factory. They must be its own permanent staff and qualified for the job.

After an ISI grant abroad

The factory signs an agreement with BIS. It also gives BIS a bank guarantee.

How a BIS licence comes through

We prepare and file each step with the factory. The manufacturer signs where BIS asks. A lab tests the goods and BIS decides.

  1. We find the order that covers your product and its Indian Standard. That tells us if the factory needs a CRS registration or an ISI licence.

  2. For CRS a lab BIS recognises tests the samples first. We gather the factory's papers and fill in the application from its login.

  3. The manufacturer signs the application. A factory abroad has its representative in India sign too. Then we file it.

  4. BIS reviews the file and we answer its queries. For an ISI licence its officers also inspect the factory and take samples for testing.

  5. BIS grants the licence and its number. The factory puts the BIS mark and that number on the goods.

  6. Our customs team clears your goods. Customs checks the BIS licence before it lets them in.

How we keep a BIS licence valid

BIS fees fall due every year. If they are late BIS can suspend the licence. Then your goods stop at the port.

  • Yearly fee

    Every year

    The factory pays BIS a fee every year in advance. We remind it well before the fee falls due.

  • Production details

    Through the year

    Every licence holder sends its production details with the yearly fee. A factory abroad with an ISI licence also reports what it ships through the year.

  • Renewal

    Before it ends

    We apply to renew well before the licence runs out. BIS asks how many goods were marked and who the main buyers were.

  • New models

    Each new model

    The mark may go only on models the licence covers. We add each new model before it ships. Most need a lab test of their own. Under CRS one tested model can cover others in its series.

  • Changes

    When things change

    A new name, address or representative goes to BIS. If the factory moves it stops marking until BIS checks the new site. A second factory needs a licence of its own. We file each change.

  • New standards

    When a standard changes

    BIS revises its standards. Each model moves to the new one by the date set for it. We track it and plan the new test with the factory.

  • Checked before it ships

    Each shipment

    Before our customs team clears each shipment we look up the licence on BIS's records. Customs refuses a suspended number.

  • Marks checked

    As stock arrives

    As each model reaches our warehouse we check its BIS mark. If one is missing we tell you before it goes out.

Where BIS certification goes wrong

Most files come back over details that do not match.

  • What goes wrong: The brand or factory name on the papers differs from the test report. BIS sends the file back.

    What we do: We match every name, model and label across the papers before we file.

  • What goes wrong: The test report is too old by the time the application goes in.

    What we do: We have the papers ready before the lab finishes. Then we file as soon as the report is out.

  • What goes wrong: A new model ships before it is added to the licence. Customs refuses it.

    What we do: We add each model to the licence before it leaves the factory.

  • What goes wrong: Nobody pays the yearly fee. The number is suspended and the goods fail the check at the port.

    What we do: We track the fee for each licence and remind the factory early.

  • What goes wrong: The brand ships from a second factory that holds no licence.

    What we do: We check the factory against BIS's records before we clear each shipment.

  • What goes wrong: A new order starts while unmarked stock sits in a warehouse. From that date storing it for sale is an offence unless the order gives a window.

    What we do: We check what the order lets you do with stock you already hold. You hear from us before the start date.

Where our warehouses come in

The licence names the factory, never a warehouse. But storing goods an order covers for sale without a valid mark is an offence. Our part is the stock we hold for you.

  • Marks checked on arrival

    We check the BIS mark and number on each model as it reaches our warehouse. You hear from us before an unmarked one goes out.

  • Ready when a new order starts

    From the start date it is an offence to store covered goods for sale without the mark. We check what the order allows for stock you already hold. You hear from us in time.

  • Licences checked at the port

    Before our customs team clears each shipment we check its factory and model against BIS's records. A suspended number is caught before your goods reach the port gate.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Still have a question?

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Is BIS certificate mandatory for import?
Only for goods that an order names. That means many electronics, IT and solar goods. It also means the goods under each quality control order. Customs will not clear them without a valid BIS licence for that factory and model. Some orders exempt a few cases, such as research samples. Other goods need none.
Can an importer get a BIS certificate?
No. BIS grants the licence to the manufacturer, factory by factory. As an importer you buy only from a factory that holds one. If neither the factory nor the brand has an office or owner in India the factory may name you as its representative. For an ISI licence you can then act for that one factory only unless you are related to it. We prepare and file its application.
How to get BIS certificate for imported products?
The foreign factory applies. For electronics, IT and solar goods on the CRS list a lab BIS recognises tests the product. Then the factory registers under CRS. For most other goods an order names it applies for an ISI licence and BIS officers inspect the factory. Either way it names a representative in India. We prepare and file the papers with the factory.
What is the difference between ISI and CRS?
CRS is a registration for electronics, IT goods and some solar goods. It rests on a lab test and the factory's own declaration. Its number starts with R. The ISI mark licence covers most other listed goods. BIS inspects the factory before it grants one and keeps checking it after.
What is FMCS in BIS?
It is BIS's scheme for factories outside India that need the ISI mark. BIS officers visit the factory and take samples for testing. The factory names a representative in India. Once BIS grants the licence the factory signs an agreement with BIS. It also gives a bank guarantee.
Who can be an Authorised Indian Representative?
A foreign factory appoints its own. It is the factory's office in India if it has one. For CRS the brand owner or its registered user in India comes next. Only then can a main importer or distributor act. For an ISI licence the representative lives in India and acts for one foreign manufacturer only unless the two are related. No representative may have business ties with a test lab. The representative takes on the factory's legal liability and its dues to BIS. Under CRS it cannot step down without BIS's consent. We never act as one.
How to check BIS R number?
Search it on BIS's CRS website or in the BIS Care app. You see the factory, the brand, the models and the status. Customs clears only a valid one. For the ISI mark you check the licence number in the same app.
What is the validity of BIS CRS registration?
A CRS licence is granted for a set term of several years. It renews for the same term. But the factory pays the fee every year in advance with its production details. If they are late the licence is suspended. If they stay unpaid BIS cancels it. An ISI licence now works the same way.
Can I sell old stock after BIS becomes mandatory?
Only if the order allows it. Some orders let a manufacturer declare stock from before the start date and sell it for a while after. Others give no such window. Some orders have also let goods shipped before the start date clear for a while after it. We check if a window is open for yours and what the order allows for your stock before the date.
What happens if goods arrive without BIS?
Customs will not clear them for India. For electronics it checks each model's number on BIS's records. It refuses a suspended or cancelled one. BIS can also seize covered goods stored or sold in India without the mark.
Do I need BIS for samples?
Each order sets its own exemptions. Many let in a limited number of goods for research or testing that are never sold. Goods manufactured in India for export are also outside most orders. We check the order for your goods.
Which products need BIS certification?
BIS keeps a list of products under compulsory certification. Electronics, IT goods, solar panels and inverters on the CRS list register under CRS. Toys, footwear, appliances, cables, steel and many more need the ISI mark. New orders start through the year and some are withdrawn. We check each product against the orders in force as part of our trade compliance work.