Product approvals in India: every approval compared, and who needs which

A product can need approvals from up to six regulators: BIS for safety, CPCB for EPR, Legal Metrology for packaging, the WPC Wing and TEC for radio and telecom, and BEE for energy labels. Food, medical devices and gas cylinders have their own regulators.

Think of the approvals in five groups:

• Product safety (BIS). BIS CRS registration for electronics and IT goods, the ISI mark licence for goods under a Quality Control Order, and FMCS, which is the ISI route for a factory outside India. Selling or importing notified goods without the Standard Mark is an offence under section 17 of the BIS Act^[13].
• Waste rules (CPCB). Plastic EPR for goods in plastic packaging, E-waste EPR for listed electrical and electronic equipment, and Battery EPR for batteries and for equipment that contains them^[14].
• Packaging and labels. LMPC importer registration under rule 27, needed by anyone who imports a commodity for sale^[11], plus the label rules.
• Radio, telecom and energy. WPC ETA for devices in de-licensed bands^[5], TEC MTCTE for notified telecom equipment, and the BEE star label for listed appliances.
• Trade and sector licences. The IEC code, without which no import is allowed^[15], and sector licences from CDSCO, FSSAI and PESO.

No product needs all of them. A pair of Bluetooth earbuds needs BIS CRS, WPC ETA, battery EPR, plastic EPR and LMPC, but not MTCTE or BEE, on our reading^[16]. A refrigerator needs an ISI licence and a mandatory BEE label instead^[17][7]. Start with the approval checker or the product guides to see your own list.

The table puts every approval side by side using the official fee and time each regulator publishes. Fees are government fees only: lab testing, consultants and GST come on top. Each row links to the full guide; the India compliance fees 2026 data page lists every fee in one place.

Your product's category decides the list: phones and IT goods go to BIS CRS, notified appliances and consumer goods go to the ISI mark, and radios add WPC ETA. Almost every boxed retail import also needs plastic EPR and LMPC registration.

The table shows typical families. Each product link opens the full approval table for that product, with the HS code, standard, fees and where shipments get stuck. If your product is not here, use the HS code approval finder or ask for a free compliance check.

BIS CRS is a registration based on a lab test report for electronics and IT goods; the ISI mark is a licence that includes a factory inspection; FMCS is the ISI route for factories outside India. Which one applies depends on the order that notifies your product, not on your choice.

CRS runs as Scheme-II of the BIS Conformity Assessment Regulations^[18], under MeitY's Electronics and IT Goods order of 2021^[48]. BIS lists 66 numbered CRS categories^[49]. FMCS grants foreign manufacturers the Standard Mark for every product except the MeitY electronics that go through CRS^[50]. Our CRS vs ISI vs FMCS explainer covers edge cases.

BIS licences belong to the factory, so a foreign maker applies through an Authorised Indian Representative; EPR, LMPC, IEC and usually WPC ETA sit with the Indian importer. An importer cannot hold a BIS CRS registration for someone else's factory.

CRS is granted to the manufacturer for each factory, not to the importer or trader^[18]. A foreign manufacturer must nominate an Authorised Indian Representative on Form IV^[20]. TEC also certifies foreign OEMs through an AIR^[25]. On the other side, the BIS Act defines 'person' to include importers, so the importer is directly bound by the ban on unmarked goods^[13].

What this means in practice: if you import a power bank, your Chinese supplier's factory must hold the CRS registration, and you must hold your own IEC, battery EPR, plastic EPR and LMPC registrations. Our guide for foreign manufacturers explains the AIR role, and first-time importers shows the importer's side.

An importer needs plastic EPR if goods arrive in plastic packaging, e-waste EPR if it sells listed electrical equipment, and battery EPR if it imports batteries or anything containing one. Many electronics importers need all three.

E-waste EPR applies to anyone who offers imported EEE for sale^[29]; each covered product has an EEE code in Schedule I, but items such as earphones, chargers and power banks are not named^[29]. Battery EPR asks you to register with CPCB before importing^[54].

WPC ETA covers any device using a de-licensed radio band such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi; MTCTE covers telecom equipment TEC has notified, such as routers and trackers. A Wi-Fi router needs both, on our reading^[57].

Since the WPC office memorandum of September 2024, every licence-exempt device goes through self-declaration on Saral Sanchar^[24], except radar, jammers, drones and satellite equipment^[5]. MTCTE's consumer scope is narrower: Wi-Fi access points and CPE from 1 January 2024 and routers from 1 August 2024^[16], while phones, smart watches, CCTV cameras and set-top boxes are not on the list^[57]. Selling notified telecom gear without a certificate brings a stop-sale notice within 7 days^[26]. Read WPC ETA vs MTCTE, the MTCTE product list and the MTCTE fee table.

Only appliances on BEE's Schedule A need a star label by law; Schedule B appliances may carry one voluntarily. Under the 2026 regulations, no product may carry a BEE label without BEE's written permission^[7].

Mandatory items include ACs, refrigerators, colour TVs, LED lamps and storage water heaters^[7]; laptops are voluntary at Rs 20 per piece if labelled^[7]. Per-unit fees differ: Rs 10 per TV^[7], Rs 10 per 100 LED lamps^[7]. A refundable security deposit of Rs 3 lakh per appliance applies (Rs 50,000 for small units)^[7]. See the BEE product list, BEE fees and the BEE portal guide.

Yes, if you import commodities in packages for sale: rule 27 covers anyone who pre-packs or imports a commodity for sale, distribution or delivery^[11]. Apply within 90 days of starting imports^[11]; the fee is Rs 500^[11].

Registration is only half the job. Every retail pack also needs the declarations in the LMPC label rules, such as the importer's name and address^[58] and the month and year of manufacture^[11]. Wrong declarations bring an improvement notice first, then a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh^[59]. Industrial and institutional packs are exempt from the retail package provisions^[58]. Check your pack with the label checker and the product label checklist.

The IEC applies to every importer; CDSCO, FSSAI and PESO apply only in their sectors: medical devices, food, and gas cylinders, valves and pressure vessels. They are licences you hold yourself, not product registrations held by the factory.

• IEC code: a 10-character code that equals your PAN^[15], updated every April to June^[15]. Skip the update and it is de-activated^[15].
• CDSCO medical devices: all devices, including software, are regulated from 1 April 2020^[60]; low-risk Class A non-sterile, non-measuring devices get a free registration instead^[61].
• FSSAI import: port clearance runs through FICS, linked to ICEGATE^[36], and food needs at least 60% shelf life or 3 months left at import^[36].
• PESO: no cylinders, valves or LPG regulators may be imported without a licence or approval^[38], and a licence obtained after shipment does not count^[62].

Get the IEC first, then the factory's BIS registration or licence, then radio approvals, then EPR and LMPC before the goods land. BIS takes longest, so it decides your launch date.

For one power bank model from a new supplier, government fees come to about Rs 71,500 before GST and lab charges: BIS CRS, battery EPR, plastic EPR and LMPC. A wireless model adds Rs 10,000 for the ETA.

The numbers, from official fee tables:

• BIS CRS application fee: Rs 1,000^[1]
• BIS CRS processing fee including one test report: Rs 50,000^[1]
• Battery EPR registration (turnover under Rs 5 crore): Rs 10,000^[9]
• Plastic EPR application (under 1,000 TPA): Rs 10,000^[8]
• LMPC importer registration: Rs 500^[11]

That is Rs 71,500, with GST charged on every BIS amount^[1]. Lab testing is extra and set by the lab: BIS's LIMS lists charges from Rs 25,000 to Rs 2,00,000 for IS 13252 (Part 1)^[63]. Each extra test report on the same application costs Rs 20,000^[1]. Run your own numbers in the BIS CRS fee calculator or the compliance cost estimator, and see BIS CRS registration cost and importing electronics cost.

Validity ranges from one year (a fresh plastic EPR registration) to the lifetime of the model (WPC ETA). Missing a BIS renewal is the costliest mistake, because marking and dispatch must stop on the validity date.

Without BIS certification, goods can be held at the port and the importer faces up to two years in prison or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh for a first offence^[13]. EPR and LMPC breaches bring environmental compensation and fines.

Customs checks BIS registration for CRS goods under CBIC instructions, according to reported sources^[67]. BIS can order stop-supply and recall of non-conforming marked goods^[13]. For EPR, other violations attract environmental compensation of Rs 20,000, Rs 40,000 and Rs 80,000 for the first three defaults^[68]. The selling without BIS and why shipments get held articles walk through real cases, and LMPC penalties covers packaging offences.

The big 2026 changes were five-year CRS validity, the switch of CRS safety standards to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023, FMCS going online-only, LMPC registration becoming valid until cancelled, and the new BEE regulations.

• CRS licences now run 5 years with fees paid annually in advance^[2].
• IS 13252 (Part 1) and IS 616 give way to IS/IEC 62368-1, usable alongside until 1 November 2028^[69].
• FMCS applications moved to Manakonline only from 1 June 2026^[21].
• LMPC registration is valid until cancelled from 29 May 2026^[31].
• BEE's Appliance Labeling and Compliance Regulations took effect on 1 January 2026^[7].
• New telecom authorisations under the Telecom Act started on 25 June 2026^[70].

The dated list is in new import rules 2026, the compliance calendar and the QCO tracker.

You can file every approval yourself, but most foreign factories use a consultant or their AIR for BIS work because of the Indian paperwork. Consultants charge on top of the government fees above.

Compare options in BIS consultants, EPR consultants, WPC consultants and LMPC consultants. For testing, see BIS labs. The portals are covered in the BIS CRS portal, Manakonline and CPCB EPR portal guides. Or send us your product for a free compliance check.